Syria & Golan Heights
Syria & Golan Heights
Since 2011, Syria has been on the United Nations Security Council’s agenda, when President Assad’s aggressive actions against pro-democracy protesters during the Arab Spring became more frequent and increasingly violent, leading to civil war and terrorist violence within the country.
Insecurity is the primary concern for women, yet in spite of their limited operating environment, women activists have organized nonviolent protests, distributed and monitored humanitarian aid, documented human rights violations, created safe spaces for women and children, and worked at the local level to set up ceasefires, prisoner releases, and elections.
Based on the work of NGOWG members and their partners, the NGOWG advocates for ensuring women’s needs— such as secure access to sanitation facilities and hygiene, and health assistance— are adequately addressed, and that Syrian women are equally and meaningfully participating in the UN-facilitated political process and in the design and implementation of ceasefire monitoring mechanisms.
Golan Heights
Golan Heights, a disputed plateau in south-western Syria, is home to an equal number of Syrians and Jewish settlers, and since 1973, United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) peacekeepers have observed a contested territorial line between Israel and Golan Heights.
In the current Syrian conflict, Golan Heights has become a key strategic geopolitical position, causing an escalation in violence and increased violations of the ceasefire territorial agreements. Recent advances and attacks by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) have concerned residents of Golan Heights— particularly given ISIL’s systematic denial of women’s rights and perpetuation of violations against women.
Based on the work of NGOWG members and their partners, the NGOWG advocates for addressing the increasing gender imbalance in UNDOF by deploying a higher percentage of women, and inclusion of gender-specific language in the UNDOF mandate.
Current and Past Recommendations to the UN Security Council (Monthly Action Points)
Syria (May 2017)
In its consideration of the report on the humanitarian and political situation, the Council should call for protection of Syrian civil society organizations, including women’s groups and aid workers. Discussion and action should reflect the gender-specific consequences of attacks on these groups, including increasing attacks against humanitarian convoys delivering medical supplies, and against medical workers and facilities. Further, Council members should call for the meaningful participation of Syrian women and civil society, including women’s organizations and human rights defenders, in the design and implementation of gender-sensitive humanitarian aid strategies, both inside Syria and in neighboring countries (SCRs 2122 (2013) and 2242 (2015); A/HRC/34/64). Further, the Council should ensure that relevant international actors adequately address women’s particular needs, such as secure access to sanitation and hygiene facilities, and health assistance that includes sexual and reproductive health, family planning, and maternal health services.
The Council should inquire into any lack of reporting on the concrete steps necessary to ensure women’s full and meaningful inclusion in all stages of the peace process, such as efforts of local civil society, including by women’s groups, to ensure agreements are gender-sensitive and grounded in the experiences of local populations. The Council must also ensure Syrian women’s meaningful participation in the UN-facilitated political process (SCR 2254 (2015)). The Council must call on the Office of the Special Envoy for Syria to strengthen and enhance the role of the Syrian Women’s Advisory Board by guaranteeing the transparent collection and dissemination of information and the representative nature of information sourced, including by cooperating with civil society organizations and engaging with local sources. All mechanisms established to facilitate civil society participation, including engagement with diverse perspectives of civil society, should be fully resourced, supported, accessible, transparent, and inclusive of refugees from Syria and marginalized groups.
Finally, the Council should ensure women’s meaningful participation in the establishment and operation of the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (A/71/L.48 (2016)) to assist in the investigation of serious crimes committed in Syria since 2011, including in detention centers, and that the mechanism fully investigates sexual and gender-based crimes.
In its consideration of the report on the humanitarian and political situation, the Council should call for protection of Syrian civil society organizations, including women’s groups and aid workers. Discussion and action should reflect the gender-specific consequences of attacks on these groups, including increasing attacks against humanitarian convoys delivering medical supplies, and against medical workers and facilities. Further, Council members should call for the meaningful participation of Syrian women and civil society, including women’s organizations and human rights defenders, in the design and implementation of gender-sensitive humanitarian aid strategies, both inside Syria and in neighboring countries (SCRs 2122 (2013) and 2242 (2015); A/HRC/34/64). Further, the Council should ensure that relevant international actors adequately address women’s particular needs, such as secure access to sanitation and hygiene facilities, and health assistance that includes sexual and reproductive health, family planning, and maternal health services.
The Council should inquire into any lack of reporting on the concrete steps necessary to ensure women’s full and meaningful inclusion in all stages of the peace process, such as efforts of local civil society, including by women’s groups, to ensure agreements are gender-sensitive and grounded in the experiences of local populations. The Council must also ensure Syrian women’s meaningful participation in the UN-facilitated political process (SCR 2254 (2015)). The Council must call on the Office of the Special Envoy for Syria to strengthen and enhance the role of the Syrian Women’s Advisory Board by guaranteeing the transparent collection and dissemination of information and the representative nature of information sourced, including by cooperating with civil society organizations and engaging with local sources. All mechanisms established to facilitate civil society participation, including engagement with diverse perspectives of civil society, should be fully resourced, supported, accessible, transparent, and inclusive of refugees from Syria and marginalized groups.
Finally, the Council should ensure women’s meaningful participation in the establishment and operation of the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (A/71/L.48 (2016)) to assist in the investigation of serious crimes committed in Syria since 2011, including in detention centers, and that the mechanism fully investigates sexual and gender-based crimes.
Relevant Resources
