Monthly Action Points (MAP) for the Security Council: November 2025

Abyei / South Sudan / Sudan

The ongoing war in Sudan, including atrocities in El Fasher, and the escalating violence and political crisis in South Sudan, have stalled efforts between the two countries to reach a lasting political solution for Abyei, while simultaneously leading to an increased presence of armed groups in the territory. The increased arrival of people displaced from both countries into Abyei has strained already-limited resources, while humanitarian access constraints and the impact of natural disasters prevent much-needed aid delivery, including essential services for women and girls. Recurring intercommunal violence, limited law enforcement capacity and an influx of small arms and light weapons (SALW) from Sudan exacerbate risks of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) for women and girls.

The Security Council should: 

• Renew in full the mandate of the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) as contained in Resolution 2760 (2024). Safeguard and maintain all provisions related to women, peace and security (WPS) including: taking fully into account gender considerations as a crosscutting issue throughout the mandate; mainstreaming gender-sensitive conflict analysis, including SGBV risks, across all early warning and conflict prevention efforts; promoting the full, equal, meaningful and safe participation of women in local peace committees and community dialogue efforts; engaging with and supporting local women’s networks and civil society organizations; and facilitating access to local women’s organizations that provide services including sexual and reproductive health (SRH) care. Member States should call for all existing gender advisor and women protection advisor positions to be retained, and commit to funding these positions in the UN Fifth Committee.
• Call for enhanced reporting on WPS, including: barriers to the full enjoyment of women’s human rights; threats and reprisals against women human rights defenders (WHRDs), peacebuilders and civil society activists; and intersectional analysis of the current crisis’ impact on diverse women in Abyei.
• Demand that all parties respect the demilitarized status of Abyei as per the 2011 Agreement on Temporary Arrangements for the Administration and Security of the Abyei Area.

Central African Republic

Despite recent progress in the peace process, violence and insecurity in the Central African Republic (CAR) persist, driven by continued impunity for serious crimes. All parties to the conflict have committed violations of international human rights and humanitarian law, including conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV), exacerbated by the cross-border proliferation of SALW. Women and girls, particularly in rural and conflict-affected areas, continue to be subject to SGBV including harassment, trafficking, extrajudicial killing and forced disappearance. However, there is a persistent lack of access to SRH care, psychosocial and legal support and other SGBV response services. As the CAR prepares for national elections in December 2025, WHRDs and peacebuilders face threats to their political participation and restricted civic space in one of the most gender-unequal countries in the world. Though the CAR has a 35% electoral quota for women, there are serious gaps in its implementation: women comprise only 11.4% of parliamentarians.

The situation in the CAR is also significantly impacted by regional conflicts. For example, the war in Sudan has displaced over 45,000 people into the CAR, 55% of whom are women and girls; further, Sudanese warring parties, who are known perpetrators of widespread SGBV, have committed attacks in CAR territory.

The Security Council should:

• Renew in full the mandate of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the CAR (MINUSCA) as contained in Resolution 2759 (2024). Safeguard and maintain all provisions related to WPS, including: gender mainstreaming as a cross-cutting issue throughout the mandate; providing specific protection and assistance to women affected by armed conflict, including through the deployment of gender advisers and women protection advisers; monitoring, investigating and reporting on violations against women, including SGBV; ensuring the full, equal, meaningful and safe participation of women in national reconciliation, local conflict resolution efforts and upcoming elections, adhering to the minimum 35% quota; and supporting the CAR government’s transitional justice efforts, including through dialogue with women civil society representatives as well as victims and survivors of sexual violence. Member States should call for all existing gender advisor and women protection advisor positions to be retained, and commit to funding these positions in the UN Fifth Committee.
• Request that MINUSCA monitor and report on reprisals against WHRDs, and take steps to enhance their protection and provide support to those experiencing reprisals.
• Call on the CAR authorities to take measures to ensure full, gender-sensitive implementation of legislation to protect civil society organizations and human rights defenders, and to ensure full implementation of the recently-ratified Maputo Protocol, including by adopting comprehensive legislation to address SGBV and improve support services for survivors.

South Sudan

South Sudan remains at risk of a return to civil war as violence escalates and authorities continue to violate the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS). 57% of the population now faces acute food insecurity, including 83,000 people experiencing catastrophic conditions and 1.2 million pregnant or lactating women acutely malnourished. SGBV, including CRSV, domestic violence, abductions and extrajudicial killing, remains a serious concern for women and girls in a culture of pervasive gender inequality and impunity for gender-based crimes. Over 1.2 million refugees and returnees have entered the country from Sudan since that conflict began in April 2023, compounding the existing humanitarian challenges in South Sudan. Targeted violence and bureaucratic constraints against humanitarian providers, as well as drastic cuts to humanitarian assistance, have forced the suspension of vital services including SRH care. Severe seasonal flooding has also increased displacement and further limited aid delivery. 

Authorities have consistently failed to implement the R-ARCSS by delaying election preparations and neglecting institutional, legal and policy reforms including constitution making, judicial reform and transitional justice; rampant corruption further inhibits implementation efforts. Women’s representation in government is just 20%, short of the 35% quota established by the R-ARCSS. Civic space is severely constrained as the government and National Security Service (NSS) repress dissent with impunity, including through arbitrary detention of political opposition members. WHRDs, journalists and civil society activists report surveillance, intimidation and gender-based harassment by state authorities, both in the country and abroad.

The Security Council should:

• Demand that all parties cease violence against and take all necessary measures to protect civilians, including from SGBV, and ensure full and unhindered humanitarian access to all parts of South Sudan. Urge all parties to recommit to implementation of the R-ARCSS and work to deescalate tensions.
• Demand the full, equal, meaningful and safe participation of diverse women in the implementation of the R-ARCSS in line with the 35% quota, as well as ongoing constitutional, electoral, and transitional justice processes and any peace or de-escalation efforts.
• Urge the NSS to end its practices of unlawful arrest and detention, including by releasing or presenting in court all detainees under NSS detention, and upholding due process and ensuring fair trial proceedings in line with international human rights standards. Call on the South Sudanese authorities to reverse amendments to the National Security Service Act and protect the rights of freedom of assembly, association and expression.
• Call on the South Sudanese authorities to take concrete steps to ensure accountability and address impunity for SGBV, including by finalizing the proposed Anti Gender-Based Violence Bill, pending since 2020. Call on UNMISS to provide information on the presence of alleged perpetrators of CRSV in positions of power, as well as analysis of measures taken to address CRSV, as required by Resolution 2779 (2025).
• Call for increased international cooperation and resources to support South Sudan in tackling the humanitarian crisis, including fully funding the humanitarian response, and providing direct, flexible and consistent funding to local women-led organizations.
• Demand full compliance with the UN arms embargo on South Sudan in order to prevent further human rights violations, including SGBV, against women and girls.

Yemen

The situation of women and girls in Yemen remains one of serious concern, exacerbated by regional conflicts; environmental degradation and the effects of climate change; poverty and economic crisis; and widespread acute food insecurity. 9.6 million women and girls require humanitarian assistance, including 1.5 million acutely malnourished pregnant and breastfeeding women. Of the nearly 4.5 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Yemen, an estimated 80% are women and children. Households frequently resort to extreme coping mechanisms, including child, early and forced marriage: over 30% of girls are married before age 18. Despite these extreme needs, humanitarian access restrictions, severe funding cuts and the impacts of counter-terror measures threaten access to critical services, including reproductive healthcare and GBV response, for women and girls across the country. Since June 2024, Houthi authorities have arbitrarily detained Yemeni nationals working for UN agencies and NGOs, violating their human rights and further compromising the delivery of critical humanitarian assistance. 

Women’s human rights are restricted by all warring parties in Yemen. The mahram (male guardian) requirement in Houthi-controlled areas impedes the ability of women, including aid workers, to work, travel and access healthcare and to participate equally in public and political life. Women-led civil society organizations, journalists and WHRDs face restrictions, threats, arbitrary detentions and abuses in custody, enforced disappearances, hate speech and targeted killings. The 30% quota for women’s representation established by the National Dialogue Conference has not been met: there are no women in parliament, and they have also been excluded from peace negotiations. 

The Security Council should:

• Continue to demand the immediate and unconditional release of all arbitrarily detained Yemeni UN and NGO staff.
• Express support for an inclusive political process with the full, equal, meaningful and safe participation of diverse women, including in truce and ceasefire negotiations and the humanitarian response. Demand that all UN-supported peace committees meaningfully include women, in line with the minimum 30% quota. The Security Council, UN and Member States must not endorse, facilitate, participate in or otherwise support any process where women are excluded or their rights are undermined.
• Demand that all parties to the conflict respect international law, including by ensuring the protection of civilians and civilian objects, and facilitating safe and principled humanitarian access.
• Support the establishment of comprehensive humanitarian carveouts across sanctions regimes and other restrictive measures, to enable aid to reach those most in need and preserve humanitarian space.
• Prioritize diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions and secure a sustainable settlement to the conflict, which should include accountability and transitional justice.
• Call on donors to urgently fund the humanitarian response, centering age, gender and disability-responsive protection, and provide quality and flexible funding to women-led organizations, in order to avert a more severe humanitarian catastrophe.   
• Prioritize gender-responsive climate adaptation and environmental restoration in any peace agreements or political settlements in Yemen.