Senior UN officials on Wednesday warned of the consequences of closing or reduction of peacekeeping and special political missions on the protection of women and girls in conflict zones.

Sima Bahous, executive director of UN Women, told ambassadors in the Security Council that some governments were making cuts despite the increase in conflict and insecurity.

She stated, “It is counter-intuitive that, in the face of unprecedented levels of conflict and violence, the number of deployed peacekeeping personnel has dropped by almost half from 121,000 in 2016 to approximately 71,000 in 2024.”

She highlighted growing misogyny and violence against women and girls, adding that wars are being fought with clear disregard for their lives, rights, welfare or autonomy.

Ms Bahous cited the case of Haiti, where calls were made to protect gender equality gains shortly after the departure of the UN peacekeeping mission,  MINUSTAH.

She said that alarms were sounded over increased kidnappings, rape and other violence against women and girls by criminal groups.

“Almost 5,000 cases of rape were reported to case managers and service providers in Haiti in 2023, with homicides, kidnappings, and sexual violence rising every year with no sign of slowing down,” she said.

Ms Bahous, however, called for key steps to help address the gaps left by the accelerated drawdown of UN missions. She tasked the Security Council to ensure that transitions protect gender equality and women’s participation through routine decisions and interactions with host governments and organisations.

She also called for regular engagement with women from civil society to chart the impact on the ground while facilitating oversight by the Informal Expert Group on Women and Peace and Security.

Ms Bahous also advocated financing women’s peace and security work, collaborating with financial institutions and ensuring sufficient resources are allocated when missions are being wound down.

“We fear a future of increasing atrocities against women, their ever-greater marginalisation from decision-making and ultimately a failure of the international community. That prospect should be, and I am confident is, unacceptable for all of us,” she said.

Martha Pobee, assistant secretary-general for Africa at the department of peacebuilding affairs, warned of the implications of rushing through a transition process.

She said it should not be done in a tense political climate, with persisting security threats, protection concerns and unprepared national stakeholders.

“Unless transitions are well-structured, adequately resourced and gender-responsive, women and girls will be at risk of setbacks,” she said.

She said these could include losing access to essential services, being excluded from decision-making and becoming vulnerable to further violence.

Ms Pobee noted the situation in Mali, where the UN peacekeeping MINUSMA closed in December 2023 at the insistence of transitional military authorities.

Before its accelerated departure, the country had witnessed “transformative” progress that enhanced women’s political participation.

She also raised concerns over the recent departures of missions from key hotspots in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that have led to security vacuums and greater vulnerability for women and girls.

(NAN)