Rabat – Morocco has reiterated its commitment to continue contributing to the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda during a conference held at the Residence of Morocco in Stockholm.
The Moroccan Ambassador to Sweden, Karim Medrek, reaffirmed Morocco’s commitment in his capacity as President of the Group of Ambassadors for Gender Equality.
In his speech at the event this week, ambassador Medrek recalled that since the adoption of UNSC Resolution 1325, the WPS agenda has led to significant progress in recognizing the role of women in conflict prevention, peacebuilding, and post-conflict recovery.
The UNSC endorsed the resolution in October 2000, with emphasis on finding solutions to tackle all challenges suffered by women, including conflicts, sexual and gender based violence, among several other challenges.
The resolution notably calls on countries to address the impacts that conflict had on women and girls across the world. It also calls on women’s inclusion in peacebuilding efforts, including peace talks and post-conflict reconstruction efforts.
Medrek acknowledged that challenges linked to ongoing conflicts, climate change, and insecurity, as well as the emergence of new technologies, continue to generate growing issues for women and girls.
The WPS agenda must evolve to respond to these challenges, while also remaining committed to its principles, Medrek argued.
He also advocated for a more intersectional approach, covering the diversity of experiences of women affected by conflict, especially young women, indigenous women, displaced persons, as well as women in vulnerable situations or those with disabilities.
Medrek described Morocco’s efforts in establishing itself as an engaged actor in promoting the WPS agenda at both international and national levels, recalling the adoption of the National Action Plan on WPS 2022-2027. This action plan makes Morocco one of the pioneering countries in the Arab region in the practical implementation of the principles of Resolution 1325.
The plan is part of Morocco’s approach to promote women’s leadership, prevent gender-based violence and strengthen women’s participation in conflict prevention, mediation and peacebuilding.
The meeting marked the participation of Gretchen Baldwin, Senior Researcher in the Peace Operations and Conflict Management Program at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
Baldwin spoke on the theme “Back to Basics: Twenty-Five More Years of the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda.”
Challenges persist despite notable gains
In her speech, she pointed out the major challenges facing the agenda in a context marked by militarization. She identified, however, several opportunities to strengthen the agenda, including through improved coordination between international normative frameworks and a broader understanding of gender issues.
States need to amplify the voice of civil society and support local initiatives, among other recommendations that seek to strengthen the agenda’s role, she argued.
The UN sees the agenda as critically important in a context marked by several challenges, including violent extremism, internal conflicts and civil wars.
The four pillars of the agenda are the prevention of conflict and all forms of violence, women’s equal participation and gender equality in peace and security decision-making, women and girls’ protection from all forms of sexual and gender based violence, as well as relief needs of women should be met.
Despite these reassuring pledges, women across the world continue to endure several challenges.
In South Sudan, for example, women continue to endure nightmares, including their suffering with sexual violence crisis.
This is in addition to sexual violence against children, as documented by a scathing UN report published on Wednesday this week.
“An estimated 2.5 million women and girls in South Sudan need gender-based violence response and protection services, with roughly two thirds of women and girls experiencing abuse even before the latest escalation,” the report laments. “Yet deep-rooted social stigma and the fear of reprisals mean that even these stark figures are likely an underestimate.”
