Page 36 - Bulletin, Vol.82 No.1, April 2023

Ukraine, and nearly 70 per cent of those The UN-led partnership was established in
displaced within the country. 2015 and has so far supported more than
900 organizations.
Military spending increasing
“We urgently need better ways to support
Furthermore, women peacebuilders had
1
hoped that the COVID-19 pandemic civil society and social movements in
would cause countries to rethink military these countries. That means being much
spending, as the global crisis revealed more intentional about funding or
the value of caregivers and the engaging with new groups, and especially
importance of investing in health, with young women,” she said.
education, food security and social Women’s involvement equals success
protection.
The meeting was chaired by Mozambique,
“Instead, that spending has continued to which holds the rotating Security Council
grow, passing the two-trillion-dollar presidency this month.
mark, even without the significant military The country’s Foreign Minister, Verónica
expenditure of the last months,” she said. Nataniel Macamo Dlhovo, expressed hope
“Neither the pandemic nor supply-chain that the debate will lead to action, such as
issues prevented another year of rising stronger strategies on gender equality,
global arms sales.”
as well as women’s effective participation
The way forward in peacekeeping and peacebuilding.

Ms. Bahous outlined two suggestions that “There is no doubt that by involving
show what a change of direction could women in the peacebuilding and
look like for the international community. peacekeeping agenda in our countries, we
will achieve success,” she said, speaking
“First, we cannot expect 2025 to be any
different if the bulk of our interventions in Portuguese.
continue to be trainings, sensitization, “Under no circumstances do we want that
guidance, capacity building, setting up the people who bring life into the world are
networks, and holding one event after negatively impacted. We must protect
another to talk about women’s them. Use women's sensitivity to resolve
participation, rather than mandating it in conflicts and maintain peace on our
every meeting and decision-making planet.”
process in which we have authority,” she Respect international law
stipulated.
Currently, more than 100 armed conflicts
Her second point focused on the need to are raging around the world, according to
get resources to women’s groups in Mirjana Spoljaric, President of the
conflict-affected countries, particularly International Committee of the Red Cross
through the Women’s Peace and (ICRC).
2
Humanitarian Fund .
The organization sees the daily brutal
impacts of armed conflict on women and
girls, she said, which include “shocking

levels” of sexual violence, displacement,
1 https://www.un.org/coronavirus and deaths during childbirth because they
2 https://wphfund.org/ lack access to care.

34 AAFI-AFICS BULLETIN, Vol. 82 No. 1, 2023-04

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