For the first time ever, a Women’s Advisory Board was created to advise the UN Special Envoy for Syria, Mr. Staffan de Mistura.
And so a group of twelve independent Syrian women played a role in the peace talks and donor conference on humanitarian aid funding in Syria this week.
This is a huge step for women who, in the past, have been left out of meaningful conversations that affect women and children in Syria. Women need to be involved in the decision-making process. Their voices are essential to exploring solutions to end the violence in Syria.
Women play such a critical role when it comes to peace building, conflict resolution, and ensuring essential aspects of life are provided in conflict such as education.
Their presence is a huge step forward for gender-equality.
In 2010, the UN pegged 15 percent of UN-managed funds for peace building to go toward gender equality programs and projects that focus on women’s needs in conflict regions. But three years later a study found that only 6 percent goes toward the needs of women.
So during the donor conference this week women spoke up to address this issue. They called for the need to set aside separate funds, aka ringfence, for projects and programs that promote gender equality in peace building. Others in the talk asked for better transparency on the delivery, organization and follow-through of funds for aid in conflict regions. All of which are essential to ensuring that the right people are receiving what they need. Especially women, who are often thought of last.
6 percent of funds is not enough to help women get necessary items such as sanitary pads or protection from violence in refugee camps. Plus, other challenges in organizing and allocating funds for refugees remain, making the fair distribution of funds for women even harder.
According to David Miliband, the president of the International Refugee Committee,
“The truth is, in the humanitarian sector, unless we have clearer outcomes and targets for helping women and girls … that are measurable, and clear accountability systems in the multilateral systems, then we are not going to get progress at the speed we want.”
In order for this to happen, women need to be heard. As Tina Fey says, “if I have to listen to one more grey-faced man with a $2 haircut explain to me what rape is, I’m going to lose my mind!”
It’s not enough to set funding targets for the rights and equality of women. These targets need to be met, now. Their voices must be heard and funds must be secured to ensure women are treated equally and their needs are prioritized. Women are crucial to promoting peace and their presence and power are needed in these discussions.
The Women’s Advisory Board for the conflict in Syria is a step in the right direction and provides hope that women's rights are protected throughout the peace process.