October 2011 - Campaign update

Along with our partners in Gender Action for Peace & Security (GAPS), we asked our supporters to call on the UK government to ensure women's rights are central to peace and transition talks in Afghanistan. We would like to thank everyone who took action via the "No women, no peace" campaign website from July to September.

As members of GAPS, we have also been busy supporting the development of a "No women, no peace" campaign pack, writing to The Times and helping to promote a petition to the Foreign Secretary ahead of the December 2011 conference on Afghanistan. There is still time to take action: visit www.nowomennopeace.org.

Click here to read the letter to The Times

Background

Women are affected by conflict in many ways, including sexual violence, displacement, torture and death. But their needs, experiences and perspectives are often ignored.

Only one in 40 signatories to peace agreements is female and
just 16% of peace agreements make any specific reference to women. This is not a coincidence: when women's voices are not heard, their needs are ignored.

No women, no peace calls for the meaningful participation of women in peace processes and for women's rights to be taken seriously. The campaign is run by the Gender Action for Peace and Security (GAPS) coalition, of which UNA-UK is a member.

Over the next few months, GAPS will focus on Afghanistan. Ten years after military intervention began, GAPS is asking the UK to ensure that women and women's rights are central to discussions around transition, and not traded away in search of peace. GAPS needs activists around the UK to take action and show the government that people hold them to the promises they made to Afghan women.

Do something

• Send an e-card to your MP asking them to write to the Foreign Secretary, to ensure leadership, coordination, investment and accountability around women's rights in conflict
• Host or attend a No women, no peace workshop in August
  and September
• Join us in London on 7 October to call for women's rights and
  participation in the Afghan transition
• Sign up to the GAPS newsletter and follow GAPS on Facebook and Twitter

For more details, visit: www.nowomennopeace.org