Attachments
Summary by the Co-Chairs
I. Background/programme
1. From 28 to 30 June 2022, members of the Informal Expert Group on Women and Peace and Security conducted a visit to Lebanon. It was the first field visit by the Group since its establishment in 2016. The objectives of the visit, as outlined in the terms of reference (see enclosure), were to highlight and better understand the situation of women and girls in Lebanon, to consider the implementation of the women and peace and security agenda and gender mainstreaming by the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), to familiarize the Council membership with the tangible implications on the ground of language on women and peace and security in mandates and to reflect on any gaps.
2. The programme was facilitated and supported by the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). It included meetings with the leadership and the Gender Unit of UNIFIL, the leadership of the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, UN-Women, the Gender Department of the Lebanese Armed Forces, the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the municipal authorities in Tyre, civil society organizations, women peacebuilders and women Members of Parliament. The group visited Beirut, a reception centre of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in the north and the UNIFIL headquarters in the south. The members also visited a United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East camp for Palestinian refugees in Beirut. Security briefings and duty of care were provided by the Department of Safety and Security.
II. Main points raised during the meetings
Lebanese State institutions
3. Women make up 5 per cent of the Lebanese Armed Forces; however, over the past four years, the Lebanese Armed Forces have made concerted efforts to increase the participation of women in the force, with women accounting for 50 per cent of cadets recruited in 2018. The personal commitment of high-level leadership within the Lebanese Armed Forces has been a factor in this. This cohort of cadets is due to graduate in 2022 and will be the first women to serve in combat units and combat support roles, including in infantry and artillery. This increase in women’s participation has the potential to bring strategic change within the security forces in the decades to come, as they gain experience on the front lines in leadership and decision-making positions. The Lebanese Armed Forces reported that the participation of women in the armed forces was relatively accepted within Lebanese culture, but that they had traditionally been assigned to medical or administrative areas. Many of those recruited reportedly came from border towns, where there was a strong desire to help one’s community. Both the Lebanese Armed Forces and UNIFIL find that the presence of women defence-force personnel can help to deescalate a tense situation and foster an atmosphere of dialogue.
4. Following the launch in 2019 of the national action plan for the implementation of Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) on women and peace and security, the Lebanese Armed Forces established a Gender Department with the primary objective of ensuring that gender was mainstreamed across all operations of the armed forces. Still in its early phase of development, the Department will be responsible for gender training and the establishment of a mechanism for preventing and reporting genderbased violence. The Department has developed plans for a new physical office, with a nursery with capacity for 50 children. A memorandum of understanding between the Lebanese Armed Forces and UNIFIL on gender is currently under consideration.
5. The economic crisis has had a major impact on the operational capacity of State institutions, including the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The salaries of State employees have reportedly devalued to the point that the cost of simply travelling to work can make it unviable. Many families are relying on remittances. Food insecurity, fuel shortages and regular interruptions to e lectricity supply are also major issues affecting the country. The Beirut port explosion significantly accelerated the economic crisis, with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and the impact of the war in Ukraine having a multiplying effect. This has hampered progress in the implementation of the national action plan on women and peace and security, including the further development of the Gender Department of the Lebanese Armed Forces.