UNITED NATIONS: The proportion of women killed in conflict in 2023 doubled compared to the previous year, according to a UN report that denounced “oppressive patriarchal” structures and called out an increase in sexual violence in war zones.
In the annual “Women and Peace and Security” report published on Tuesday evening, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres painted a stark picture showing “progress made over decades is vanishing before our eyes.”
According to the UN’s data, of at least 33,443 civilian deaths recorded in conflicts around the world in 2023 — 72 percent more than in 2022 — four out of 10 were women, a 100 percent increase, and three out of 10 were children.
“Amid record levels of armed conflict and violence... generational gains in women’s rights hang in the balance around the world, undercutting the transformative potential of women’s leadership and inclusion in the pursuit of peace,” the report said.
UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous said the trends were part “of a larger war on women.”
“Women continue to pay the price of the wars of men,” she said.
“The deliberate targeting of women’s rights is not unique to conflict-affected countries but is even more lethal in those settings.”
In 2023, more than 170 armed conflicts were recorded, with around 612 million women and girls living within 50 kilometers (30 miles) of these conflicts — 150 percent more than a decade ago, the report said.
The number of cases of sexual violence against women in those conflict zones increased by 50 percent, the UN’s data showed, with the number of girls affected by “grave violations” in active conflict areas increasing by 35 percent.
“Perpetrators of sexual violence still largely enjoy impunity,” the report said. “In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, more than 123,000 cases of gender-based violence were reported in 2023, a 300 percent increase in only three years.”
Women also made up a tiny fraction of those involved in peace negotiations, the UN’s data showed.
Preliminary data from 50 peace processes showed that in 2023, on average, women made up only 9.6 percent of negotiators, 13.7 percent of mediators and 26.6 percent of signatories to peace agreements and ceasefire agreements.
The proportion of women signatories dropped to 1.5 percent if agreements in Colombia were excluded.
“Power and decision-making on peace and security matters remain overwhelmingly dominated by men, and progress has been disturbingly slow in terms of ending impunity for those who perpetrate atrocities against women and girls,” the report said.
Proportion of women killed in conflict doubled in 2023: UN
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Proportion of women killed in conflict doubled in 2023: UN
- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres painted a stark picture showing “progress made over decades is vanishing before our eyes“
- “Amid record levels of armed conflict and violence... generational gains in women’s rights hang in the balance around the world,” the report said
Ukraine president to meet European allies after Trump criticism
- Talks between Ukrainian and US officials in Miami ended on Saturday with no apparent breakthrough
- President Donald Trump accuses Ukrainian leader of not reading the US proposal to end the war with Russia
LONDON: Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky was due to meet with European allies in London on Monday, after President Donald Trump accused him of not reading the US proposal to end the war with Russia.
It comes after days of talks between Ukrainian and US officials in Miami ended on Saturday with no apparent breakthrough, with Zelensky committing to further negotiations.
The Ukrainian president will be received in London by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, along with the German chancellor and French president to discuss the negotiations.
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper is meanwhile expected in Washington on Monday, where she will meet her American counterpart Marco Rubio.
“The UK and US will reaffirm their commitment to reaching a peace deal in Ukraine,” the Foreign Office in London said, announcing Cooper’s visit.
Moscow has meanwhile continued to strike its neighbor, wounding at least nine people overnight Sunday to Monday, according to Ukrainian officials.
‘Disappointed’
Zelensky said he joined his negotiators for a “very substantive and constructive” call with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner during the Miami negotiations.
“Ukraine is committed to continuing to work honestly with the American side to bring about real peace,” Zelensky said on Telegram, adding that the parties agreed “on the next steps and the format of the talks with America.”
But Trump criticized his Ukrainian counterpart on Sunday, telling reporters “I have to say that I’m a little bit disappointed that President Zelensky hasn’t yet read the proposal, that was as of a few hours ago.”
Witkoff and Kushner had met Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin last week, with Moscow rejecting parts of the US proposal.
French President Emmanuel Macron ahead of Monday’s talks slammed what he called Russia’s “escalatory path.”
“We will continue these efforts with the Americans to provide Ukraine with security guarantees, without which no robust and lasting peace will be possible,” Macron wrote on X.
He added: “We must continue to exert pressure on Russia to compel it to choose peace.”
Hot and cold
Washington’s initial plan to bring an end to the almost four-year war involved Ukraine surrendering land that Russia has not been able to win on the battlefield in return for security promises that fall short of Kyiv’s aspirations to join NATO.
But the nature of the security guarantees that Ukraine could get has so far been shrouded in uncertainty, beyond an initial plan saying that jets to defend Kyiv could be based in Poland.
Trump has blown hot and cold on Ukraine since returning to office in January, initially embracing Putin and chastising Zelensky for not being grateful for US support.
But he has also grown frustrated that his efforts to persuade Putin to end the war, including a summit in Alaska, have failed to produce results and he recently slapped sanctions on Russian oil firms.
