Security Council Open Debate on the Maintenance of International Peace and Security, November 2016

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

 

Security Council Open Debate: “Maintenance of International Peace and Security - Water Peace and Security”

22, November, 2016

Christine Beerli, Vice-President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), addresses the Security Council open debate on water, peace and security. UN Photo/Amanda Voisard

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Debate Overview

 

The Security Council Open Debate entitled, “Maintenance of International Peace and Security- Water Peace and Security” was convened by the Council’s current president, Senegal, on 22 November, 2016. Prior to the debate Senegal released a concept note which framed the meeting as an opportunity for “profound reflection” concerning water’s role as both a pillar of development and a driver of conflict. The statements delivered reflected broad concern for water scarcity as a catalyst of instability and its likelihood to worsen as a result of climate change. A majority of states advocated for joint water management and transboundary cooperation, the protection of water supplies during times of conflict, and mitigating threats to global supplies. Among a small number of gender-sensitive statements, member-states highlighted specific elements of the WPS Agenda, ranging from sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), to participation, and peace processes.

 

General Analysis

 

A total of 68 statements were delivered at the meeting. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon opened the debate with a statement emphasising water security as a path to sustainable peace and condemning the destruction of water resources in conflict. The Secretary-General  described the United Nations’ (UN) efforts to promote hydro-diplomacy and called on member-states to adopt the High-Level Panel on Water and Peace’s action plan. The chair of the High-Level Panel, Danilo Turk, followed the Secretary-General, highlighting the positive relationship between water cooperation and peace. Mr. Turk presented data indicating that when active transboundary water management occurs between states sharing river basins, the parties involved are far less likely to engage in conflict.

 

Speakers including the representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross (IRCR) illustrated the impact of conflicts in Syria, Iraq, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Senegal on local water supplies, which exacerbate humanitarian crises and increase threats on vulnerable populations.

 

Many West African States utilised the shrinking of Lake Chad as another example of water’s link to conflict, delineating the ways in which the resulting poverty and instability have enabled the spread of extremist groups like Boko Haram. Another key theme throughout the debate was the role of water as a conflict resource, and its restriction or destruction by combatting parties, as has recently been demonstrated in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

 

Positive examples of joint water management and conflict prevention included Senegal’s joint mechanism on the Senegal River Basin and the tripartite agreement between Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay.

 

Gender Analysis

 

Of the 68 statements delivered at the debate, 8 (12 percent) speakers addressed issues relevant to women, peace and security. The most common issue discussed straddles themes of protection, human rights, humanitarian response, and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). Representatives of Australia, the IRCR, and the Secretary-General expressed concern for the vulnerability placed on women and girls responsible for water collection, noting that travelling long distances for water causes susceptibility to violence. The representatives of Bangladesh and Palau addressed the same issue, with the perspective that time spent collecting water detracts from the education and empowerment of girls. Additionally, Poland and the United States highlighted the instability imposed by water scarcity in contributing to sexual violence and human trafficking. Australia, South Africa, and the Secretary-General offered the most substantive statements on gender in Water, Peace, and Security, noting that despite the vital role women play in safeguarding water supplies, their roles are scarcely reflected in water management systems. These speakers advocated for women’s active participation and decision- making in water governance. The Secretary-General also emphasised the likelihood of women engaged in peace processed to advocate for water management.

 

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Statements:

The Meeting Record is available here.

 

States Represented at this meeting included:  

Representatives of Ukraine, Pakistan, Senegal, Angola, Russia, Brazil, Germany, Uruguay, China, United States, United Kingdom, Japan, New Zealand, Egypt, France, Venezuela, Spain, Kazakhstan, Sweden, Iran, Colombia, Hungary, Italy, Guatemala, Slovenia, Mexico, South Africa, Poland, India, Belgium, Nigeria, Morocco, Bangladesh, South Africa, Georgia, Cyprus, Palau, Portugal, Jordan, Djibouti, Australia, Finland, Romania, Argentina, Botswana, Netherlands, Slovakia, Côte d’Ivoire, Haiti, Sudan, Maldives, Canada, Viet Nam, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Indonesia, Ethiopia, Armenia and Switzerland, the European Union and the Permanent Observer State of the Holy See.

 

UN Speakers:

The Secretary-General, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Strategic Foresight Group (SFG), High Level Panel on Water and Peace

 

Please choose

Participation

  • Country

    Australia

  • Extracts

    Australia also believes that the effective implementation of SDG 6 requires explicit attention to gender equality and social inclusion. Women and vulnerable populations face an increased risk of violence where water and sanitation services are only available outside the home, often in unsafe locations. Furthermore, we need to deliberately and proactively engage women and marginalized people and encourage their participation in strengthening water governance.

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Statement

  • Country

    Bangladesh

  • Extracts

    The particular needs of the most vulnerable, including women and children, need to be mainstreamed into our various approaches and analyses. In many parts of the world, women and children must be freed from the burden of fetching water on a daily basis so as to open up enhanced opportunities for their empowerment and education.

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Statement

  • Speaker

    Secretary-General of the United Nations

  • Extracts

    Across all these efforts it is also important to recognize the central role played by women in local water management. Decisions over water allocation can have a significant impact on their well-being and safety, and that of their children and families. For this reason, women often and rightly advocate for water issues to be directly addressed within peace agreements, as we saw, for example, with the Darfur peace process.

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Statement
Sexual and Gender-Based Violence

  • Country

    United States of America

  • Extracts

    Accelerating the empowerment of women in regional water management should therefore be viewed as critical, because women play an important part in the provision, management and safeguarding of water. The pivotal role of women as providers and users of water and as guardians of the living environment is seldom reflected in institutional arrangements for the development and management of water resources.

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Statement
Human Rights

  • Speaker

    International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (ICRC)

  • Extracts

    In the ICRC’s experience, the vital importance of water often makes it a highly contested resource in armed conflicts. Water points become strategic — whether they are rural wells in arid lands or pumping stations in sophisticated cities. In many wars, water systems are also caught up in fighting, becoming damaged, degraded or destroyed. Even when supply exists, accessing water can become extremely dangerous — especially for women and girls who have the responsibility in many societies for water collection. Children can spend hours queuing and collecting water when they should be at school.

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Statement

  • Country

    Palau

  • Extracts

    During the debate on the Sahel and terrorism in this Chamber earlier this year (see S/PV. 7699), relevant questions were raised as to how can women stop their men from joining armed terrorists for cash if they are away from home searching for water, or how can girls be empowered through education if they cannot study either because they their basic needs — including water — are not met, or because they are out looking for or fetching water.

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Statement

  • Country

    South Africa

  • Extracts

    Accelerating the empowerment of women in regional water management should therefore be viewed as critical, because women play an important part in the provision, management and safeguarding of water. The pivotal role of women as providers and users of water and as guardians of the living environment is seldom reflected in institutional arrangements for the development and management of water resources.

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Statement
UN Security Council Members
Non UN Security Council Members
UN & Civil Society Speakers