Women, Children and Vulnerable Groups in Displacement Settings in the Middle East

The impact of protracted conflict and violence on irregular mobility and displacement presents the Middle East with a complex set of interlinked challenges to peace, security, and sustainable development. Currently, the region is witnessing a new high in forced displacement. The disproportionate use of force in Gaza is resulting in a dire humanitarian and displacement crisis, with civilians disproportionately impacted by the burden of the escalation of hostilities.

In its efforts to provide concrete and applicable insights for NATO leadership on how to engage women in peacebuilding processes, the NATO Strategic Direction-South Hub in partnership with the Cairo International Centre for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding (CCCPA) organized this meeting to hear from women on their views on how to better identify key challenges in advancing the fourth pillar of the WPS agenda and policy and practice gaps in responding to the gender dimensions in the context of forced displacement.

Background

This Summary Report is the result of the Joint Expert Workshop titled “Women, Children and Vulnerable Groups in Displacement Settings in the Middle East: Assessing Disproportionate Needs and Insecurities” which was co-organized with the Cairo International Centre for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding (CCCPA).

The workshop brought together Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) from the Middle East and beyond to engage in an interactive and action-oriented discussion on bridging the disconnect between the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda and forced displacement. It is also in line with both the NSD-S Hub and CCCPA’s priority of mainstreaming the WPS agenda in their areas of work.

Research questions

• How can we better understand differentiated security and humanitarian needs?
• How to leverage the transformative potential of the WPS agenda in advancing inclusive and durable solutions to forced displacement?
• How can we provide, for future action, ways to support the strengthening of women’s roles in advancing the fourth pillar of the WPS agenda and policy and practice gaps in responding to the gender dimensions in the context of forced displacement?

Key insights

• With displacement on the rise in the Middle East, the number of people at risk of being exploited through organized criminal networks or getting recruited by terrorist groups is increasing. In these contexts, women and children are disproportionately impacted, which warrants the need for connecting the WPS agenda to responses to the displacement crisis in the region.
• Discussions among the experts emphasized the importance of responsibility sharing and multilateral cooperation in delivering services to displaced persons, supporting host countries and devising solutions to forced displacement.
• The need to move from crisis management toward prevention and preparedness through a holistic approach that prioritizes the sequential shift from aid-centred humanitarian interventions to sustainable development approaches was highlighted.