UN personnel are working to ensure that the views of both men and women are included in all planning processes for the Mission in South Sudan so it can support steps to better protect women and girls from violence and increase the role of women in the peace process.

The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) held a workshop for more than 40 peacekeeping troops, police officers and civilian staff to increase their knowledge and skills in relation to gender mainstreaming. Gender mainstreaming ensures that the concerns and experiences of women and men are considered when any policy or programme is developed and implemented with the ultimate goal of achieving gender equality.

The Mission’s Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator, Alain Noudéhou, spoke at the workshop about the importance of keeping the desired final policy outcome in sight while concentrating on gender mainstreaming during the policy-making process. He also underscored the importance of increasing the number of female peacekeepers in South Sudan as gender parity will enable the Mission to fulfill its mandate to protect civilians and build durable peace.

The workshop participants discussed the relevance of gender to the Mission, particularly when it comes to the protection of civilians, where the needs of women, men, girls and boys are often different. The staff expressed their commitment to progressing the UN’s policy on gender equality with a focus on increasing the role of women in public-decision-making, conflict resolution, and peace processes especially at the local level, protecting women and girls from sexual- and gender-based violence, and incorporating the views of women and men in humanitarian situations.