CONFLICT: Preventing and Responding to Conflict

In 2020, as the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic escalated, the United Nations called for a global ceasefire to halt ongoing conflicts. Unfortunately, conflicts have only continued to increase in intensity and duration and the prospects of successfully negotiated settlements in all active conflict zones continue to be slim in 2022. One in six children worldwide now live in a conflict zone and over 34 million children are displaced because of conflict. Children living in areas of conflict, particularly girls, are among the most vulnerable people in the world. 

Many people living in the world’s most lethal war zones, including Afghanistan, Yemen, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, are also those who are already at risk of climate change and facing unprecedented levels of hunger. Reaching populations with vaccinations is also particularly difficult in conflict zones and these will be among the last to be vaccinated, compounding risks to those living there and for the rest of the world as variants continue to develop and spread. 

SOLUTIONS: Next Steps

Humanitarian needs are only expected to grow in 2022 and Canada must ensure that all country response plans are fully resourced for gender-based violence, education, and child protection. These intervention areas are often the most under-funded yet are crucial for responding to the needs of women and children. On education in particular, Canada can build on its leadership for girls in conflict and crisis by putting resources and political will behind the “Together for Learning” refugee education campaign and truly make it a game changer for children globally. 

Many countries facing extreme insecurities have close ties with Canada. This includes Afghanistan, which is one of Canada’s largest development partners and has a large politically engaged diaspora population in Canada. Canada has a responsibility to Afghanistan, and the scale and severity of this conflict requires continued action, focus, and a whole-of-government approach to defend the progress that has been made over the last two decades, including the claimed rights and space of tens of thousands of Afghani women. We support the calls for action from Afghan communities and civil society including the Canadian Campaign for Afghan Peace and echo their recommendations: 

• Work to accelerate the pace of resettlement to meet the urgency of the situation, as well as ensuring those who are resettled in Canada have access to the services they need, including health and psycho-social support. Canada should work to establish a safe evacuation route for those most at risk including women activists, 2SLGBTQIA+ people, members of ethnic and religious minorities, journalists, disability rights activists, and human rights defenders and their families.

• Increase its humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan to meet the scale of needs. Currently, about half the population (more than 18 million people) needs humanitarian assistance, one-third is food insecure, and there are concerns going into winter that those needs including food, shelter, protection, water and sanitation, and education will increase. Right now, women and girls’ access to humanitarian assistance is expected to decrease and restrictions on services, including gender-based violence (GBV) and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, to increase. Alongside scaling up its humanitarian response, Canada should ensure the response is principled, which is only possible with the full participation of female aid workers. Canada should also undertake all efforts to reduce the impact of sanctions and counter-terrorism regimes on the provision of funding and the flow of goods into the country.

• Play a vocal role on the global stage and in diplomatic negotiations advocating for human rights in Afghanistan, including for women, girls and other minorities and champion efforts to guarantee their security and protection.