An environment that maintains world peace and promotes and protects human rights . . . is an important factor for the advancement of women. Peace is inextricably linked with equality between women and men and development. . . . Violations of the human rights of women in situations of armed conflict are violations of the fundamental principles of international human rights and humanitarian law....During times of armed conflict and the collapse of communities, the role of women is crucial. They often work to preserve social order in the midst of armed and other conflicts. Women make an important but often unrecognized contribution as peace educators both in their families and in their societies.

The Beijing Platform for Action addressed the effects of war on women and their often crucial role as peace educators in their families and societies. The parties agreed to work towards:

• Increasing women's participation in conflict resolution and protect women living in situations of armed conflict or under foreign occupation;
• Reducing excessive military expenditures and controlling the availability of armaments;
• Promoting non-violent forms of conflict resolution and reducing the incidence of human rights abuse in conflict situations;
• Providing protection, assistance and training to refugee women;
• Providing assistance to the women of the colonies and non-self-governing territories.

In the world today, there are an estimated 21.4 million refugees, according to statistics of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Women and children constitute 80 per cent of the world's refugees. While entire communities suffer the consequences of armed conflict and terrorism, women and girls are suffering the most as a result of existing social inequities that are aggravated by crisis situations. With the breakdown of social structures, women and girls are at the mercy of unscrupulous persons and are subject to violence, sexual abuse and rape.

Addressing the Needs of Refugees

UNFPA supports programmes to address the reproductive and sexual health needs of women and men in crises. Ensuring the reproductive health of refugees, and protecting refugee women from sexual violence, are priority concerns in every conflict or natural disaster.

UNFPA and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, in collaboration with the World Health Organization, the United Nations Children’s Fund and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, have taken joint initiatives to meet the reproductive health needs of women in emergency situations. This programme provides training for staff, equipment and supplies to address needs in: family planning; assisted child-birth; complications of unsafe abortions (post-abortion complications account for some 25 to 50 per cent of maternal deaths in refugee situations); sexual violence and rape, including post-coital emergency contraception; and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS.

Emergency reproductive health kits have been stockpiled for distribution. UNFPA used these stockpiles in April 1999 to provide emergency reproductive health assistance to the people fleeing the conflict in Kosovo to camps in Albania.

In Bosnia-Herzegovina, UNFPA provides funding for reproductive health information and education activities targeting women traumatized by the war.

In Tanzania, UNFPA supported a project for refugees from the war in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo. An evaluation exercise confirmed that the project was responding to the needs of the refugees, especially in terms of referral, emergency obstetric care, and the provision of equipment and training. As a result of these efforts, a dramatic improvement in the quality of services and a corresponding reduction in maternal deaths have been observed (UNFPA Annual Report 1998).