HRC63: How do We Protect Those Bearing the Consequences of War?

The 63rd Session of the Human Rights Council
7 September - 7 October 2026
Item 3: ID on the HC’s analytical report on the human rights of women and children in conflict and post-conflict situations
17 and 18 September 2026

Urging Conflicting Parties and Countries to Provide Designated Protection and Support for Women and Children as Those That are Most Affected by Conflict Situations

By Lenja Marlena Probst / GICJ

Women and children are most affected by war. While they are rarely engaged in the conflict and even more rarely in the creation of it, they are vulnerable to instrumentalisation of ruthless conflict parties. Brutal sexual exploitation, gender-targeted torture, human trafficking as child-soldiers and frequent displacements are only a few examples of the harm women and children are exposed to.

This Interactive Dialogue on the High Commissioner’s Analytical Report (A/HRC/63/55) on the Human Rights of Women and Children in Conflict and Post-Conflict Situations took place on 17 and 18 September, during the 63rd Human Rights Council Session and discussed the protection of women and children and their incorporation into peacemaking and -keeping processes centered around the HC’s report.

While some states remained more concerned with the wording of the report, others focussed on the pressing issues at hand. It became clear that legal frameworks are established and could provide effective remedy, however, implementation gaps exclude women and children from effective safety. Especially in active conflict zones, as well as recent conflict zones, such as Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine, Syria and Afghanistan, the lived reality of women and children shows strong discrepancies with the ideals codified in international frameworks.