Efforts to build sustainable peace require the participation of women in peace building at all levels of society. This toolkit, authored by International Alert and Women Waging Peace, is a comprehensive resource of conceptual, policy and practical information, and guidance for women peace builders and practitioners. Placing women at the centre of local, national and international peace building efforts will improve progress towards enduring peace.
In most conflict situations, women constitute more than 50% of adult populations and are actively engaged in peacebuilding while addressing family survival needs. While their contributions at local, national and international levels are critical to sustainable peace, historically they have been portrayed as passive victims, with little regard given to their actual and potential roles in promoting peace and fostering security.
Women’s profiles in peacebuilding have been unrealistically low and undervalued, and Women’s organisations and women peace activists tend to have inadequate access to information and resources. Donors and institutions that support women’s efforts tend to compartmentalise them by supporting discrete projects but rarely integrating women into mainstream policy formation, peacebuilding and reconstruction programmes.
The adoption of the United Nations (UN) Security Council Resolution 1325 in 2000 is the first formal and legal UN document that requires parties in a conflict to respect women’s rights and support their participation in peace negotiations and post-conflict reconstruction. The Resolution, along with other major policy instruments, resolutions and commitments made by member states of the UN, indicates a growing international recognition of the key role of women at all levels of conflict prevention and peacebuilding.
There are four inter-related elements in the currently evolving framework related to peace and security:
- There has been a shift in policy discussion away from national security towards greater emphasis on human security;
- There has been a shift in thinking on conflict and peace away from peace making efforts towards a broader and more inclusive concept of conflict transformation;
- Standard-setting in the humanitarian and relief profession is evolving to include effective ways to improve the treatment of women by the international community during humanitarian emergencies; and
- There is an increasing acceptance of women’s rights within the global policy making framework.
This toolkit for advocacy and action provides information and guidance for the following elements of pre- and post-conflict activities:
- Conflict prevention, resolution and reconstruction;
- Security issues;
- Justice, governance and civil society; and
- Protecting vulnerable groups.
Each discussion of the elements of conflict prevention and peace building includes:
- Legal and policy frameworks and definitions;
- Existing international policies on the issue;
- Information on actors and international organisations involved in the issue;
- Reasons why women should be involved;
- Challenges and obstacles to the involvement of women; and
- Specific actions that women and women’s organisations can take to address the peace and security issues at local, national and international levels.
