This review aims to identify emerging good practices in implementing gender-responsive peacebuilding. The report outlines the conceptual tensions and gap between commitments and action that are affecting progress in this field. Additionally, it reviews findings in terms of the funding, programmatic and reporting progress of the UN Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) in integrating gender.
The study draws on data collected by an inter-agency review group from a desk review, field visits to Nepal and Guinea, as well as interviews with stakeholders.
Emerging lessons from efforts to operationalise Gender-Responsive Peacebuilding include:
The Frameworks for Gender-Responsive Peacebuilding
- There remains a distinctive gap between policy commitments and the operational reality of implementing gender-responsive peacebuilding although the Review finds some evidence of accelerated efforts across the UN to bridge this gap since the UN Secretary-General’s 2010 report on ‘Women’s Participation in Peacebuilding’.
- The purpose and use of gender analysis is currently caught up in a distracting debate of woman-centred versus gender relations whereby tensions exist in the interpretation of UNSCR 1325 among peacebuilding actors in terms of women’s rights versus the use of gender analysis. This could be addressed or overcome by moving towards more explicit ‘theories of change’ at project, programme and strategic levels of planning and reporting.
- There is a pressing need driving emerging efforts inside many organisations to provide operational guidance and support to field staff on how to implement gender-responsive peacebuilding and how to measure results and impact. Current efforts remain at an early stage, dispersed and somewhat disjointed, and would benefit from concerted support to move them forward.
- National Action Plans for UNSCRs 1325 & 1820 (NAPs) are important entry points at country level and can leverage important sub-regional and regional leadership and networks to inform overall strategy and define programmatic activities. The operationalisation of the NAPs remains a challenge in terms of tracking gender, conflict, and peacebuilding dynamics linking better to post-conflict financing and planning processes.
Supporting Good Practices
- The body of practice for gender-responsive peacebuilding is still emerging and needs serious investment to gain traction; the lack of a critical mass of strategic projects and programmes is a major reason for the weak evidence base.
- Despite emerging good practices and growing numbers of projects in different thematic areas of gender-responsive peacebuilding, there is a need for greater momentum and scale in these efforts. While many individuals and institutions point to good cases they know in the field or cite particular cases studies in their own work that for them demonstrate good practice in gender-responsive peacebuilding, there is a strong consensus from the research of the need to accelerate the number and scale of projects and good practices.
- While there are instances of good coordination and efforts to create overarching strategy, many projects and thematic approaches tend to be stand-alone and require greater strategic planning and programming to enhance coverage, impact and results. Better documentation of practices and operational learning is needed in terms of what works and what does not and how feasible is it to replicate or upscale; many to the studies remain focused on the level of policy and advocacy and summary lessons drawn from brief case studies. Greater thematic learning in all areas is needed that is grounded in operational realities and used to improve practice.
- There is scope for more interaction by the range of organisations engaged in peacebuilding to build and share knowledge and practice with a view to greater understanding and impact of gender responsive peacebuilding. This includes better sharing of existing studies, evaluations and lessons learned.
- Areas where more attention might be directed include stronger approaches to gender-responsive economic recovery that go beyond jobs and quick impact labour schemes and link more to peacebuilding outcomes; explicit strategies for greater participation by women in peace processes/ conflict resolution and elections, that link technical and political responses as critical aspects of peacebuilding; as well as, overall stronger and better gender budgeting practices in programming.
- Across all the issues of participation a common themes emerges that ‘movement building’ for civil society and women’s organisations remains a critical activity to be supported.