What is the relationship between women and natural resources in conflict-affected settings? This report discusses how the management of natural resources can be used to enhance women’s engagement and empowerment in peacebuilding processes. Part I of the report examines the relationship between women and natural resources in peacebuilding contexts, reviewing key issues across three main categories of resources: land, renewable and extractive resources.
Part II discusses entry points for peacebuilding practitioners to address risks and opportunities related to women and natural resource management, focusing on political participation, protection and economic empowerment. It draws on a thorough desk study and literature review of academic publications and grey literature published, as well as evidence collected through the field work and research of relevant UN and other institutions. In addition, interviews were conducted with experts and field practitioners, and the report was peer reviewed by experts.
One of the unexplored entry points for strengthening women’s contributions to peacebuilding relates to the ways in which they use, manage, make decisions on and benefit from natural resources. Coupled with shifting gender norms in conflict-affected settings, women’s roles in natural resource management provide significant opportunities to enhance their participation in decision-making at all levels, and to enable them to engage more productively in economic revitalisation activities.
As the primary providers of water, food and energy at the household and community levels, women in rural settings are often highly dependent on natural resources for their livelihoods, and are therefore particularly susceptible to changes in the availability and quality of these resources during and after conflict. In particular, lack of access to land can force them into increasingly vulnerable situations and expose them to higher levels of physical and livelihood risk, with trickle-down impacts on community welfare. The structural discrimination that women face regarding resource rights and access also limits their political participation and economic productivity.
At the same time, conflict often leads both women and men to adopt coping strategies that challenge traditional gender norms. To meet the needs of their households and compensate for loss of revenue usually provided by male family members, women may assume new natural resource management roles, either by taking up alternative income-generating activities or by moving into traditionally male sectors. In the aftermath of conflict, capitalising on these shifting roles can contribute to breaking down barriers to women’s empowerment and enhancing women’s productivity in sectors that are often critical to economic revitalisation.
The information presented in this report is based on a thorough desk study and literature review of academic publications and reports published by the United Nations (UN), international and national nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) and civil society organisations (CSOs), as well as evidence collected through the field work and research of relevant UN and other institutions. In addition, interviews were conducted with experts and field practitioners from humanitarian organisations, women’s organisations and NGOs, government ministries, UN peacekeeping missions and the private sector. In total, 45 experts and field practitioners were interviewed, and over 200 academic journal articles, reports, books and other reference materials were reviewed. Finally, an extensive peer review process was conducted, involving more than 20 leading experts in the fields of gender, natural resources and peacebuilding from the UN, international and national NGOs, and academic institutions.
Recommendations:
- Promote women’s participation in formal and informal decision-making structures and governance processes related to natural resource management in peacebuilding. Targeted support is needed for overcoming the structural, social and cultural barriers to women’s formal and informal political participation in conflict-affected settings.
- Adopt proactive measures to protect women from resource-related physical violence and other security risks early in the peacebuilding period.
- Remove barriers and create enabling conditions to build women’s capacity for productive and sustainable use of natural resources.
- Within the United Nations, increase inter-agency cooperation to pursue women’s empowerment and sustainable natural resource management together in support of more effective peacebuilding.
