Global Gender Gap

Both women and men are actors for change, conflict and peace.

While both women and men experience violent conflicts as gross human tragedies, the roles, experiences, needs and interests of women, girls, men and boys tend to be different. Women and men are involved in fighting, yet the majority of fighters remain men. Women tend to take over male-dominated roles, as heads of households, while at the same time looking after family members and caring for the injured. Both women and men are exposed to gun and gender-based violence. While men tend to be the prime targets of gun violence, women are mostly affected by sexual and domestic violence, displacement and social discrimination.

UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on “Women, Peace and Security”, calls for

a) the stronger participation of women in peacebuilding,

b) the prevention of gender-based violence and protection of the rights and needs of women and girls during and after armed conflicts, and

c) a gender-sensitive approach to peacebuilding. While

bearing in mind all three components, this memo takes a gender-sensitive

perspective towards peace negotiations.

Examples of Women’s Involvement in Mediation processes

Burundi

The All-Party Burundi Women’s Peace Conference, which was held alongside the Arusha talks in 2000, brought together female members from the nineteen negotiating parties, observers, refugees, internally displaced women and diasporas to develop a common vision for Burundi’s peace and reconstruction. Nearly eighty participants presented their recommendations to President Mandela, heads of negotiating parties and the facilitation team.

Somalia

Somali women at the Arta Conference in 2000 represent themselves as a “sixth clan” at the negotiations, joining four major clans and a coalition of smaller ones.

Sri Lanka

In 2002, in the third round of peace talks, the “gender sub-committee” consisting of female LTTE cadres and five women’s activities and scholars appointed by the Sri Lankan government was set up to discuss the gender-specific concerns of the conflict.Peace mediation essentials, Gender and Peace mediation August 2008

Kenya

Thirty-five women, including some involved in the Kenya post peace process in 2008, met to draw lessons from their experience and to suggest ways in which the role of women in peace processes can be encouraged.

Members of the mediation teams, political actors and senior advisers, as well as civil society representatives who played an active role in the process will participate in a roundtable organised by the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD Centre), the independent mediation organisation, on 22 and 23 March 2010 at its Africa office in Nairobi. Participants will discuss links between women active at a senior political level in mediation and those at the civil society level; how senior female mediators represent women’s issues at the negotiating table; and ways to ensure improved representation of women in peace processes. “The involvement of women is critical to the sustainability of any peace process.” said Martin Griffiths, Director of the HD Centre. “Research has shown that peace processes in which women are involved are more sustainable and legitimate.” he added.

Meredith Preston McGhie, Senior Programme Manager at the HD Centre said: “The Kenya peace process had a 25% representation of women in the negotiating teams, and has been cited as an example of good participation by women in a process.”

“This assumption needs to be carefully reviewed. We need to look at how all women – political, civil society etc, made their voices heard during the mediation.” she said “Kenyan women played a critical role in shaping Agenda item 4, which calls for reforms to address the root causes of the violence. We hope these women, with first-hand experience of conflict and peacemaking, will be able to draw on lessons that can inform practitioners, emphasise the importance of their contributions and suggest ways of including women more effectively in peace negotiations.” she added. Participants will include Ms. Graca Machel, Member of the African Union Panel of Eminent African Personalities; Hon. Sally Kosgey, ODM member of Parliament and Minister for Science and Technology; Commissioner Kaari B. Murungi, Vice Chairperson of the Truth Justice and Reconciliation Commission; and Catherine Mumma, ODM member and Commissioner of the Kriegler Commission. This roundtable follows on a first meeting held in November 2009 which brought together 30 among the most senior level women active in peace processes from across Africa. Discussions focused on how to substantively improve the participation and contribution of women to peace processes on the continent.

Both events took part at the HD Centre’s ‘Women at the Table’ project, funded by the Open Society Institute. The project seeks to bring together high-level female mediators, negotiators and advisers in both Africa and Asia to identify and employ strategies for improving women’s participation in peace processes.

Press Release

Dateline Nairobi, Kenya

22 March 2010

Additional sources

UNIFEM’s “Portal on Women, Peace and Security” excellent and highly recommended homepage on latest international debates on United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 and rich case study material.

The Peace Women Project, hosted by the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, monitors and works toward rapid and full implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325. This brilliant website offers rich and up-to-date information and the ideal supplement to UNIFEM’s “Portal on Women, Peace and Security”.

Human Rights Watch produces on its website under Women and Armed Conflict a variety of reports on violence during conflict; recent reports have focused on sexual violence in the Congo, Sierra Leone, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Women Watch, an inter-agency website. A gateway to information and resources on the promotion of gender equality throughout the United Nations system, including the United Nations Secretariat, regional commissions, funds, programmes, specialized agencies.

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), 1979.