Efforts to enhance women’s meaningful participation in peace processes, peacekeeping, and post-conflict reconstruction are rooted in several principles. We support an approach based on the inalienable human rights that women possess, and on the need to change power dynamics and secure broad gender equality in political, socioeconomic, and security terms. At the same time, clear empirical evidence from UN Women and other institutions has shown what participants in peace and reconstruction processes have long known: peace agreements that involve a critical mass of empowered women and women’s organizations are more easily negotiated and far more likely to build peaceful, just, stable, and prosperous post-conflict societies than those that do not. The same research shows that women have made up only 1 in 13 participants in peace processes over the past 25 years, and that most peace agreements pay insufficient attention to gender-related issues and challenges.
The advantages of women’s engagement are many. In addition to expanding the talent pool available to contribute to these processes, women often bring to the table unique and essential ground truth, longer-term perspectives, and a focus on socioeconomic root causes of conflicts. They know that the cost of returning to conflict is tragic in human and resource terms and poses a global security threat. Countries faced with instability due in part to marginalizing women are more likely to traffic in drugs, people, and weapons; send off large numbers of refugees across borders and oceans; incubate and transmit pandemic diseases; harbor criminal networks and terrorists; and require foreign military engagement and humanitarian assistance.
Many outstanding civil society and international organizations are committed to advancing women’s engagement in the peace and security sector. They have helped change norms, regulations, and attitudes of senior leaders throughout the United Nations and other international institutions, NGOs, and national governments that support peace processes and peacekeeping missions. In addition to UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and its successors, many national governments have adopted National Action Plans and legislation to promote this agenda. For example, in October 2017, the US Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2017 was signed into law, requiring the US government to adopt a national policy in support of women’s empowerment and engagement. Civil society has also conducted research on best practices and has provided “tool kits,” technical support and advice, and training modules for governments designing NAPs and others implementing engendered programs.