In 2011, women were represented in 12 — or 86 per cent — of the 1...

In 2011, women were represented in 12 — or 86 per cent — of the 14 United Nations mediation support teams. However, only four of fourteen delegations to peace negotiations had a woman among their ranks. This deplorable state of affairs underscores the urgent need to impress upon the parties to conflicts that they should give a significant role to women in peace negotiations and in the implementation of peace agreements, as it is women's civil society organizations that ensure the sustainability of peacebuilding on the ground.