Recommendations for Elevating the Role of Women in Mediation

More than 50% of peace agreements fail within five years of signature. In part, this is because negotiations and accords often do not address the root causes of conflict or seek to prevent a resurgence of conflict. It is also because talks suffer from the absence of women. In 2010, the UN Development Fund for Women found that women comprise less than 10% of negotiators and less than 3% of the signatories to peace agreements.

In January 2011, The Institute for Inclusive Security convened twenty one experts from twenty countries to develop recommendations for advancing women's inclusion in mediation. They considered ways to increase the prevalence of female mediators, enhance communication and cooperation with women and civil society during negotiations, and to
augment attention to women's priorities and needs. Generally, they felt that mediators must ensure negotiations bring a broader, longer-term perspective to talks so that peace agreements endure; involving women will help ensure a focus on critical broader priorities and needs.