Peacebuilders’ Reflections on Gender, Peace and Security - International Alert, Saferworld, Conciliation Resources
UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR 1325) and the broader women, peace and security (WPS) framework has been incredibly important in bringing gender onto the peace and security agenda. It has secured greater attention for women’s participation in peace and security efforts and raised attention to women’s specific needs in conflict-affected countries. It has not, however, resulted in the integration of a gender perspective in peace and security efforts. The term ‘gender’ is used interchangeably with ‘women’. The WPS framework has also not led to a more substantial shift in how the international community approaches peace and security more broadly. As organisations dedicated to building peace, Conciliation Resources, International Alert and Saferworld, we have come together to argue that this undermined the transformative potential of the WPS agenda, namely to change the way we approach peace and security to be more inclusive.
- Integrate a broader gender approach into peace & security efforts and institutions, including analysis of the roles and experiences of men and sexual and gender minorities as well as women, and the interaction of gender with other identity factors such as age, social class, geographical location, sexuality or marital status - Directed to: donors, UN, agencies and INGOs.
- Acknowledge and investigate how gender and conflict interact, including how particular constructions of masculinities and femininities, which are used to justify and reinforce inequalities, might also contribute to militarisation and conflict, and vice versa. - Directed to: donors, UN, agencies and INGOs.
- Support inclusive peace processes and promote women’s participation by earmarking greater financial and political resources and harnessing informal efforts to influence the formal peace process and build local-level peace - Directed to: donors, UN, agencies and INGOs.
