Raising Women's Voices

Executive Summary (Full report)

If progress is to be made towards building more peaceful, cooperative and just societies where human security is valued as paramount, building peace must more deeply involve women and women's approaches. As documented throughout this essay, women's roles in, and contribution to, peacebuilding have been underutilized and lcking in recognition at community, national, and international levels. Despite women's marginalization outside the mainstream peace and international security arenas, their work in peacebuilding is substantial. We contend that distinct yet little studied women's peaceuilding approaches in response to violent conflict are key elements to the attainment of human security and peace. Consequently, knowing more about the gendering of peacebuilding policies and projects, as well as women's peacebuilding capacities, holds the potential for expanding women's capabilities by developing alternative approaches that can be used as a basis for policy making and training programmes. Furthermore, both gender-aware and women's peacebuilding processes can offer models that exand the repertoire of avilable approaches for both men and women. In conclusion, for women's full participation in peacebuilding to be enhanced, there needs to be specific focus upon building their capacities, and gender must be included as an explicit aspect of peacebuilding initiatives.

Employing gender analysis, we document and analyze a diverse array of current peacebuilding policies and projects from women's grassroots, nongovernmental organizations (NGO), the United Nations, and several other international organizations. The Introduction gives an overview of women's multiple roles in peacebuilding and the divergent ways peacebuilding is defined and envisioned by women's grassroots groups, international NGOs, scholars and branches within the United Nations.

The first section investigates women's grassroots peacebuilding. It begins with an examination of the meanting and processes of peacebuilding as defined by the writings and actions of multiple women's grassroots peacebuilding organizations. We then detail common foci of women's peacebuilding with specific examples from around the world; categories include reconciliation efforts, demilitarization, the importance of women's roles in buidling peace, and the healing and rebuilding of human relations. We conclude with case examples of women's grassroots peacebuilding initiatives in Northern Ireland, South Sudan, Russia and the TransCaucasus and Northern Caucasus regions.

The second section of this essay documents and analyzses local, national and international NGOs' peacebuilding policies and programmes. In particular, the critical role of NGOs in peacebuilding processes and efforts to build coalitions and networks for peace are examined. Case examples of NGO peaebuilding activity in the United States, the Philippines, Canada, Sweden and Israel are detailed.

The final section records and analyzes peacebuilding policies and programmes within the multiple branches of the United Nations (UN), as well as regional organizations. We find that while United Nations and regional peacebuilding initiatives are diverse, unless they are women-centrered, women's roles and initiatives tend to be marginalized. Our conclusion illustrates key lessons for effective peacebuilding and offers additional avenues for further research into women's peacebuilding activities.

BASED ON OUR RESEARCH, THE FOLLOWING LESSONS ARE NECESSARY FOR EFFECTIVE PEACEBUILDING

1. All peacebuilding initiatives must consider the gender impacts of, and incorporate women in, their policies and projects.
2. Psychosocial, relational and spiritual peacebuilding projects should be emphasized as a central aspect of any peacebuilding initiative.
3. Peacebuilding is culturally specific. Local approaches to peacebuilding should be recognized, honoured and built upon; this includes traditional peacebuilding approaches and the peacebuilding inventions of women-centred and local groups.
4. Outside organizations and personnel should work with and not for locals and build upon local expertise.
5. Within the parameters of working with locals, peacebuilding projects should be documented and evaluated.
6. Improved communication and cooperation is needed among various organizations working in peacebuilding and econstruction, at all level; the formation of networks greatly facilitates effective peacebuilding.

Those interested in obtaining a copy of Women and Peacebuilding should contact The International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development
63, rue de Brésoles
Montréal, H2Y 1V7 CANADA
Tel: (1 514) 283 5073
Fax: (1 514) 283 3792 E-mail: ichrdd@ichrdd.ca Website: www.ichrdd.ca