UNIFEM WOMEN, WAR AND PEACE WEB PORTAL: PREVENTION

Civil Society and NGO Reports, Papers and Statements

Conflict Early Warning: Warning Who?
Caey Barrs
This article challenges traditional ways of thinking about early warning and response and suggests a new form of local response, Locally-Led Advance Mobile Aid (LLAMA), which can help conflict affected communities build local early warning networks.

Gender and Conflict Early Warning: A Framework for Action
Susanne Schmeidl, Swiss Peace Foundation and Eugenia Piza-Lopez, International Alert, June 2002
Despite the fact that early warning systems are being used more, and that it is widely recognized that women and men experience conflict differently, gender is rarely analysed in early warning studies. This paper suggests ways to "engender" early warning systems.

Implementing the United Nations Security Council Resolution on Women, Peace and Security: Integrating Gender into Early Warning Systems: Report on First Expert Consultative Meeting
International Alert and the Swiss Peace Foundation
Collaborating NGOs present a framework to create awareness among individuals and organisations working in conflict prevention and early warning, recognizing that early warning is the most effective conflict prevention and peacebuilding tool and that a gender-sensitive approach identifies possible conflicts early at the micro-level and helps prepare adequate response options that ensure human security.

Thesaurus and Glossary of Early Warning and Conflict Prevention Terms (abridged version)
Alex P. Schmid, Interdisciplinary Research Programme on Causes of Human Rights Violations (PIOMM), Leiden University, Netherlands, and Forum on Early Warning and Early Response (FEWER), 1998

UN Documents

UNDP's Eight Point Agenda for Women's Empowerment and Gender Equality in Crisis Prevention and Recovery
UNDP, 2006
In September 2006, the Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery convened a Gender Experts Meeting and Strategy Session at the London School of Economics. The event brought together a diverse mix of academicians, development practitioners, representatives from NGOs and other UNDP partners. During the meeting, UNDP staff worked with experts to agree on the most appropriate approach for the Bureau to make a significant contribution to gender equality. The meeting resulted in a UNDP's Eight Point Agenda for Women's Empowerment and Gender Equality in Crisis Prevention and Recovery.

Interim report of the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Armed Conflict
A/58/365–S/2003/888, Secretary-General to General Assembly and Security Council, 12 September 2003

Introducing Gender in Conflict and Conflict Prevention: Conceptual and Policy Implications
Tatjana Sikoska and Juliet Solomon, INSTRAW

Government Statements and Reports

Report of OSCE Expert Seminar on Women in Conflict Prevention and Crisis Management
held at Hofburg in Vienna, Austria, on 20 June 2005.
The seminar was organized by the Permanent Delegation of Sweden to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in co-operation with Folke Bernadotte Academy, and with the support of the Slovenian OSCE Chairman-in-Office. The objective of the seminar was to promote the implementation in the OSCE of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) on women, peace and security. There is a clear role for the
OSCE in implementing the Resolution, as manifested in the 2004 OSCE Action Plan for the Promotion of Gender Equality. In this context, the aim of the seminar was to discuss and identify possible actions in order to fully implement UNSCR 1325 in the OSCE. A further purpose of the seminar was to exchange information about women’s participation in conflict prevention and crisis management and to exchange experience and lessons learned from
participation in conflict prevention and international missions.

Pastoral Women As Peacemakers
Community-based Animal Health and Participatory Epidemiology Unit (CAPE) of African Union/Interafrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU/IBAR), April 2003
This report examines the traditional roles of pastoral women in peace and conflict and assesses the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to working with these women on conflict issues. It also documents the methodology and impact of the alokita - Women's peace crusade - used by CAPE. The second half of the report presents the outcomes from a workshop organised by CAPE on the same theme which aimed to improve practice and approaches in the field. The participants identified a number of opportunities for peacebuilding again focused on strengthening the formal and informal influence of women. The seminar participants also reviewed the role of women in rapid responses by elders to diffuse potential conflict and looked at the potential for pastoral women to tackle the root causes.


Summary Proceedings of the Workshop on engendering CEWARN (Conflict Early Warning and Response Mechanism)
Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), November 25 – 26, 2002
This workshop was organized with the following objectives focusing gender issues within the framework of CEWARN:
• Broaden participants knowledge on engendering CEWARN as well as perception of the participants and deepening the analysis of the concept and recommend innovative ideas on engendering CEWARN
• Provide a forum for floating and testing ideas, which can later be formulated to logical framework and integrated to the CEWARN activities
• Assure presentation of Women in CEWARN and CEWERUs (In-state Conflict Early Warning and Conflict Management Unit)
• Develop Institutional Link between Gender Desk, CEWARN/CEWERUs and national machineries

Seminar on Gender Mainstreaming of IGAD Peace Building and Conflict Resolution Programme
Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), October 15-16, 2001
The objectives of the Seminar were:
- To share experiences and enhance the participants capacity and women’s involvement in peace making and peace building.
- To review the current peace initiatives of IGAD in relation to the involvement of women.
- To review the IGAD Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution and Humanitarian Affairs programmes and identify gender gaps.
- To map out a strategic action plan for onward submission to the First Regular Meeting of the IGAD Ministers In-charge of Women’s Affairs.

G8 Roma Initiatives on Conflict Resolution: Strengthening the Role of Women in Conflict Prevention
Conclusions of the meeting of G8 Foreign Ministers, Rome, Italy, 19 July 2001
The G8 includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as the leader of the country holding the presidency of the European Council and the President of the European Commission.

Resolution on Women in Peaceful Conflict Resolution: Gender-Related Aspects of Prevention of Armed Conflicts A5-0308/2000
European Parliament resolution on participation of women in peaceful conflict resolution (2000/2025(INI)), 30 November 2000

Resolution on Participation of Women in Peaceful Conflict Resolution: Gender-Related Aspects of Prevention of Armed Conflicts Report
European Parliament, Text and explanatory statement, A5-0308/2000, 20 October 2000

Books, Journals and Articles

Engendering Early Warning Mechanisms for Effective Conflict Prevention: the Elusive Role of Women in Early Warning
Felicity Hill, UNIFEM, Conflict Trends, Issue 3, African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD), October 2003