Reconstruction and Peacebuilding

The Reconstruction and Peacebuilding theme focuses on the application of a gender perspective to peacebuilding. The response of local, national, and international systems to women’s priorities in post-conflict situations can significantly impact stability and development.

The realisation of women’s right to full participation in preventing, resolving and recovering from conflict, is critical to building sustainable peace and the fulfilment of human security. Furthermore, the response of local, national and international systems to women’s priorities in post-conflict situations, can significantly impacts the stability and development of communities.

The engagement of women in early stages of peacemaking can increase gender analysis in post-conflict planning, lead to improved outcomes for women, and enhance their capacity to participate in longer-term peacebuilding. However, women’s rights and concerns should not be dependent on the presence of women in peace processes. Systems must be in place to ensure their inclusion is standard operating procedure.

In SCR 1325, the Security Council recognises that addressing the unique needs of women and girls during post-conflict reconstruction requires integrating a gender perspective at all stages (1325,OP8). The Security Council acknowledges the need to counter negative societal attitudes regarding women’s equal capacity for involvement, and calls for the promotion of women’s leadership and support for women’s organizations (1889,OP1). In addition, the Security Council requests training on the protection, rights and needs of women in all peacebuilding measures (1325,OP6).

To achieve this, the Security Council tasks the Secretary-General to report on challenges and make recommendations relevant to the participation of women and gender mainstreaming in peacebuilding and recovery efforts (1888,OP19). In response, the Secretary-General issued a report on women’s participation in peacebuilding in 2010. The report details the challenges obstacles women must confront in participating in recovery and peacebuilding efforts, and advocates for a Seven-Point Action Plan to respond to these challenges.


First, the plan calls to increase women’s engagement in peace processes and to address gender issues in the context of peace agreements. Secondly, the plan urges for the inclusion of gender expertise at senior levels in the UN’s mediation support activities. Thirdly, the plan notes that, while the international community cannot control the gender composition of the negotiating parties, it must investigate strategies for the inclusion of more women. Fourthly, the plan calls for the establishment of mechanisms to ensure that negotiating parties engage with women’s civil society organisations. The Action Plan’s fifth commitment involves increasing the proportion of women decision makers in post-conflict governance institutions. The sixth point addresses rule of law, emphasising the importance of issues such as women’s access to justice and a gender perspective to legal reform. The Action Plan’s seventh commitment is concerned with women’s economic empowerment. The Action Plan’s implementation remains the challenge.

For more resources on this Critical Issue, visit PeaceWomen Resource Center >>

In addition, there must be dedicated budgets, targets, timelines and indicato...

Extract: 

In addition, there must be dedicated budgets, targets, timelines and indicators aligned to national peacebuilding plans, overall national defence and security strategies or poverty reduction programmes. Focus in the post-conflict recovery phase must ensure that women's needs and rights are consistently addressed.

If we want to see tangible progress in this area, more needs to be done at th...

Extract: 

If we want to see tangible progress in this area, more needs to be done at the national, regional, and international levels. First, women and women's rights must be consistently included in peace talks. Women are formidable negotiators, mediators and peace-builders. But all too often they are denied access to negotiations at the highest level because of the lack of political will or commitment.

However, as has so often been emphasised, a focus on the way that conflict ca...

Extract: 
However, as has so often been emphasised, a focus on the way that conflict can victimise women should not lead us to obscure the role that women can play as agents of conflict resolution and recovery – or in the words of the Nobel Committee, “to realise the great potential for democracy and peace that women can represent”.

And not just the inclusion of women negotiators, but more broadly a gender pe...

Extract: 
And not just the inclusion of women negotiators, but more broadly a gender perspective, so that gender is established as a thread running through all major peace-building issues, rather than being parked on its own as a discrete topic. Gender is not a box to be ticked, a nod to political correctness. Its place is not at the end of a long list – it is a concern which should condition the approach from start to finish.

Women's potential as agents of change, skilfully reshaping and rebuilding com...

Extract: 

Women's potential as agents of change, skilfully reshaping and rebuilding communities affected by conflict, is an important resource to tap into. However, it is not always the case that they can be readily available for such a huge task. In post-conflict situations, the deficit in experience, skills, understanding and knowledge on women and peace issues is often a hindrance to enlisting a greater involvement of women.

The United Nations is being asked to do more with regard to women and peace a...

Extract: 

The United Nations is being asked to do more with regard to women and peace and security, including through the mainstreaming of the gender perspective in the United Nations system and United Nations peacekeeping missions. We commend the work of the Secretary-General in mainstreaming the gender perspective in the United Nations recruitment process.

Key aspects of post-conflict reconstruction, such as economic recovery, socia...

Extract: 

Key aspects of post-conflict reconstruction, such as economic recovery, social cohesion and political legitimacy, all require the active engagement of women. Resolution 1325 (2000) was a seminal piece of international legislation in our efforts on women and peace and security. The United Nations, Member States and civil society have made steady and noticeable efforts in implementing the resolution.

I would like to conclude by stressing that promoting more effective political...

Extract: 

I would like to conclude by stressing that promoting more effective political participation by women at the level of the African continent to make them effective agents in prevention and peacebuilding efforts requires a greater contribution from all regional, multilateral and even bilateral players.

The effective implementation of resolution 1325 (2000), on women and peace an...

Extract: 

The effective implementation of resolution 1325 (2000), on women and peace and security, is a priority for France, which actively worked for its adoption, just as we have worked to strengthen awareness of this issue at the European Union, especially during our 2008 presidency of the Union. Last year, France adopted a national plan of action on the implementation of the resolution.

France has undertaken commitments in the context of its plan of action to str...

Extract: 

France has undertaken commitments in the context of its plan of action to strengthen women's direct participation in reconstruction efforts and the decision making process, namely, by focusing priority on access to leadership positions.

Pages