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.

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Key areas of success for the improvement of the lives of women have been in t...

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Key areas of success for the improvement of the lives of women have been in the spheres of political participation, education, and health. As we finalize results for our second parliamentary election, we recall that last month, millions of Afghans went to the polls to make their voices heard. In these recent elections, 406 out of 2,556 candidates were women.

The Commitment of the government of Afghanistan and support of the internatio...

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The Commitment of the government of Afghanistan and support of the international community have been the crucial factors for the achievements ofwomen in the last decade. During the London and Kabul Conferences, in January and July of this year, we

Remarkable progress has been made in terms of the numbers of women and girls ...

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Remarkable progress has been made in terms of the numbers of women and girls in all levels of education, and the increased literacy ratio of girls to boys. Around 37% of the 7 million students in Afghanistan are female. Today, Afghan boys and girls have equal access to education. We must continue our efforts to teach girls to read, and to provide more accessible schooling for women and girls particularly in rural areas.

Third, if UN efforts to build peace are to be truly sustainable, they must in...

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Third, if UN efforts to build peace are to be truly sustainable, they must incorporate women throughout the process. Where women's roles are ignored, peacebuilding is more likely to fail. Gender is not just a box to be checked. It's a key ingredient in the planning phase, throughout implementation, and in the evaluation of plans.

Fifth and finally, post-conflict peace building cannot be truly successful wi...

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Fifth and finally, post-conflict peace building cannot be truly successful without ensuring that women are an equal part of the process. They need to be routinely involved in conflict resolution, post-conflict peacebuilding and governance in order to achieve sustainable peace.

The Security Council welcomes the important role of the Peacebuilding Commiss...

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The Security Council welcomes the important role of the Peacebuilding Commission in promoting and supporting an integrated and coherent approach to peacebuilding, including women's participation. The Council reiterates its support for the work of the Commission, and expresses its willingness to make greater use of the Peacebuilding Commission's advisory role.

The Security Council stresses the importance of women's equal participation a...

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The Security Council stresses the importance of women's equal participation and full involvement in all efforts for the maintenance and promotion of peace and security, including peacebuilding. The Council reiterates the importance of addressing women's peacebuilding needs and their involvement in the development and implementation of post-conflict strategies.

Thailand firmly participation in all peacekeeping, peacebuilding and developm...

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Thailand firmly participation in all peacekeeping, peacebuilding and development will contribute significantly to long-term and sustainable peace and security in post-conflict societies. Since it is believes that women's aspects of peacemaking, mostly men who participate in conflict, it is important to encourage the role of women in order to help stabilize post-conflict environments and restore the fabric of society.

On this occasion, Thailand would like to emphasize a few aspects of peacebuil...

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On this occasion, Thailand would like to emphasize a few aspects of peacebuilding that we believe to be crucial to its success and conducive to women's participation in the process.

My delegation has noted the report of the Secretary-General on Women's partic...

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My delegation has noted the report of the Secretary-General on Women's participation in Peacebuilding. Women can play an important role as agents of change and South Africa has always viewed the participation of women in post-conflict situations as critical to the attainment of peace.

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