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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We must expand the role of women in negotiation, mediation, dialogue, constit...

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We must expand the role of women in negotiation, mediation, dialogue, constitution drafting, elections, reconstruction and justice. The report of the Secretary-General (S/2008/622) gives us various examples of success stories around the world, where the effective participation of women has borne fruit.

The exclusion of women from the processes of conflict resolution and peacebui...

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The exclusion of women from the processes of conflict resolution and peacebuilding has an excessively high cost that we cannot afford. That exclusion not only weakens the effectiveness of conflict-prevention mechanisms, but also drastically reduces the opportunities for peacebuilding.

Costa Rica considers that incorporation of the gender perspective is an indis...

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Costa Rica considers that incorporation of the gender perspective is an indispensable tool for dealing with the terrible effects of conflict and is helpful too in conflict prevention. Women have the capacity to bring peace to all factions and to every home.

The involvement of women involves a collective and shared responsibility. It ...

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The involvement of women involves a collective and shared responsibility. It is an individual responsibility, for we must rid ourselves of certain prejudices and other demeaning concepts regarding the place and role of women in society. Indeed, it is no secret that the challenge of socio-cultural inertia in this regard is often one of the most difficult challenges to take on.

The regular review of the state of implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) t...

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The regular review of the state of implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) testifies to the interest of the Security Council and the international community in this important issue.

The enormous international efforts, including those of the United Nations, t...

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The enormous international efforts, including those of the United Nations, to promote the implementation of resolutions 1325 (2000) and 1820 (2008) and of the relevant presidential statements of the Security Council have produced positive results. Of primary significance is the greater recognition that the maintenance of peace and security requires measures to meet the needs of women.

Secondly, the reconstruction process requires comprehensive efforts to meet p...

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Secondly, the reconstruction process requires comprehensive efforts to meet people's basic needs in food, housing, health care, education, dealing with psychological shocks, restoration of infrastructure and consolidation of social institutions, including the important role of the family.

First, we need to fully recognize the primacy of eliminating the causes of c...

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First, we need to fully recognize the primacy of eliminating the causes of conflicts and preventing and peacefully resolving international disputes. Measures to protect the rights of women and girls must be combined with promotion of their role in ending conflicts and in post-conflict reconstruction.

Women have often led the call for peace in conflict-torn societies. Let us re...

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Women have often led the call for peace in conflict-torn societies. Let us recall the example of Liberia, whose grass-roots women's organizations had a direct and visible impact on peace negotiations and post-conflict reconstruction efforts. The activism of those groups on behalf of the welfare of the average citizen helped to break the impasse produced by leaders of warring factions in the struggle for political dominance.

We have heard many times in this Chamber that more women should be included ...

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We have heard many times in this Chamber that more women should be included in peace processes and post-conflict deliberations. If a sustainable peace is to be achieved in any post-conflict situation, a peace agreement must take into account the concerns of those most harmed by conflicts, but more often than not women are excluded from peace negotiations and peacebuilding efforts.

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