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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CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: International Conflict Research Institute Summer School

*****FINAL APPLICATION DEADLINE – 25th March, 2011*****

12th INCORE International Summer School, hosted at the Magee Campus of the University of Ulster and will run from 13th - 17th June.

BLOG: Iraqi Kurdistan Seen From a Women's Perspective

I held my hand to reach my pen on to write an article about women's lives in Kurdistan, from a woman's perspective. To begin is undoubtedly the most difficult part in the writing task, even more so when the subject is a complex issue concerning women's lives and aspirations in Kurdistan and Iraq. What should be the introduction and how should the task of selecting openings proceed?

BLOG: The Triple Burden: What it Conflict Mean for Palestinian Women?

It's now widely known that conflict has a disproportionate impact on women and girls. Since the end of the Cold War and a rise in what academic Mark Duffield1 calls “new wars”, conflict has shifted from the battlefield to fronts much closer to home–the city street, the suburban shopping mall, a rural olive grove.

INTERVIEW: IRAQ: Iraqi Women as Survivors, not Victims: Interview with Manal Omar, Author and Humanitarian Work

Manal Omar, a women's rights advocate of Palestinian descent who has worked in Iraq's humanitarian field since the late 1990s, spoke to the NGO Coordination Committee about complex gender issues facing the country after eight years of occupation and conflict. She also describes the purpose behind writing Barefoot in Baghdad: A Story of Identity – My Own and What it Means to be a Woman in Chaos.

ANALYSIS: Civilians 'Suffer First, Last and in the Middle' During Wartime, Stanford Scholar Says

Today's world abounds in international courts, laws and tribunals – more so than ever before – yet war is becoming more brutal, more transnational, with mounting civilian casualties. What's the solution to the awful paradox?

CAMPAIGN: Prosperity Candle: Baghdad War Widows Bring Light to Darkness

Lighting a candle and letting the fresh scent waft through your home can bring an instant atmosphere of peace and relaxation. With a Prosperity Candle, you can have a peaceful atmosphere and help war widows in Baghdad rebuild their lives.

VIDEO/FILM REVIEW: Bhutto - A Woman and her Country

With the assassination of Salman Taseer, the Governor of Punjab Province in Pakistan and an outspoken opponent of religious extremism, the divisions within Pakistani society are once again in the news. Perhaps there is no better time to see the documentary Bhutto, which not only tells the story of Pakistan's first woman Prime Minister, but also gives extensive background on this country's history.

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: Now Accepting Applications for the Rotary Peace Fellowship!

The Rotary Peace Centers of The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International is beginning its recruitment of Rotary Peace Fellows for 2012. Over the past ten years, Rotary Peace Centers has provided over 600 future peace leaders with peace and conflict resolution education and field experience. Our alumni work all over the world with organization ranging from grassroots peace initiatives in Africa to the United Nations.

ANALYSIS: Nigeria-Security: Women, Children and the Upheavals in Jos

We are only 12 years old. We can't influence politics and the war, but we want to live! We wait for peace. Will we live to see it? -A class of school children. Those words convey the heartfelt hope of a group of African children who have seen first-hand the gory effects of wars and armed conflicts.

PROGRAM: United States Institute of Peace Elevates Gender Initiative to Center of Innovation

The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) announced today that its initiative on gender and peacebuilding is now become a full programmatic center, naming Kathleen Kuehnast as director. Kuehnast, a socio-cultural anthropologist, joined USIP in 2008 following a 15-year career in international development and post-conflict.

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