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 >>

BURMA/MYANMAR/USA: Why a U.N. Probe of Burma is a Crucial Step

The evidence against Burma's junta has been piling up for many years. Thousands upon thousands of girls and women raped as a tactic of war by the Burmese army; children press-ganged to serve as porters; 3,500 villages burned to the ground in recent years; millions of people forced from their homes -- these are some of the crimes against humanity sponsored by the generals who rule their Southeast Asian nation of 50 million people.

GEORGIA: Facilitating the Delivery of Assistance to Conflict-Affected Women in Georgia

UNIFEM and its partner organization, the Women's Information Center, have organized a series of meetings in cooperation with local authorities and government bodies in Georgia, to facilitate the delivery of effective assistance to internally displaced and conflict-affected women and their families.

DRC: Facing Justice Relaunching in DRC

A group of female Congolese journalists last month took part in a week-long training session in Goma aimed at teaching them the skills they need to contribute to IWPR's Face à la Justice radio programme, which is about to be relaunched.

AFGHANISTAN: Afghan Women's Movements Deserve More From the West (Op-Ed)

Time magazine's moving portrayal of the plight of Afghanistan's women is a tribute to their heroism and silent suffering. However, the poignant images and story fail to reflect the determined achievements of a women's movement that has battled cultural and Islamist misogyny. They deserve more from the West.

CAMBODIA: Convicted Khmer Rouge Jailer Duch 'Will Appeal'

The former Cambodian Khmer Rouge prison chief Duch, who was convicted of crimes against humanity, will appeal against his sentence, his lawyer has said.

Duch, 67, whose full name is Kaing Guek Eav, was sentenced to 35 years in prison by a UN-backed court on Monday.

He was found guilty of overseeing the torture and execution of thousands of people at the notorious Tuol Sleng prison in Phnom Penh.

HAITI: Rape a Part of Daily Life for Women in Haitian Relief Camps (Ms. Magazine blog)

Even after the aftershocks of the devastating Jan. 12 quake subsided, women's bodies were still trembling in Haiti. The cause, according to a new report, is the systematic, persistent (and often gang) rapes that have become part of women's daily lives in camps for internally displaced persons (IDP).

OCEANIA: Learning to Build Peace

For 490 years the liquid continent of Oceania has been called by the name that Ferdinand Magellan gave it, the Pacific Ocean (Mar Pacifico) because of its apparent stillness. World class navigator he may have been, but I believe history has proven that he was a bad judge of character. Or perhaps he was not aware of the adage that 'still waters run deep'.

INDONESIA: Dancing Against War

''My choreography lays out the complex relationship between dance as a form of cultural practice and its significance as created through negotiations with structures of power. It focuses on Indonesia, which has a history of colonialism, dictatorship, genocide and global tourism.'' This is how Dr Rachmi Diyah Larasati, dance scholar, choreographer and cultural theorist, describes her work.

HAITI: Women In Haiti See New Opportunities Post-Earthquake

Prior to the January 12 earthquake, almost half of the households in Haiti were exclusively matriarchal, at least in terms of management. Though accustomed to taking care of families and a myriad of domestic and economic responsibilities, Haitian women still comprise only a very small portion of their own government.

Pages