INTERNATIONAL: Empowered Women Promote Peace

This year marks the 15th anniversary of the United Nations' Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, where a Platform for Action was adopted by the United States and 188 other countries. This ambitious blueprint for women's global progress served as a call to action on multiple fronts, including advancing women's access to education and health, the right to be free from violence and the opportunity to participate fully in the economic and political lives of their country.

It is also 10 years since the U.N. Security Council adopted Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, recognizing the important role that women must play in conflict resolution, peace negotiations and peace building. This year also marks 10 years since the adoption of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to eradicate poverty around the world. Gender equality is integral to the realization of all of the MDGs. Women's political participation is a crucial indicator of women's equality.

Around the world, women are entering the field of politics and government in growing numbers, yet their gains have been uneven and their leadership often goes unrecognized. Women hold almost 20 percent of seats in parliaments worldwide, and serve as heads of government in over 20 countries.

While these are positive developments, women are still vastly underrepresented globally. Women are half the population yet they hold less than one-fifth of positions in national governments. They are still significantly outnumbered in parliaments, in provincial councils and they are often missing from negotiating tables where conflicts are to be resolved.

Often, important decisions that affect women, their families and their societies are made without their having a voice.

According to the World Bank, at the country level, higher rates of female participation in government are associated with lower levels of corruption. Women are making a difference in the political process at the local level.

In Afghanistan and Iraq, women who have been committed to building their nascent democracies, exercising their right to vote and to run for office, often do so at great peril. Last year, in Afghanistan's election more women were running for the provincial council than the quota allocated. They told me that, despite threats, they were willing to make the sacrifice because it is their hope that they can help make life better in their communities.

Women are a vibrant force in civil society as they work to advance social, economic and democratic progress, safeguard human rights and promote peace. Without the voices of women contributing to the delicate process of conflict resolution, peace is less likely to take root. We have seen, from Northern Ireland to Liberia to Afghanistan, that women can be powerful peacemakers, willing to reach across deep divides to find common ground.