Civil Society Dialogue Network: Meeting on Women's Participation in Peace Processes
On 23 November a one-day EU-CSO dialogue meeting on women's participation in peace processes took place in Brussels. The meeting was organised within the framework of the Civil Society Dialogue Network (CSDN). CSDN is a three-year project funded by the European Commission and aims at facilitating dialogue on peacebuilding issues between civil society and the EU institutions. The Dialogue Network is open to civil society organisations active in the field of peacebuilding and is managed by EPLO, the platform of European peacebuilding organisations.
The meeting, which followed on from the 10th anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR 1325), aimed broadly at improving the EU's efforts at enabling the participation of women in peace processes—going beyond peace talks to also include short– and long-term implementation of peace agreements. The first session focused on women's participation in track I and II diplomacy. During the second session, participants discussed women's participation in the short-term implementation of peace processes, such as disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) programmes and peacekeeping. The third, and final, session looked at women's participation in more long-term processes, such as security sector reform (SSR).
In order to ensure true dialogue, each session consisted of a number of short presentations (including a thematic introduction and a country case study) aimed at setting the scene, followed by more lengthy open discussions where all participants were encouraged to take the floor. Participants were asked to share obstacles, lessons learned, good practices and recommendations. Lena Ag, Secretary General of Kvinna till Kvinna, facilitated the meeting on behalf of EPLO.
Approximately 50 people attended the one-day dialogue meeting. The event brought together EU officials and civil society representatives, including from organisations based in Nepal, Uganda, Kosovo, the Philippines and the Balkans. There were also representatives of UNIFEM and DCAF.