Morocco Part + PP

Despite signs of progress, we are forced to note that the overall result is far from being satisfactory. Evaluations of the achievements of the 15 past years clearly show that the participation of women in negotiation processes has remained low. Between 1992 and 2011, only 9 per cent of negotiators were women. Only 27 per cent of peace agreements signed between 2000 and 2015 referred to women’s gender equality and the needs of women. Women make up just 3 per cent of the positions of authority throughout the world. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, today only 2 per cent of foreign funds invested in reviving the economies of post-conflict countries are allocated to promoting the equality of women, their empowerment or the satisfaction of their specific needs for a period of time.

And yet, women constitute half of the world’s population. Their involvement in peacebuilding remains not only a right, but also, given the disproportionate impact of conflict on their lives, an obligation. They can make an undeniably valuable contribution to peace negotiations. It is therefore necessary to change the paradigm so as to change the status quo and give women more power so as to shake up the established order. Indeed, the participation of women in negotiating processes increases the chances of a settlement of conflict and the sustainability of peace. That fact was confirmed by a global study undertaken by UN-Women in 2015, which revealed that the presence of women in peace negotiations promoted the sustainability of peace agreements, and that 35 per cent of agreements negotiated by women lasted more than 15 years.