Netherlands Paricipation

We are convinced that the only way to achieve sustainable peace is by the meaningful inclusion of women in conflict prevention, in conflict resolution and in mediation and peace processes.

We promote the engagement of women and men in changing power relationships and gender norms in support of a more inclusive society. We believe that the way forward is to take our best practices and turn them into standard practices. The inclusion of women in peace processes should be the rule rather than the exception.

We support women’s participation in peace processes through the support of civil society organizations. For example, together with UN-Women — I am glad to see the head of UN-Women is here — we assist female members of Syrian civil society to unite in the Syrian Women’s Initiative for Peace and Democracy. With that initiative, which dates back a couple of years, we aim to help Syrian women from different backgrounds to pursue a common agenda and to give them a voice during the Syrian peace talks. Some of the women we supported have joined the Women’s Advisory Board of the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, Mr. Staffan de Mistura.

The advancement of the role of women is crucial in all our efforts for peace, justice and development. The Kingdom of the Netherlands will remain a partner to promote the rights of women in all those dimensions.