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Peace & Conflict

"The principles of gender equality and inclusion are fundamental values in which every attempt at democracy and peace-building must be based"

The 1995 Commonwealth Plan of Action on Gender and Development endorsed by Commonwealth Heads of Government urged governments to "take vigorous action to promote and defend women's rights", and "promote their political participation in peace processes and democratic decision-making".

In the Commonwealth and globally, armed conflicts within and between states, sharpened by growing  threats to human security and assisted by the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, are on the increase. Unequal power relations, lack of access to resources, intolerance and lack of respect for individual rights and freedoms fuel armed and other forms of conflict. Statistics show that civilian populations are increasingly the targets of a myriad of human rights violations such as trafficking in persons, rape with impunity used as a weapon of war, abduction of girls, recruitment of child soldiers and other crimes against humanity. These actions and crimes, committed by both state and non-state actors, violate conventions and treaties such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the four Geneva Conventions, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), CEDAW and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), with their various Optional Protocols. The differential impacts of conflicts on women, men and children, and the challenges they create, have profound democratic and developmental implications for all humanity. Women and girls with disabilities in conflict situations are particularly vulnerable and specifically targeted for support. 

The 1995 BPfA identified the effects of conflict on women as one of its 12 critical areas of concern. It affirmed the need to increase women's participation in conflict resolution and peace-building at decision-making levels. It also recommended strategic actions to be taken by governments, the international community, the private sector and CSOs, urging adequate protection of women and children during times of conflict. These recommendations arose principally from a view of women as 'victims' of armed conflict. However, women's active and positive contributions towards peace and conflict resolution processes have more recently also been recognised and documented by the international community. Consequently, the UN Security Council in its resolution 1325 in 2000 made an urgent call for the 'equal participation and full involvement of women in all efforts for the maintenance and promotion of peace and security', and emphasised 'the need to increase their role in decision-making with regard to conflict prevention and resolution'. 

Against this background, the 6WAMM in Delhi (2000) recommended that 'the Commonwealth take action in collaboration with other international organisations and civil society to include women at the highest levels of peace-building, peacekeeping, conflict mediation, resolution, and post-conflict reconciliation and reconstruction activities'. They encouraged a 30 per cent target of women's participation in peace initiatives by the year 2005.  

Protecting women's rights in armed conflict: Good Practices.

There is a global concern to achieve these objectives butdespite this, women are still faced with problems of security, particularly with regard to sexual violence and harassment and lack of representation in conflict mediation, resolution and peace-building processes as well as the implementation of programmes. Steps have been taken by some relief agencies to address these problems, but more must be done to learn about the exact nature of these needs, and the implementation of gender sensitive programmes, that can encourage refugee and internally displaced women to become more proactive.

Useful Resources