Women’s Participation in Peacebuilding in Contexts of Pervasive Insecurity and Natural Resource Competition
Publisher: USIP
Author(s): Marisa O. Ensor, Negar Ashtari Abay, and Kathleen Kuehnast
Date: 2022
Topics: Gender, Peace and Security Operations
This report presents the findings of an exploratory evidence review of the circumstances that promote women’s participation in peacebuilding in contexts of pervasive insecurity and natural resource competition. The study focuses on the identification of the factors and actors that promote women’s meaningful participation, defined as the capacity to influence processes and outcomes, emphasizing the role of women environmental peacebuilders as decisionmakers at the local level. This emphasis on meaningful participation responds to recent findings highlighting the limited representation and formal decision-making power of women, further concluding that the mere presence of women at the table—for instance, through the enforcement of quotas—is not by itself sufficient to ensure that their voices are heard and incorporated into the peacebuilding process.