Inclusive Governance

The equal participation of women in decision-making bodies, processes, and civil society leadership is vital for both community and environmental well-being—and for long-term peace. Due to gendered roles in many fragile and conflict-affected settings, women’s knowledge and experiences of natural resource management constitute a particular entry point to include them more meaningfully in political and decision-making processes at all levels.

Decisions impacting the management of natural resources can take place at the sub-national, national, and regional levels, and across a number of institutions, such as national ministries and regional representation bodies, land commissions, water resource boards, or forestry committees. At the local level in particular, the engagement of women in the governance of natural resources has been shown to yield positive outcomes for community livelihoods and conflict prevention.

However, ensuring women’s engagement in decision-making processes often requires confronting deeply embedded socio-cultural barriers. Significant negative cultural beliefs and practices entrenched in society can create resistance, especially where the allocation of economically valuable natural resources is concerned. Furthermore, low literacy rates, particularly in rural women, can constitute an obstacle to participation and prevent awareness of the potential impacts specific decisions can have on their lives.

In order to address these challenges, it is vital that more attention be paid to reducing the gendered barriers to participation, in particular where these intersect with other factors of marginalization. This includes training and capacity building to increase women’s effective participation in natural resource governance processes; providing gender expertise to teams developing policies and other governance tools around natural resource management in peacebuilding contexts, including in supply chain certification mechanisms, benefit-sharing schemes, and transparency initiatives; and empowering diverse civil society organizations and women’s networks.

Key Resources

Gender and Post-Conflict Governance: Understanding the Challenges

Resources

Women's Access and Control over Woodland and Water Resources in Rural Zimbabwe

Briefs & Development
The management of woodland and water resources in rural Zimbabwe is currently facing enormous challenges related to unequal access and control for women. Woodland and…

Women Building Peace

Briefs & Development
This volume looks back at a wealth of women’s peacebuilding practice documented by Accord since 1998. Case studies from Cambodia, Sierra Leone, northern Uganda, Papua…

Ensuring African Women’s Access to Justice: Engendering Rights for Poverty Reduction in Sub-Saharan Africa

Library
About half of the people of Sub-Saharan Africa live below the poverty line, and 80 per cent of them are women. Their access to justice…

Uganda/DRC: War Crimes | Uganda Pays $65 Million to DRC for Reparations [Video]

International
Uganda has made a partial payment of $65 million US Dollars to the DRC government as reparations for war crimes committed by its troops in…

Female Leadership in Environmental Peacebuilding: Ievgeniia Kopytsia Speaks at British Academy Summer Showcase

International
On Thursday, July 11, 2024, the British Academy hosted its annual Summer Showcase Private View, offering an exclusive preview of their free festival of ideas. Among…

Empowering Women to Combat Climate Change in Nigeria

International
Climate change poses significant challenges worldwide, but its impacts are disproportionately felt by women, particularly in developing countries like Nigeria. Women’s vulnerability to climate change…

Colombia: Colombia Halts Coal Exports to Israel amid the Onslaught on Gaza

International
Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced today that his country would halt its exports of coal to Israel as the offensive on the Gaza Strip continues.…

Afghanistan: MoEW Predicts Flash Floods, Rise in Rivers’ Water Level

International
The Ministry of Energy and Water (MoEW) has predicted relatively heavy rains, flash floods and rising water level in rivers over the next two days.

Colombia: Armed Groups Use Deforestation as a Bargaining Chip in Colombia

International
Guerillas once protected the forests that provided them with cover, but recently some factions see the trees, critical to the nation’s climate commitments, as leverage…

Enforce Laws on Women Empowerment and Gender Equality in Academia --- African Leaders Urged

International
Prof. Fatoumata Keita from University for Arts and Human Sciences of Bamako, has called on African leaders to enforce laws regarding women’s empowerment and gender…

Regional Multistakeholder Event on Gender and Human Rights Mainstreaming in Preventing and Countering Organized Crime for Central Asia and Southern Caucasus

International
UNODC hosted the first ever Regional Multistakeholder Event on Gender and Human Rights Mainstreaming in Preventing and Countering Organized Crime in Central Asia and Southern…

The Scoring Intersection: Heatwaves, Gender, and India's Marginalised Community

International
As the Earth’s temperature continues to rise, the impacts of extreme heat are far from gender-neutral. Women, transgender individuals, and other gender minorities bear a…

Iraq/Kurdistan: Talks Stall in Restarting Oil From Kurdistan, Iraqi Leader Says

International
No progress has been made in long-standing talks for international oil companies to resume exporting crude from the Kurdistan region of Iraq, Prime Minister Mohammed…

How Women and Girls in War-Torn Gaza Are Coping With Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Collapse

International
Deprived of adequate access to water, sanitation, and hygiene services, Palestinian women and girls in Gaza are bearing the brunt of the prolonged and deepening…

Liberia: Two More River Cess Clans Complete Last Process to Secure Customary Land

International
Two additional River Cess clans – Togbanyankun and Siahn – are poised to receive customary land deeds following the completion of a confirmatory survey by…

Colombia: Court Decision to Uphold Mining Ban in Colombian Town Impacts AngloGold Project

International
The Tenth Administrative Court of Ibagué, the capital city of Colombia’s western Tolima department, ratified a mining ban in the Cajamarca municipality, thus upholding the…

Liberia: FDA Approves Export of Illegal Timber Valued Nearly US$1M

International
The Forestry Development Authority (FDA) approved the export of 797 logs, valued at an estimated US$923,441, despite being aware that over half of the timber…

Don’t Forget Women in New UN Climate Fund, Policymakers Urged

International
The loss and damage fund’s success hinges on women’s participation and recognising their uneven climate burden, rights groups say.

Conflict Minerals: UN Renews Support for Kimberley Process

International
The United Nations has renewed its support for the Kimberley Process (KP), which has been outlawing blood diamonds since 2003.  Its General Assembly of 193…

Nigeria, Canada Partner on Gender-Responsive Action on Climate Change

International
In a landmark move to integrate gender equality into climate action, the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC) of Nigeria, in partnership with Global Affairs…

Conflict Minerals: Kimberley Process: A Rare Common Ground between Russia and the West

International
Amidst the geopolitical rivalry between Russia and the US-led Western alliance, there’s a sign of commonality between the two blocs – the fight against blood…

Water Wars: Spending Billions Preparing for Hot Wars When Water Wars Are Looming

International
Since the pandemic, governments have been spending billions on arming themselves for imagined hot wars when billions of dollars are needed to mitigate a global…

Climate Watch: CSO Urges Rivers to Implement Action Plan on Gender, Climate Change

International
Despite directly impacting our communities, health, and livelihoods, climate-related reports usually take a back seat to dominant news beats like politics and business.

Afghanistan: This Forestry Project in Afghanistan is Pushing Women to the Forefront of Climate Action

International
Zahra remembers what it was like to have predictable agricultural yields. The mother of six, who lives in Afghanistan’s Bamyan province, farms barley, potato and…

Israel/Palestine: How Israel’s Flooding of Gaza’s Tunnels Will Impact Freshwater Supply

International
Israel confirmed this week that its troops are pumping seawater into a network of tunnels in Gaza, a method environmentalists say could violate international law…

Liberia: Meet the Woman on the Frontline of Conservation in Liberia

International
31-year-old Grace Zansi was obsessed with the rampant butchering of wildlife in her hometown, Beo Bongarplay, Nimba County.

“I felt bad when I saw people killing…

Nigeria: WOPEGEE Trains Stakeholders on Gender-Responsive Approach to Disaster Management

International

China/Philippines/South China Sea: Philippines to Explore Oil-Rich Waters amid China Tension: ‘It’s Quite Urgent That We Start Now’

International
The Philippines is building defence alliances with the US and other security partners to help pave the way for resource exploration in the oil-and-gas-rich…

Another Layer of Misery: Women in Gaza Struggle to Find Menstrual Pads, Running Water

International
Heba Usrof, a young woman in Gaza, is running out of options to deal with her menstrual cycle. Pads have disappeared from pharmacies and stores.…

Women and Indigenous Resource Conflict Resolution Options in Uganda’s Oil Region: A Case of Barazas

Briefs & Development
Resource ownership has been associated with power, which has been greatly influenced by patriarchy. The role of women in organising, planning, allocating, and controlling the…