Conflict Prevention, Mediation, & Resolution
Since the adoption of Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security in 2000, there is a growing body of evidence showing that women’s participation contributes not only to the conclusion of peace talks, but also to the implementation and sustainability of peace agreements. In fact, research has demonstrated that women’s participation increases the probability of a peace agreement lasting at least two years by 20 percent, and by 35 percent the probability of a peace agreement lasting 15 years.
Among other issues, women have been shown to consistently prioritize equitable access to natural resources, such as land and water, and more equitable benefit-sharing from extractive resource exploitation, as an important part of peace. This has important implications for sustaining the peace, as structural inequalities and grievances linked to natural resource rights, access, and control have proven to be powerful catalysts for violence.
Failing to engage women, women’s groups, and women's networks in peace negotiations and dialogue processes not only risks weakening how natural resource issues are addressed in the peace process, but can also seriously limit the potential for women to participate in natural resource governance, and to benefit from resource-related reforms – such as land reform – and resource-based economic development that follow during the peacebuilding process.
Many women around the world are actively engaged in brokering disputes over natural resources at the community and local levels, and as a result have critical experience in negotiating usage and benefit-sharing arrangements. However, structural barriers often prevent this experience from being used and capitalized upon in higher-level dialogue processes.
Targeted support is therefore needed not only to build the capacity of women’s networks and organizations to effectively engage in dialogue and mediation processes around natural resources and the environment, including in the context of a changing climate, but also to strengthen national capacities and support structures with a view to ensuring that women’s skills are put to use and their potential realized.
Key Resources
UN DPA Guidance on Gender and Inclusive Mediation
In 2013, when few formal mediation processes had effectively included women, the UN Department of Political Affairs (DPA) developed a curriculum based on interviews with…Natural Resources and Conflict: A Guide for Mediation Practitioners
This report bridges the gap between the technical and political aspects by providing a much needed conflict resolution framework for disputes that center on natural…Pathways for Peace: Inclusive Approaches to Preventing Violent Conflict
The resurgence of violent conflict in recent years has caused immense human suffering, at enormous social and economic cost. Violent conflicts today have become complex…Remarks to Security Council on the Maintenance of International Peace and Security: The Root Causes of Conflict – The Role of Natural Resources
The exploitation of natural resources, or competition over them, can and does lead to violent conflict. Preventing, managing and resolving such conflicts is one of the…United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325
The Security Council adopted resolution (S/RES/1325) on women and peace and security on 31 October 2000. The resolution reaffirms the important role of women in…
Resources
Course Applications Open: Gender, Conflict, and Peacebuilding Course
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This course will delve into the intersectional relationship between gender, conflict, security, and peacebuilding, catering to policymakers, peacebuilding practitioners, and international development professionals. Participants will…
Request for Proposals: PeaceCon 2027
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On January 11th - 14th, join the Alliance for Peacebuilding—in partnership with George Mason University’s Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution and Notre Dame University’s…
Afghanistan: Program Manager, Gender Responsive WASH Program
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Desired start date: 1st October 2026
Duration of the mission: 6 months
Location: Kabul
SOLIDARITES INTERNATIONAL (SI) is an international humanitarian aid association which, since more than 40 years,…
Environmental Peacebuilding Association Launches Open Access "Essential Concepts of Environmental Peacebuilding: An A-Z Guide"
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The Environmental Peacebuilding Association (EnPAx) is excited to announce the publication of Essential Concepts of Environmental Peacebuilding Terms: An A-Z Guide, a resource developed to…
South Sudan: UN Launches Initiative to Increase Women’s Peacebuilding Participation
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UN Women and UNESCO have launched a three-year initiative to increase women’s participation in peacebuilding, leadership and community decision-making in Western Equatoria and Western Bahr…
Women in Africa: The Unseen Victims of Crisis and Conflict
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On Sunday, as South Africa commemorated the 70th anniversary of the 1956 Women's March, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai stood at the Union Buildings…
Nigeria: Mercy Corps Strengthens Peacebuilding Efforts for Women, Youths in Katsina Communities
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Women and youth from four Local Government Areas of Katsina State have begun a four-day training aimed at strengthening their capacity to prevent conflicts, resolve…
Vanuatu: Gender Climate Infrastructure Consultant
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Breaking Barriers to Sustain Youth Participation in and Beyond Brazil
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The global media coverage of the youth climate movement has ignited debate on how to meaningfully engage youth in political decision-making. While not all youth…
Creative Practice and Restorative Justice: Environmental Peacebuilding in Dialogue
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Thursday, July 9, 2026 | 10:00-11:00 AM EDT
How do landscapes remember violence? What remains after conflict in the material world - in infrastructure, objects, environments,…
Gender Norms and Protection: Navigating Agency, Risk, and Backlash
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Global: Women Lead Peacebuilding Efforts in Colombia, Lebanon, and Malawi Through Dialogue, Mediation, and Justice
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Peace is often determined in processes, agreements, and political milestones. But around the world, every day, peace is being built by creating spaces for dialogue,…
Young People Taking Action Against the Causes of Violence in their Communities
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This month, more than 40 young men and women gathered in Kaga Bandoro, Central African Republic to work on their youth-led local action plans. The…
From Vulnerability to Agency: Gendered Dynamics of Food Security, Conflict, and Resilience in Eastern DRC
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Eastern DRC continues to face protracted conflict, largescale displacement, and recurrent livelihood disruption, deepening food insecurity across the eastern provinces. According to the October 2025…
Climate Change, Resource Conflicts, and Rural Women's Empowerment in Nigeria Amid Democratic Erosion: A Feminist Political Economy Perspective
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The crises of climate change, resource conflicts, and the decline of democracy significantly impact the empowerment of rural women in Nigeria's agrarian areas. There is…
Toward Gender-responsive Forest Governance and Climate Actions in Myanmar: Insights from a Systematic Review
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This study presents the first systematic review of gender dynamics in forest and climate governance in Myanmar, aiming to synthesize existing knowledge, identify research gaps,…
Women-led Peacebuilding
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When President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. stood before the United Nations General Assembly in New York City last March 10, he carried with him a clear…
Brazil: Landless Women Mobilize for Agrarian Reform and Against Violence by Brazil
International
This year’s National Day of Landless Women’s Struggles began on March 8 and runs until next Thursday, the 12th, with mobilizations in all regions of…
Afghanistan: 8 March: UN Says Gender Inequality Has Worsened in Informal Settlements
International
According to UN-Habitat, rapid urban growth, displacement, and the return of migrants from neighboring countries have worsened gender inequality in informal settlements.
UN-Habitat program reported on…
Central African Republic: How Land Empowers Refugee Women and Builds Resilient Livelihoods in the Central African Republic
International
At dawn, the communal field slowly comes to life in the Korsi neighbourhood of Birao in Vakaga, Central African Republic. Women arrive in small groups,…
Conflicts and Trends to Watch in 2026
Report
Entering 2026, the global security landscape is defined by record-high levels of armed conflict, democratic backsliding, geopolitical fragmentation, and an accelerating climate crisis—dynamics unfolding alongside…
When the Smoke Clears: How Hybrid Warfare Exploits Gender Vulnerabilities in Climate Disasters
Spotlight
The hurricane passes. The wildfire is contained. The flood waters recede. Then the real fight begins.
We are beginning to understand how the vulnerabilities exposed in…
Mali: Combating Climate Change for Peace in Mali
International
Mali is one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change in the world. Between 1970 and 2020, the country experienced at least 40 major…
Climate Justice in Action: Activism and Adaptation in Eastern Africa
Library
Eastern Africa is one of the most climate vulnerable regions of the world, and this book is the first to highlight the direct action and…
Environmental Peacebuilding and the Gender–Climate–Security Nexus: Global Frameworks and Local Realities in an Increasingly Volatile World
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In an era defined by interconnected crises—climate change, violent conflicts, resurgence of nationalist-populist discourses, and deepening gender inequalities—furthering our understanding on how these convergent issues…
The Routledge International Handbook of Gender-Based Violence Research
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This essential handbook provides researchers, educators and policymakers with the tools and critical reflections needed to navigate the complexities of GBV research, from conceptualisation and…
Global: Building Gender-Responsive Climate Security: Inside CGIAR’s New Training Module Why Gender Matters in Climate Security?
International
Climate change impacts are not gender-neutral and vary across population groups. Women, children, minority groups, refugees, the elderly, and people with disabilities face differential vulnerabilities linked to…
Tackling the Complex Links between Climate Change, Conflict, and Health
Library
Climate and conflict seriously threaten human health. From 1995 to 2015, more than 10 million child deaths were attributed to conflict, while women of reproductive…
Afghanistan: UN Trust Fund Supports Women Livestock Farmers in Afghanistan’s Ghazni Province
International
The UN Afghanistan Trust Fund is helping women-headed households in Ghazni raise livestock, offering training and tools to support their livelihoods.
The UN Afghanistan Trust Fund…