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
Global Women, Peace and Security Initiative: Phase I Implementation Report - Chad, Mongolia and Ukraine
Report
Phase I Implementation Report (2024-2025) Chad, Mongolia and Ukraine
In 2024–2025, in partnership with the Government of France, UNDP established and implemented Phase I of the…
Somalia: Land Grabbing Crisis Deepens in Mogadishu as Women and Children Bear the Brunt
International
A new wave of forced evictions and illegal land grabbing is devastating communities across Mogadishu, displacing thousands of residents — many of them women and…
Kenya: Turkana’s Trailblazers: The Women Redefining Leadership on Oil-Rich Land
International
What you need to know: Two Turkana women, Veronica Natesiro and Jane Atabo, are breaking barriers by leading their community’s land governance in Lokichar.Through the Community…
Colombia: Victims of Colombian Conflict Given Land from Pablo Escobar’s ‘Cocaine Hippos’ Ranch
International
Victims of Colombia’s decades-long armed conflict have controversially been given swathes of land from drug baron Pablo Escobar’s ranch, famed for its ‘cocaine hippos’.
President Gustavo Petro…
Nigeria: Short Term Expert Consultant, GIZ PEACECORP II
Job
About Corus: Corus International is the parent of a family of world-class social impact organizations that collaborate in the world's most vulnerable communities to deliver the…
Cyprus Women Environmental Peacemakers
Event
It is our great honor to invite you to participate in a powerful new initiative taking place this September in Cyprus: the Cyprus Women Environmental…
How Grassroots Women-Led Networks are Strengthening Resilience and Reducing Climate-Conflict Risks: Experience from Latin America and the Caribbean
Spotlight
Across Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), women are uniquely positioned to address the dual crises of climate change and conflict. Their community networks, rooted…
Sudan: Women, Food Insecurity, and Famine Risk in Sudan, Gender Snapshot
Report
This fact sheet, developed by the Gender in Humanitarian Action (GiHA) Working Group Sudan, highlights key gendered trends from World Food Programme Quarter 1 2025…
Women’s Resistance to War, Injustice, and Environmental Crisis
Report
The root causes, manifestations and attempts to mitigate and adapt to the climate crisis all hold profound implications for gender equality and human security. Women,…
Women’s Leadership in Environmental Peacebuilding: Converging Nature, Climate, and Peace
Library
This article examines the role of female leadership in environmental peacebuilding, focusing on the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine. It explores how women have…
Integrating Gender Perspectives into Environmental Sustainability: Ecological Security and Post-Conflict Impacts in the Middle East
Library
Understanding the pressing need to incorporate gender views into environmental sustainability initiatives in Middle Eastern conflict-affected areas with a special focus on Iraq, Syria, and…
Energy Justice and Gender: Bridging Equity, Access, and Policy for Sustainable Development
Library
Clean energy transitions are not just about technology. They are also about people, equity, and justice. Women play a pivotal role in advancing sustainable energy…
Climate, Peace and Security in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo
Library
Local communities in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) face the combined challenge of climate change and violent conflict, which exacerbates vulnerabilities, poverty, displacement…
Peacebuilding Perspectives and Herder-Farmer Conflicts in Africa (chapter in "Herder-Farmer Conflicts in Africa")
Library
This chapter proposes a peacebuilding approach to the management of herder-farmer conflicts in Africa. Specifically, the chapter reflects on the contending perspectives on peacebuilding, notably…
Gender and Recovery Toolkit
Library
To address issues of gender inequalities, climate change, and political instability, the UNDP has developed the Gender and Recovery Toolkit, a practical resource to guide…
Solar Power and Environmental Peacebuilding in South-Central Somalia
Library
In Somalia, widespread energy poverty and a heavy reliance on conventional energy sources are deeply linked to ongoing conflict dynamics. Dependence on firewood and charcoal…
Myanmar: Myanmar Junta Begins Recruiting Women for Active Military Service
International
Myanmar’s ruling military junta has begun initial steps to draft women for active military service, residents said, showing the military’s desperation to replenish its ranks…
Pastoralism and Women’s Role in Food Security in the Ethiopian Somali Region
Briefs & Development
Pastoralism has a significant role in food security for ages particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where elevated levels of food insecurity persist. The main aim of…
Gender-Based Violence as a Barrier to Women Rights towards Socio-environmental Sustainability
Library
This study provides an exhaustive analysis of the intersection between gender-based violence and environmental sustainability, focusing on the Colombian experience, particularly within the context of…
Spotlighting Climate, Gender, and Peace at Zimbabwe's 2nd Climate Change and Development Conference
News
At the 2nd Climate Change and Development Conference in Zimbabwe, the CGIAR FOCUS Climate Security Team led two panels, one on climate, gender, and inclusivity and…
Call for Proposals: Climate Security Program to Support Women and Youth CSOs in Colombia
Announcement
The Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) has launched a call for proposals to support local women’s and youth civil society organizations in Colombia to…
Registration for: Gendering Human Security, Peacebuilding & Conflict Transformation Course
Announcement
An ideal training course for:
Practitioners who are interested in deepening their understanding of gender and violence prevention in post-conflict transitions,Practitioners interested in getting a deeper…
Addressing Maritime Environmental Crimes in the Coral Triangle: The Critical Role of Women and Gender Perspectives
Spotlight
A recent article from Saibai Island (in the Torres Strait of Queensland, Australia) tells the story of residents who fear that illegal fishing by Papua…
Women Building Peace
Library
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…
Somalia: Climate Change, Conflicts and Rising Cost Fuels Humanitarian Crisis
International
Millions of Somalis are on the brink of starvation as hunger across Somalia intensifies. The latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report warns that…
Bridging Paths: Youth, Gender, and Community in Sustainable Peacebuilding
Library
Sustainable peacebuilding requires a comprehensive and inclusive approach that addresses the root causes of conflict while fostering long-term stability and harmony within societies. Traditionally, peacebuilding…
South Sudan/ Gender Climate Peace Workshop
Multimedia
In South Sudan, the climate crisis worsens an already critical humanitarian and security situation. Extreme weather, locust infestations, and droughts jeopardize food security, livelihoods, and…
Sahel Region: Addressing Gender Inequality, State Fragility, and Climate Vulnerability in the Sahel Region
International
Our world is facing tremendous and unprecedented environmental challenges, including climate change, biodiversity extinction, food insecurity, and public health crises. In the global south, many…
Gender, Security, and Climate Change Nexus: Taking Violence Prevention Seriously in the Global South
Briefs & Development
According to prior studies, a significant proportion of individuals affected by conflict regularly demonstrate that women experience violence to a greater extent. As the Cold…
Conflict, Land Dispossession, and the Struggle for Gender Equality in Cameroon
Blog
This interview with Lotsmart Fonjong is part of series of interviews by WILPF to reflect on the original research produced by the Mobilising Men for Feminist Peace…