These recommendations for leveraging women’s skills and expertise in seeking to moderate extremism were developed by Lebanese women experts convened by The Institute for Inclusive Security in January 2010.
Women are alarmingly underrepresented in negotiations. In 2009, the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) found in a review of 21 major peace processes held since 1992 that women were less than 8 percent of the delegates to talks and less than 3 percent of agreement signatories. This publication documents two of Inclusive Security’s consultative […]
As leaders in civil society, particularly during and following violent conflict, women are critical players in peace negotiations. In formal negotiations, they raise often-ignored political and social issues, ensure that the voices of victims and civilians are consistently heard, and build bridges among negotiating parties. They also have a solid record of successfully bringing together […]
Research suggests that connecting experienced national women leaders with potential female candidates at the grassroots successfully encourages women to run for office. This publication documents Inclusive Security’s efforts in Liberia and Rwanda to enable established female elected officials to nurture the next generation of leaders by sharing their experiences, priorities, and strategies with local women.
Women bring important skills, attributes, and perspectives to the governance process. Few times offer policymakers as good an opportunity to increase the number of women participating in government as those windows immediately after conflicts. Those women who have successfully entered government have tended to build governance systems that are more stable and transparent, and more […]
Although we face many challenges, there is no shortage of Sudanese women who want to be involved. With the appropriate support from the international community, we can reach our common goal of helping guarantee free and fair elections and over time, transforming Sudan into a secure, democratic nation.
Progress in meeting the Oslo priorities for women identified in the 2005 Oslo Donors Consortium has been slow. We would like to reaffirm the urgency and continued relevance of each of those priorities. We are particularly concerned about the persistence of extremely poor human development indicators in relation to women and girls’ literacy, maternal mortality, […]
Productive, strong legislatures are central to healthy democracies in post-conflict countries, fostering political pluralism and acting as a check on the executive branch. Yet too often, following a conflict, parliaments are weakened by internal divisiveness, the limited experience and skill of members, staffing shortages, and an overwhelming legislative agenda. Increasing women’s representation in government can […]
Widespread gender-based violence is common during and after armed conflict. Often, this pattern corresponds to a deficiency in the institutional mechanisms and rule of law meant to prevent and punish such crimes. Because women legislators frequently spearhead efforts to address gender-based violence, increasing their roles in government can be instrumental to combating the problem. Part […]
Devolving authority from central to local authorities can enhance government’s legitimacy and increase its accountability to citizens. Moreover, the process of decentralization can facilitate the democratic participation of groups that are frequently marginalized within formal governing structures. Women are one such group, and their policy priorities often include the issues that affect their families’ daily […]
