International peacebuilding organisation, Conciliation Resources, launched its first Accord Insight publication, Women Building Peace, at the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) in Oslo, Norway on Monday 11 November.
The new report looks at how women have contributed to peace and reconciliation globally. It features first-hand accounts of women’s peacebuilding experiences spanning from 1998 to 2010, in nine countries as far apart as Papua New Guinea, Sierra Leone, Indonesia-Aceh and Northern Ireland.
The case studies included in the publication document a wealth of women’s peacebuilding practice, providing examples of what women peacebuilders can achieve, the challenges they face, the opportunities they create and how they can be effectively supported in their efforts.
“xcluding women from peacebuilding neglects a rich source of skills, insights and energy. The case studies illustrate how women have found innovative and creative ways to contribute to peace through both formal and informal processes,
comments Zahbia Yousuf, editor of Women Building Peace and Peacebuilding Editor and Analyst at Conciliation Resources.
The publication also provides expert analysis of developments and issues surrounding women and peacebuilding. This is alongside three overall insights for peacebuilding practitioners and policymakers, namely that: women's efforts can broaden the scope of peacebuilding; overcoming challenges to political participation is vital; and that understanding gender relations is key to building sustainable peace.
Much that the women in the Accord case studies accomplished would not have been achievable for men, in whom support for peace initiatives has often been viewed as either a weakness or a threat to those in power. Women can wield the ‘power of the powerless’,
state Judith Gardner and Judy El-Bushra, Accord Insight Special Advisors and gender, conflict and peacebuilding experts.
This introductory volume of Accord Insight is drawn from previous editions of the acclaimed Accord publication series, which informs and strengthens peace processes by documenting and analysing practical lessons and innovations of peacebuilding.
Women face great obstacles due to their exclusion from political processes, yet their great capacity to mobilise for peace creates invaluable opportunities to overcome conflict. Conciliation Resources is extremely grateful to The Norwegian Peacebuilding Resource Centre (NOREF) for their support to the production and dissemination of Women Building Peace,
says Teresa Dumasy, Head of Policy and Learning at Conciliation Resources.
Teresa Dumasy presented the report with Conciliation Resources’ Policy Analyst Sanne Tielemans. The presentation was followed by comments from Torunn L. Tryggestad, Project Manager of the Gender, Conflict and Peacebuilding project at PRIO.
Click for more information about Accord Insight: Women Building Peace
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Media contacts:
For interviews with Teresa Dumasy or Sanne Tielemans, high-resolution images and case studies please contact:
Media & Communications Officer, Conciliation Resources
Notes to editors:
Conciliation Resources is an independent organisation working with people in conflict to prevent violence and build peace. We believe in finding peaceful alternatives to war and violence. Conciliation Resources provides practical support to help people living in the midst of conflict prevent violence and build peace. We then apply what we learn to improve peacebuilding policies and practice worldwide. For more information please visit www.c-r.org
Conciliation Resources publishes the series Accord: an international review of peace initiatives. Accord informs and strengthens peace processes worldwide by documenting and analysing peacebuilding lessons. All Accord publications are available at www.c-r.org/accord
Founded in 1959, the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) is an independent research institution known for its effective synergy of basic and policy-relevant research. In addition to such research, PRIO conducts graduate training and is engaged in the promotion of peace through conflict resolution, dialogue and reconciliation, public information and policymaking activities. The Institute’s working language is English. For more information please visit http://www.prio.no/