Women are disproportionally affected during the aftermath of violent conflict, while pre-existing gender inequalities and discrimination are exacerbated. Women and girls are also active agents of peace and participants in armed conflict. Yet, their role as key players and change agents of peace and war has been largely unrecognized. Since 2000, the UN Security Council has adopted eight resolutions to highlight the linkage between women’s roles and experiences in conflict and peace and security and to advance UN goals and mandates regarding gender equality, non-discrimination and respect for human rights for all.

The United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on Women, Peace and Security recognized, for the first time, the disproportionate and unique impact of armed conflict on women and girls. It acknowledged the contributions women and girls make to conflict prevention, peacekeeping, conflict resolution and peacebuilding and highlighted the importance of their equal and full participation as active agents in peace and security.

Gender Responsive Peacekeeping

Gender Responsive Peacekeeping refers to the process of integrating gender and requires assessing the implications for women and men of any planned action, including in legislations, policies or programmes in all areas and at all levels. It is an approach for making the concerns and experiences of women and men an integral dimension of design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes in all political, economic and societal spheres so that women and men benefit equally, and inequality is not perpetuated. The goal is to achieve gender quality. Each component of a peacekeeping mission must integrate a gender perspective in all its functions and tasks from bottom-up to top-down.

Guiding principles: Inclusiveness, Non-discrimination, Gender Parity and Efficiency