Working Paper: Ensuring the Effective Participation and Rights of Women in the Syrian Peace and Mediation Process

Race, Power and Peacebuilding aims to explore and to understand how racism manifests itself in the peacebuilding sector. This report has been produced by Peace Direct in collaboration with the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC), International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN) and United Network of Young Peacebuilders (UNOY).

This background paper for the High-Level Meeting on Financing for Peacebuilding was prepared by the International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN), Global Network of Women Peacebuilders (GNWP), Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC), Kvinna till Kvinna, MADRE, and Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF). The paper focuses on six structural barriers faced by diverse women peacebuilders in accessing funds to support their work. While acknowledging that existing solutions to mitigate challenges need to be further amplified and strengthened, this paper explores innovative avenues to transform the current system of peacebuilding financing to sustainably address the challenges faced by diverse women peacebuilders in the pursuit of inclusive and lasting peace.

Recognizing the value and need to channel equitable resources to local women’s peacebuilding organizations (WPBOs) have been constant stipulations of the value of the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda since its inception at the turn of the 21st century. From the United Nations to its 193 member states, the desire and intent to support such organizations has increased over the years. But the chasm between donors’ good intentions and their political, financial, and administrative constraints has hampered the flow of funds to the grassroots women who need them the most.

This policy brief highlights key challenges impeding progress on the global PVE and SDG 16 agendas, underscoring how they are two sides of the same coin.

"Challenging Conventional Wisdom, Transforming Current Practices: A Gendered Lens" Sanam Anderlini's contribution to the newly published "Transformative Approaches to Violent Extremism", Berghof Handbook Dialogue Series 13 on Preventing Violent Extremism

This brief examines and reflects on existing efforts to enable the participation of civil society voices, notably women, in Yemen’s formal negotiations. And it provides practical recommendations to the U.S. administration and Congress on steps needed to reach peace in Yemen.

A gendered content analysis of nine NAPs, analyzing whether and how specific themes and target groups were discussed, including education, media, civil society, gender/ women, and human rights.

Images of women’s mass participation surprised Western observers and revealed the vibrant force of Yemeni women as influential, yet previously unrecognized, change agents.

Respect the Dignity and Autonomy of Girls:  Stop Recruitment of Girls into Militant Groups 16 year-old YPJ fighter Barkhodan Kochar from Darbasi, Syria.“The war influenced me a lot. Before joining YPJ, whenever I asked my family about politics, they’d say ‘that’s not your business, you’re just a girl’. But when I saw how the women […]