*This piece was originally published by Ms. Magazine on July 31, 2021. Find the original here.
By Michelle Onello
“From Nepal and Yemen to Northern Ireland or Israel, Palestine, we have seen the political and military elite, at war with each other, unable to agree to anything—yet they stand united when it comes to excluding women peacebuilders from the processes. I think it’s because they are afraid of the women. They are afraid of being held accountable.”
—Sanam Naraghi Anderlini, founder and CEO of the International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN) and director of the Centre for Women, Peace and Security at the London School of Economics
“When COVID happened, we were immediately, as a global community, talking about the gender dimensions of the COVID response. This discourse didn’t exist 21 years ago,” said Sanam Naraghi Anderlini (Wikimedia Commons)
Last year marked 20 years since the passage of the landmark Security Council Resolution 1325, which first acknowledged the disproportionate and unique impact of conflict on women and girls and initiated what has become known as the Women Peace and Security Agenda. With conflict continuing to rage in many countries throughout the world, the issue of women affected by conflict retains its resonance and relevance.
Yet, women are not just victims in conflict situations. While they are often targeted by state and armed actors for sexual violence, they also serve crucial roles as peacebuilders.
The She Builds Peace Frameworks for Action provide analyses of who women peacebuilders are, what they do, and why their meaningful participation in peace and security processes is imperative to create lasting peace. The three frameworks—covering participation, protection and funding—outline the threats women peacebuilders face, why increased funding for women peacebuilders is necessary, and concrete recommendations to improve the safety, sustainability, and success of women peacebuilders and their work.
Sanam Naraghi Anderlini, founder and CEO of the International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN) and director of the Centre for Women, Peace and Security at the London School of Economics, is a globally recognized advocate in the field of women, peace and security and spearheaded the development of these frameworks. She joined Ms. contributor Michelle Onello for a frank and far-reaching interview to discuss what has been accomplished by the Women Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda thus far and what more needs to be done.