Salon
Women in Conflict and Peace Building
Why Protection and Participation are Key
Salon: Women in Conflict and Peace Building
June 18, 2021
online / via Zoom
Between 1992 and 2018, women made up only 13% of negotiators, 3% of mediators and 4% of signatories in major peace processes. In 2000, the United Nations Security Council recognised the gendered impact of war with Resolution 1325. The Women, Peace and Security Agenda is considered a milestone in the pursuit of gender equality and inclusion in conflict and peacekeeping. However, progress and implementation have been slow, hampered by continued militarisation, a general climate of repression of women’s human rights and a lack of accountability.
Action Recommendations
Quotas as Door Openers
Ilwad Elman called on the international community to "introduce and support quotas for the direct and equitable participation of women in all phases of formal peace and political transformation processes". In many cases, quotas open doors for women. Making them a condition of UN financial commitments to governments could be a viable approach, Ilwad Elman and Ambassador Heusgen agreed.
Parallel Investment
Dr. Christoph Heusgen made it clear that the UN can set principles and standards and draw attention to a problem. These should then be implemented on the ground in the conflict in question. The sovereignty of nations and elected governments often stands in the way. Both speakers agreed that parallel investment in institutions and systems, as well as in civil society, popular movements and civic education, is important to enable people to hold their government to account during its term of office and to advance the democratic process.
To mark the International Day to End Sexual Violence in Conflict, we highlighted the remarkable work of women for peace and security. Together with our two panellists, we discussed what action the international community needs to take to end gender-based violence and improve women’s participation in peace processes. Supporting women- and youth-led initiatives such as the African Women Leaders Network, the Elman Peace Centre and the Principles for Peace Initiative is crucial to harnessing local expertise and bridging the gap between global resolutions and indigenous, traditional and local best practices for inclusion.
Contact Persons
Gregor Darmer, g.darmer@globalperspectives.org
Supported by
Salon
Continuous dialogue creates awareness for the urgent questions of our time. In salons, renowned experts open the discussion with our selected guests from business, politics and society.
Related Program
Women are often affected by violence and exploitation in conflict situations and suffer particularly from the destruction of social structures and livelihoods.
The Commission “A Changing World – Germany and the Global South” presents its recommendations as a basis for addressing key strategic decisions facing Germany today.
The Commission "A Changing World - Germany and the Global South", chaired by Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, presents its first actions recommendations ahead of the German federal elections in 2025.
Together with David Miliband, CEO & President of IRC, and selected stakeholders from politics, business, academia, we discussed Germany's responsibilities in an international system in crisis.
Together with the Agency for Business and Development, we shed light on what obstacles women face when starting their own business.
In the historical context, migration is the norm that should be managed proactively. We discussed driving factors as well as facts vs. misperceptions.
We discuss family planning, sexual and reproductive health (SRH) with Ulle Schauws and Dr. Eliya Zulu. SRH is the focus of feminist foreign policy.
More than 1.3 billion women around the world lack access to financial products and services. In our online salon, we discussed financial inclusion.
Program Archive
How can Germany build strong, sustainable relationships with countries in the Global South that benefit both sides? At HSC 2025, we continued the dialogue on the Commission's recommendations.
At the eighth edition of The Africa Roundtable, we discussed how to rethink and strengthen sustainable finance in Africa through strategic partnerships with Europe.
The Commission “A Changing World – Germany and the Global South” presents its recommendations as a basis for addressing key strategic decisions facing Germany today.
How can Germany's international cooperation become more sustainable? After a year of intensive work, the Commission presented its final report recommendations for discussion.
DPI can help bring large populations online, driving economic growth. We highlighted the range of benefits of this new concept at our follow-up to the seventh edition of The Africa Roundtable.
The Commission "A Changing World - Germany and the Global South", chaired by Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, presents its first actions recommendations ahead of the German federal elections in 2025.
With data emerging as the key driver of future economic power, Africa's digital transformation is critical and urgent. The action recommendations of the seventh conference.
The seventh edition of the Africa Roundtable focused on the importance of digital infrastructure and data sovereignty for the digital revolution on the African continent.
Our discussion at Raw Materials Congress focused on fostering smart and sustainable European-African partnerships in raw materials to meet demand, boost African growth, and support energy transitions.