Relationship between incorporating gender mainstreaming in conflict management process and peace sustainability

Abstract

At the international level norms and commitments have been developed to ensure that gender mainstreaming issues re included in conflict management processes and post conflict recovery. The first UN articulation linking gender equality to peace was the 1975 UN Conference on Women in Mexico City, and later the 1979 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) which defined discrimination against women and set up an agenda for national actions. The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in 1995 highlighted several gender specific impacts of armed conflict on women and girls. Paragraph 135 of the Platform reads, “while entire communities suffer the consequences of armed conflict and terrorism, women and girls are particularly affected because of their status in society and their sex”. The adoption of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on ‘Women, Peace and Security’ in October 2000 called for the incorporation of gender perspectives in all areas of conflict and peace management, a major concept shift that recognized women in international law as active agents in peace building and development rather than merely as victims of war. The research was purely qualitative. Desktop literature review was conducted. Critical analysis of the literature was conducted.