SILENT STRENGTH

Unveiling the Transformative Power of Women in Global Peacebuilding

- By Shrey Shaurya Singh Bisht

Imagine sitting in a room with women whose voices have been silenced for too long. Their words carry the weight of generations, yet they are rarely heard in peace negotiations.

“We have always been there,” one woman says, eyes heavy with the burden of history, “in the shadows, in the homes, in the streets.” As these voices echo in the corridors of power, the narrative of peacebuilding remains incomplete. This article delves into the gendered nature of conflict, the marginalisation of women in peace processes, and their transformative roles in post-conflict societies.

The intersection of gender and peacebuilding has been widely discussed in feminist literature, emphasising that war and peace are gendered processes. Women’s experiences, reactions, and needs are very different from those of men, but national and international policymakers often ignore these differences (Rehn & Sirleaf, 2002). Adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on 31 October 2000 was a turning point with the endorsement of the participation of women in peace processes. It was seeking to address the disproportionate effect of armed conflict on women and girls and requiring their significant participation in peace and security decision-making. Nonetheless, there is still a lack of practical application, with women still being marginalised in formal decision-making positions in conflict resolution and reconstruction (UN Secretary-General Report, 2004). Despite international and national policies, women are underrepresented in peace processes. Between 1992 and 2019, they made up only 13% of negotiators, 6% of mediators, and 6% of signatories (UN Women, 2024). Gender equality provisions in peace agreements increased slightly from 14% in 1995 to 22% in 2019. In 2023, women continued to constitute less than 10% of negotiators and 13.5% of mediators, with Libyan and Yemeni conflicts leaving them out altogether.