The Role of Women’s Organizations in the Peace Architecture: A Missing Piece?

Despite the existence of normative and policy mechanisms to enhance women’s participation in peace processes, such mechanisms, both at the international and state levels, have yet to produce meaningful participation of women or acknowledge gender equality as a key aspect for achieving sustainable peace. In pursuit of these goals, states have often overlooked the role of women-led grassroots organizations, restricting them to the role of mere operational partners. This policy brief sheds lights on the contribution of women’s organizations at the grassroots level in formulating innovative peacebuilding strategies that also address the root causes of conflicts. The Group of 7 (G7) in Germany recognized the need for creating a financing mechanism to develop the G7 process of peace finance; such financial commitments must be accompanied by specific plans to support women-led grassroots organizations and movements. To do so, we recommend the G7 to (i) foster the effective implementation of existing normative and legal frameworks to promote women’s participation in peace processes and provide adequate funding, (ii) advance women’s roles within peace negotiations and include the practice of consultations with local women’s organizations at different stages of the peace negotiations, and (iii) incorporate core support to women-led grassroots organizations in the international cooperation and development agenda.