From Gender Provisions to Gender-Equal Peace

Peace agreements, achieved through peace negotiations remain one of the most common ways of ending conflict.

These documents - which often include provisions mandated various types of reform - have sometimes been viewed as "windows of opportunity" to transform the society and provide a foundation for a more peaceful future.

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As a result of the tireless advocacy of women and feminist peace activists around the world, more and more peace agreements include at least some provisions that speak about gender equality and recognize women's unique needs and unique contributions in the post-conflict period.

These provisions can also serve as "windows of opportunity" to re-build the society in a way that is more gender equal.

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However, these important provisions - and peace agreements more broadly - often remain on paper, with no real action to implement them.

Yet, while there have been some important efforts to document the implementation of peace agreements, we know very little about how the peace agreements become implemented, by whom, and why so often they fall short of fulfilling their potential.

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The research project "From Gender Provisions to Gender Equal Peace" sought to close this gap in our understanding by providing concrete evidence on:

• The mechanisms through which peace agreements become implemented;
   

• The wide range of actors involved in the implementation, their different roles and the different ways they interpret and understand what "implementation" and "success" mean; and
   

• The factors that might make it more or less likely for a peace agreement to be implemented.

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The research builds on over 10 years of my experience as a peacebuilding practitioner, working with women activists in more than 15 countries. It is rooted in a desire to amplify the experiences of women who work towards implementing peace agreements - especially in Colombia - and to provide concrete pathways towards better and more gender-equal implementation in the future.

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Enjoy exploring this website, and do not hesitate to reach out if you have questions!

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