No women, no peace. [5] has been working hard over the last eight months to raise the issue of women’s participation in peace talks and post-conflict governance with the UK Government. The campaign, run by Gender Actioin for Peace and Security [6] (GAPS), recently launched this excellent video featuring activists speaking out for women in conflict areas. It was shot on International Women's Day 2011 and tells how many of the issues faced by women in conflict have been ignored and how brave women all over the world are actively trying to make their voices heard.
Watch the video on YouTube [7] and share it with your friends to help women in conflict.
International Alert also input into GAPS’ newest publication, UNSCR 1325: The Participation Promise [8]. In support of this video, the twelve-page booklet provides a short and comprehensive overview of the issues and challenges surrounding women's participation in peace processes and post-conflict reconciliation. It outlines why women's participation in peace negotiations is important, why it has not been fulfilled, and provides helpful case studies and potential solutions to this problem. It is a useful and accessible guide for anyone interested in the fulfilment of the promise outlined in UNSCR 1325, that all barriers to women's equal participation in the peace process can be removed. Recommendations for government action on this issue are provided on the final page.
Alert is an active founder member of Gender Action for Peace and Security and hosted the network for over four years until May this year. We continue to work with GAPS to support UK and international advocacy and campaigning on women, peace and security, and we enthusiastically support the No women, no peace. [5] campaign.
You can't build peace by leaving half of the people out.