Young Women in Peacebuilding: The Importance of Representation

Jul 2, 2021 | YouthLead
Online
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Women’s participation in peacebuilding is crucial in the development of three pillars of lasting peace: economic recovery, social cohesion, and political legitimacy. Evidence indicates that women participants in peace processes are usually focused less on post-conflict balances of power and more on reconciliation processes, economic development, education, and transitional justice, which are all critical elements of sustainable peace.

However, women are often excluded from formal peace processes. Between 1992 and 2019, women constituted, on average, thirteen percent of negotiators, six percent of mediators, and six percent of signatories in major peace processes around the world. While there has been some progress in women’s participation, about seven out of every 10 peace processes do not include women mediators or women signatories—the latter indicating that few women participated in leadership roles as negotiators, guarantors, or witnesses.

Join us on Friday, July 2, 2021 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time as YouthLead Ambassadors Maria Fernanda Montes Ribiero from Brazil and Anita Dywaba from South Africa come together in a conversation about the importance of female representation in the peacebuilding process and the challenges ahead in achieving gender equality. Both YouthLead Ambassadors will draw directly from their first-hand experiences working on these issues through youth-focused projects and share stories on how they have promoted gender equality and youth engagement in peacebuilding.

Who:  YouthLead 

Where: Online

When: 2 July 2021     Time: 10:00 AM ADT