Women, Peace, and Security Toolkit

Sustainable peace cannot be achieved without women’s involvement. Women have the right to participate in processes that have direct consequences on their lives. Women leaders, government and civil society actors should know these rights and be able to articulate them using established international and domestic legal principles. It is important to prepare women in conflict-­‐affected countries so that they can participate in peace and security discussions and help establish inclusive legal systems. It is also critical to engage and educate men on these issues to ensure that processes are inclusive.

United Nations Security Council Resolutions provide an international framework recognizing the important role of women in peace and security. However, practitioners widely recognize the need to closely connect this framework to legal instruments and the rule of law in order to make a real difference in the lives of women in conflict-­affected countries.

The toolkit provides practical guidance on integrating international principles on gender equality and women’s rights into post-conflict legal systems by:

• Clarifying and demystifying international legal principles and national obligations
• Identifying legal tools that can help operationalize principles of gender equality and women’s rights in post-conflict processes
• Providing guidance on how to ensure that equality principles are included in constitutions, national legal frameworks and justice systems
• Offering strategies how to work with local groups to further gender equality
• Sharing best practices and lessons learned from the Great Lakes region of Africa

You can download the toolkit here.

Supplemental case studies are available here.

Toolkit Acknowledgements

The toolkit was written and designed by Julie L. Arostegui in collaboration with Veronica Eragu Bichetero.

The project was funded by the United States Institute of Peace and supported by SIPRI North America and Women in International Security (WIIS).