WUNRN
GENDER & MEDIATION: WOMEN AT THE
PEACE TABLE - ASIA-PACIFIC
Why bring senior-level women active in peacemaking together in the
Asia-Pacific region?
Despite repeated calls and increasing commitment from governments for improved representation, the presence of women in informal peace processes as mediators, advisers, or members of conflict parties is still strikingly low. The inclusion of gender considerations in decision-making to end conflicts also remains limited. Within Asia, in particular, this is perplexing given the high degree of acceptance of women in political positions. The HD Centre believes that through greater representation of women in peace processes, consideration of gender-related issues will improve and peace can be more sustainable.
What is the HD Centre doing to address this?
Since 2005, the HD Centre has been exploring ways to improve women's representation in peace processes and, in particular, enhance the role of senior-level women. Activities have included meetings and opinion pieces, as well as advice and support to conflict parties and mediators on gender issues. The HD Centre has also formulated policy guidance around this issue.
In 2009, the HD Centre launched a new project, 'Women at the Table', which brings together women mediators, negotiators and advisers in Africa and the Asia-Pacific region to identify and implement strategies for improving women's participation in peace processes. The first activities took place in November 2009 in Africa. A similar process began in early 2010 in the Asia-Pacific region with a specific country focus on Indonesia as well as the wider region.
Key activities of the Asia-Pacific component
Regional roundtable meeting
The HD Centre held a three-day roundtable meeting in Nepal, on 27-30 September 2010. The meeting was co-organised, with the India-based Women in Security, Conflict Management and Peace (WISCOMP) and the Alliance for Social Dialogue in Nepal (ASD). It brought together approximately 40 senior women including mediators, advisers to peace processes, members of negotiating teams and government representatives from across Asia and the Pacific. The roundtable was a forum for open exchange of experiences as well as practical and creative discussions (see agenda). It builds on the HD Centre's experience in convening other senior-level roundtables for mediators such as the Oslo forum retreats and similar Women at the Table events in Africa and Indonesia. The HD Centre produced a short video clip that explores some of the challenges women face in this area, their personal achievements and experiences in their own words.
Indonesian Peace Table meeting
In Indonesia, women have played various roles in managing conflict at the community level, yet their involvement at the political level remains minimal. Working in partnership with the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) and the State Ministry for Women Empowerment and Child Protection, the HD Centre is documenting the experience of Indonesian women in conflict resolution and developing strategies to promote their role at a more senior level.
A roundtable was organised in Jakarta on 24-26 March 2010. It brought together 30 people from both government and non-governmental sectors, to discuss ways to enhance, and better co-ordinate, efforts to promote women's involvement in conflict resolution. This first roundtable was closely followed by additional meetings with government officials and stakeholders, as well as a workshop in Aceh on policy suggestions. Drawing on these meetings and their outcomes, the HD Centre and LIPI have produced a report, Women at the Indonesian peace table: Enhancing the contributions of women to conflict resolution, also available in Bahasa.
Publication
In April 2011, the HD Centre released the publication, Peacemaking in Asia and the Pacific: Women's participation, perspectives, and priorities. The publication is a collection of articles from women across the region. It explores issues of women's rights, gender, inclusivity and peacemaking in the Asia-Pacific region, and offers practical recommendations on those issues for those involved in peace processes. The publication also provides a set of annexes with a list of suggested resources; explanation of key international standards related to women's rights; and a set of ‘pointers' for mediation teams on issues they should be focusing on.
Opinion pieces
The HD Centre has commissioned five opinion pieces from leading practitioners, scholars and analysts in the fields of mediation, peacemaking, gender, and international security. These opinion pieces are being published separately and their content will feed into the collection of articles on women and peacemaking in the Asia-Pacific region.
The first in the series, A mediator's perspective: Women and the Nepali peace process, has been written by Ambassador Günther Baechler, the former Swiss Special Adviser for Peace Building in Nepal (2005-2007). He looks closely at the challenges which Nepalese women faced in being represented at the negotiating table and how mediators can support the inclusion of women in peace talks, as well as gender content in peace agreements.
The second opinion piece in the series, The importance of autonomy: Women and the Sri Lankan Peace Negotiations, takes a close look at the creation of a Sub Committee for Gender Issues (SGI) within the framework of the 2002-2003 peace process between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). This Committee represented the first attempt by the two sides to advance the involvement of women in formal peacemaking. This second opinion piece was written by Kumudini Samuel, Director of the Sri Lanka-based Women and Media Collective.
The third opinion piece, Nepali Women seize the new political dawn: Resisting marginalisation after ten years of war, analyses how the Nepali peace process has opened the door to a new era for women, and unprecedented progress in the fight for their rights and political representation. It has been written by Rita Manchanda, Research Director at the South Asia Forum for Human Rights (SAFHR).
The fourth opinion piece, UN Security Council 1325 and Peace Negotiations and Agreements, is an abridged version of a lengthier piece published in October 2010 by Dr Catherine O'Rourke and Prof. Christine Bell of the Transitional Justice Institute (Ulster University). The authors explore the impact of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (SCR 1325) on the peace agreements, through the exhaustive study of 585 peace agreements.