WUNRN
WOMEN & NATURAL RESOURCES -
UNLOCKING THE PEACEBUILDING POTENTIAL
Direct Link to Full 74-Page 2013
Publication:
http://postconflict.unep.ch/publications/UNEP_UN-Women_PBSO_UNDP_gender_NRM_peacebuilding_report.pdf
Geneva/New York/Nairobi -Ensuring that women have better access to, and control of, natural resources such as land, water, forests and minerals can improve the chances of long-term peace and recovery in war-torn countries, according to a new report released by the United Nations today.Women in conflict-affected countries are often primarily responsible for meeting the water, food and energy needs of households and communities. Many women are also active in forestry and artisanal mining. Despite this, women remain largely excluded from owning land, benefiting from resource wealth or participating in decision-making about resource management in peacebuilding settings. This exclusion often extends to negotiations over the way that natural resources are allocated following a peace deal, with the result that women’s specific needs are rarely met during the peacebuilding process......
“At
a practical level, women form the majority of resource users and managers in
peacebuilding settings, but this responsibility seldom translates to the
political or economic levels. This has to change,” said Achim Steiner UN
Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director. “Peace and development can
only be achieved when both men and women access and benefit from natural
resources in an equitable and sustainable way.”
Women
are also insufficiently targeted in post-conflict recovery programmes that aim
to support natural resource-based livelihoods and small businesses, such as
agriculture. In Aceh, funding for economic recovery in the first five years
following the conflict was primarily focused on the promotion of traditionally
male-dominated commercial crops such as rice, palm oil and coffee, rather than
the food crops grown by women. As a result, women were largely excluded from
receiving any benefits.
“Women bear the brunt of conflicts in many ways. They often have to become the
sole caretakers of their families and communities and are agents of peace and
recovery,” said Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka Under-Secretary-General and UN Women
Executive Director. “Sustainable natural resource use is the cornerstone of
development. Women’s full participation, and access to natural resources, are
urgent priorities for rebuilding peaceful societies.”
The
report contends that failing to seize the opportunity presented by women’s
roles in natural resource management can perpetuate inequity and undermine
recovery from conflict, as women have untapped potential as engines of economic
revitalization.
The
report cites research by FAO that shows that giving women farmers the same
access to assets and finance as men could help increase yields on their farms
by 20 to 30 per cent. In conflict-affected countries, where women’s roles in
agriculture tend to expand, this could raise total agricultural output and
significantly strengthen recovery and food security.
“Natural
resources, such as mineral wealth, have the potential to provide significant
sustainable employment opportunities for women in conflict-affected settings,”
stated Jordan Ryan, Assistant Administrator and Director, Bureau for Crisis
Prevention and Recovery, UNDP. “However, in reality, women are frequently
unable to take advantage of such opportunities. Barriers that prevent women
from accessing the benefits of these resources, such as low-literacy rates,
marginalization and limited mobility need to be addressed.”
Women
in conflict-affected settings also routinely experience physical insecurity
when carrying out daily tasks linked to natural resources. In Darfur, for
example, women and girls have been subjected to rape, harassment and other
forms of violence when they have left refugee and IDP camps to collect such
essential resources as firewood and water. This risk has been exacerbated by
environmental degradation, which has forced women to travel longer distances –
three to six miles or more, three to five times a week – to find a single tree.
The
report urges governments and the international community to invest in the
political and economic engagement of women in natural resource management and
to end the entrenched discrimination that women face in accessing, owning and
using critical natural resources in sustainable and productive ways.
“Women
continue to be disenfranchised across the globe particularly in countries that
have endured violent conflict,” said Judy Cheng-Hopkins, Assistant
Secretary-General, United Nations Peacebuilding Support Office. “This research
shows that when women have a seat at the table and their concerns are taken
into account in the management of natural resources, the impacts on families,
communities and peace are positive and significant.”