Comprehensive Overview of Peace Processes and the Role of Women and Girls
Peace processes involve a variety of formal and informal activities, with the participation of different actors such as international organizations, grassroots movements, and individuals. Formal peace processes include conflict prevention, peace-building, and disarmament, while informal activities encompass peace marches, dialogues, and social empowerment. The involvement of women and girls in both formal and informal peace processes is crucial for sustainable peace and gender equality.
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TABLE OF CONTENT Introduction Abstract Peace process Formal peace process Informal peace process Peace building conclusion
GROUP WORK GROUP MEMBERS : OLUFUNMILAYO OMOTAYO: 14/SMS11/020 ATTAH -OLOTTAH ATTAH JESSE: 15/SMS11/024 BABALOLA DAVID: 15/SMS1O/001 QUESTION PEACE PROCESS.
INTRODUCTION Peace process consist of a complex range of informal and formal activities. Informal activities include peace marches and protests, internal group dialogue, the promotion of inter-cultural tolerance and understanding and the empowerment of ordinary citizens in economic, social, cultural and political spheres. These activities are conducted by a range of actors, such as United Nations entities, international, regional, national and local organizations and grass- roots organisations, including peace groups, women s groups, religious organisations and individuals.
PEACE PROCESSES PEACE PROCESSES Peace process consist of a complex range of informal and formal activities. Informal activities include peace marches and protests, internal group dialogue, the promotion of inter-cultural tolerance and understanding and the empowerment of ordinary citizens in economic, social, cultural and political spheres. These activities are conducted by a range of actors, such as United Nations entities, international, regional, national and local organizations and grass-roots organisations, including peace groups, women s groups, religious organisations and individuals. Formal peace processes generally include early warning, preventive diplomacy, and conflict prevention, peace-making, peace-building and global disarmament. Activities include, inter Alta, conflict resolution, peace negotiations, reconciliation, reconstruction of infrastructure and the provision of humanitarian aid. These activities are conducted by political leaders, the military, international organisations such as United Nations, regional and sub-regional organisations such as African union [AU] formerly the organisation for African unity [OAU]. The organisation for security and cooperation in Europe [OSCE], the organisation of American states [OAS], the economic community of West African states [ECOWAS], as well as governmental, non- governmental and humanitarian organisations. The participation of women and girls and the inclusion of gender perspectives in both formal and informal peace processes are crucial in the establishment of sustainable peace. Women cannot voice their concern if they are not consulted by fact-finding missions or if they are not involved in peace negotiations. Political structures, economic institutions and security sectors negotiated in peace talks will not facilitate greater equality between women and men if gender dimensions are not considered in these decisions.
INVOLVEMENT OF WOMEN AND GIRLS IN INFORMAL PEACE PROCESSES At the global level woman have long been active in peace and disarmament issues, individually and in groups, women have lobbied for goal of disarmament. During the First World War, nearly 1,200 women from warring and neutral countries came together to protest against the conflict, and formed the women s international league of peace and freedom [WILPF], an organisation that continues to advocate internationally for disarmament and human rights. Since then, women around the world have continued to pursue the goal of disarmament, including the total elimination of weapons of mass destruction, strengthened control is over the production and sale of conventional arms, the control of missiles, the need to reduce military expenditures and arms exports. The interest of women and girls in becoming involved in peace processes often stems from their experiences of armed conflict, whether primarily as victims or as armed participants. However, even those women and girls who voluntarily serve as a combatants are normally excluded from the male dominated political groups that make decisions during conflict and in peace processes. Women and girls in conflict areas are aware of the potential for transformation and reform in periods of peace-making and often work intensively to be part of this process. It is important, however, not to generalize about women as not all women work for peace.
Involvement in peace processes can inspire or confirm in women an awareness of the political dimensions of conflicts and their own political position. Women have identified working for peace as a unique opportunity to become organized, an experience that has proved useful in other aspects of post-war construction. Women s peace movements often focus on the shared social experiences of women, thus producing greater solidarity across lines of division and making it harder to cast the enemy as an ethnic and dehumanized other, which is often a tactic of wartime propaganda. These opportunities have been successfully utilized in Burundi, Cyprus, the former Yugoslavia and Sri Lanka. Women have also been involved in regional and international peace efforts. The women s peacemaker programme of the international fellowship of reconciliation provides regional consultations that bring together women from different sides of conflicts for dialogue to deepen their understanding of conflict resolution and peace. The African women committee on peace and development, launched in 1999, and femmes Africa solidarite have focused on promoting conflict resolution in a number of African countries. The tactics in all cases remains the same; women- usually from both sides of a conflict- stand together in silent vigil as a way to proclaim to state and military leaders you are not doing this in my name . Another organization in Jerusalem link comprising women from Israel and Palestine working for peace. Its representatives addressed Security Council member in an Arrla formula meeting in 2002.
INVOLVEMENT OF WOMEN AND GIRLS IN FORMAL PEACE PROCESSES While there are many positive results of women work for peace in informal peace process, they are seldom included in formal peace processes, they are seldom included in formal peace processes. Women are usually not represented among decision makers and military leaders, the usual participants in these process. As well, formal peace process fall to take gender perspectives into account. Questions relating to differential impacts on women and men, the voices that are listened to, and the gathering of sex-disaggregated statistics are rarely part of these initiatives. Although the primary responsibility for conflict prevention rests with national governments, civil society also plays an important role. The role of the United Nations and the international community is to support national efforts for conflict prevention and assist in building national capacity in this field. Despite the importance of these processes, there has been little attention to women s participation and gender differences and inequalities in these process
Understanding the gender norms and customs of a society may prove useful in early warning. At the beginning of a conflict, there is often a marked increase in militarism. There may be corresponding increase in patriarchal values wit intensification of nationalism that identifies men as the protectors of the nation and women as the bearers of the culture of the nation. The suspension of or restriction on women s enjoyment of their human rights often accompanies an increase in nationalism. There may be restrictions on inter-ethnic marriages or increased pro natalism policies directed at women of one group. Indicators of impending conflict may include increased activity by women in food preparation. Farmers of both sexes, but especially women, may switch to planting short-cycle crops if a prolonged conflict is anticipated. Women also become involved in the production of weapons, especially traditional ones, for purposes of defence or attack. A detailed understanding of the society, the roles that women and men play, together with customs and norms associated with both male and female behaviour, is necessary to develop to comprehensive array of early-warning indicators of conflict for specific locales.
PEACE BUILDING Peace building is defined as a means of preventing the outbreak, reoccurrence or continuation of armed conflict and therefore encompasses a wide range of political, developmental, humanitarian and human rights mechanisms. A range of short term or long term actions can be adopted to meet the needs of societies falling into or emerging from conflict. To be successful, the process of peace building should be locally owned and focused on social transformation and reestablishment of trust through the participation of national authorities as well as the local population, including women. The process should be designed to meet the specific needs of the country or region, and address the immediate security and humanitarian needs as well as the root causes of actual and potential crises.
A peace process consists of all the meetings, agreements, and negotiations in which people such as politicians are involved when they are trying to arrange peace between countries or groups that are fighting with each other. Like the word "peace," the term "peace process" can be defined in many different ways. Former Track I and Track II diplomat Harold Saunders, defines peace processes as "a political process in which conflicts are resolved by peaceful means. They are a "mixture of politics, diplomacy, changing relationships, negotiation, mediation, and dialogue in both official and unofficial arenas. Peace process may refer to: in general: Peacemaking o Peacekeeping o Peace building o Conflict resolution o
Syrian peace process (2011present), various attempts to find a political solution for the Syrian Civil War o Yemeni peace process (2011 present), attempts to resolve the Yemeni Crisis (2011 present), resulted in replacement of the President, but no end to the violence o Northern Ireland peace process, efforts from c.1993 to end "the Troubles" o Western Sahara peace process, efforts since c.1991 to resolve the Western Sahara conflict o Bangsamoro peace process, attempts to find solution for the Moro conflict. o
