UAE, Georgetown Institute Collaborate To Advance Women's Participation In Post-Conflict Reconstruction

The UAE and the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, GIWPS, have launched a new Research Report and a UN Action Plan to advance women’s participation in post-conflict reconstruction, following a year-long series of high-level panel discussions on the subject.

Key areas of the discussions were focused on included post-conflict governance, economic recovery and environmental sustainability, justice and the rule of law, as well as security sector reform.

Former US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton joined the event as the keynote speaker, underscoring the importance of accelerating efforts to secure women’s meaningful participation and advancing the Women, Peace and Security, WPS, agenda.

She said, "Around the world, we know that the period after conflict is a window of opportunity not only to determine whether or not violence will recur, but to address deep-seated inequalities, including gender inequality. It’s a crucial moment to ensure women’s participation at every stage of relief and recovery. For too long, the role of women in post-conflict reconstruction has been an understudied aspect of efforts to advance peace and security. With this report, that is finally beginning to change."

For her part, Lana Nusseibeh, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the UAE to the UN, stated, "I am extremely grateful that so many of us have come together today. We call on all of our fellow WPS Champions to endorse and sign on to this Action Plan, to put their commitment on paper. And I just ask again that we all jointly redouble our efforts in enhancing women’s inclusion in post-conflict settings by creating action plans that are achievable, implementable, and measurable so that we can create more peaceful and stable societies all over the world that people deserve."

In turn, Ambassador Melanne Verveer, Executive Director of GIWPS, stated, "Women and girls are not merely victims of armed conflict, but in fact active agents for change. This report provides a roadmap for UN operations and others to overcome barriers to women's participation in post-conflict reconstruction and build on successful strategies for more effective peacebuilding outcomes."

The Research Report highlights best practices, effective strategies, and entry points to ensure women’s meaningful participation as decision-makers, implementers, and beneficiaries of post-conflict reconstruction. It also draws on the conclusions and recommendations from the panel discussions with a multi-stakeholder base of expertise of policymakers, practitioners, and subject-matter experts.

The Action Plan offers related recommendations to the UN and Member States to accelerate efforts to help overcome existing and emerging barriers and to enhance successful strategies for more effective peacebuilding outcomes.

The UAE and GIWPS first launched the joint initiative on the margins of the High-Level Week on WPS in October 2019 in the lead-up to the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000), which established the WPS architecture, aimed at addressing the gaps in gender-sensitive approaches to post-conflict reconstruction that remain under-researched and under-implemented.

The UAE and GIWPS previously collaborated, along with UN-Women, between 2014-2015 on a panel series on the emerging issues in the WPS agenda and a joint publication which highlighted the outcomes of discussions.

The UAE is a steadfast partner in promoting the WPS agenda. In addition to supporting policy dialogues to foster collaboration and accelerate efforts to realise the WPS agenda, the UAE in partnership with UN-Women is running the Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Women, Peace and Security Initiative. Over 300 women cadets have graduated from the programme which aims to amplify the vital role women play in the security sector and the effectiveness of peacekeeping operations, and to equip civilian women with the skills needed to protect themselves and their communities in times of conflict.