Guide
A Women’s Guide to Security Sector Reform
Despite a range of international laws and policies mandating women’s participation in security sector reform (SSR), women’s experiences are often discounted or overlooked. Women in civil society can also find themselves outside of discussions about security because they are not sure how they can engage. To address this gap, The Institute for Inclusive Security and […]
Research
Attention to Gender Increases Security in Operations: Examples from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
Empirical evidence shows that security actors are more likely to accomplish their mission when they take into account the differing needs and perspectives of men and women. For example, in a variety of studies of stabilization and peacekeeping operations in Afghanistan, Cambodia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kosovo, Liberia, and Timor Leste, gender equality is […]
Research
Allies and Assets: Strengthening DDR and SSR Through Women’s Inclusion
This chapter in Monopoly of Force: The Nexus of DDR and SSR examines the challenges stemming from a lack of women’s inclusion in peace processes and post-conflict reconstruction. Explaining why and how women have traditionally been excluded from negotiations, disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR), and security sector reform (SSR), O’Neill and Vary highlight the main […]
Policy Brief
Joint Protection Teams: A Model for Enhancing Civilian Security
Joint Protection Teams (JPTs) are a promising model for advancing protection efforts by peacekeepers currently being used by the UN in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. By promoting contact between peacekeepers and the local community, bringing civilian expertise to inaccessible areas, and increasing the number of women involved in protection efforts, JPTs are an […]
Research
Negotiating the Transition to Democracy and Reforming the Security Sector: The Vital Contributions of South African Women
In October 2000, for the first time in its history, the UN Security Council acknowledged that women have a key role in promoting international stability by passing Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security. It called on all parties to ensure women’s participation in peace processes, from the prevention of conflict to negotiations and postwar […]
Research
Adding Value: Women’s Contributions to Reintegration and Reconstruction in El Salvador
Nearly 4,500 women, recognized as members of the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN), participated in El Salvador’s demobilization, disarmament, and reintegration (DDR) program following the 1992 ceasefire. Women contributed in a variety of ways to the program’s success. For example, women leaders from the FMLN ensured that women received the land they were granted […]
Research
From Combat to Community: Women and Girls of Sierra Leone
Women and girls fought on both sides of Sierra Leone’s civil war. Although large numbers of women said they were gang-pressed into performing support functions for armed groups, many also fought or received weapons training. Sierra Leone’s national disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) program frequently excluded women and girls. Many female ex-combatants, however, returned to […]
