In recent decades, a growing body of research has shown that when women’s groups are able to meaningfully influence peace processes, the resulting agreements are stronger and more likely to last.In recent decades, a growing body of research has shown that when women’s groups are able to meaningfully influence peace processes, the resulting agreements are […]
Photo: Gregor Fischer/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images Download the Publication Traditional approaches to ending wars—where armed groups meet behind closed doors to hammer out a truce—are falling short in the face of 21st century conflicts. Belligerents increasingly target civilians, and global displacement from conflict, violence, and persecution has reached the highest level ever recorded. States that emerge from war […]
After her second son—a Sri Lankan military officer—went missing in action, Visaka Dharmadasa founded the Association of War Affected Women and Parents of Servicemen Missing in Action. As she puts it: “The war was at my doorstep.” In this video, she tells the story of how she and other women went to rebel territory for […]
Update: As of September 20, the cessation of hostilities agreement was broken, following an attack on a humanitarian aid convoy. Five and a half years into the Syrian civil war, the US and Russia have brokered the country’s second cessation of hostilities (CoH), temporarily stopping the bloodshed and allowing desperately needed humanitarian aid to enter […]
KEY FINDINGS The final text of Myanmar’s National Ceasefire Agreement included three important gender-related stipulations. A limited number of women participated formally in the ceasefire negotiations that culminated in October 2015. However, women played informal observer and support roles, which enabled them to share information with civil society about the process and content of the […]
This paper was submitted to the International Studies Association’s 57th Annual Convention. Traditional approaches to ending wars—where armed groups meet behind closed doors to hammer out a truce—are falling short in the face of 21st century conflicts. In 2014, the world experienced the highest battle-related death toll since the Cold War. Belligerents increasingly target civilians, and […]
We recently wrote about 470 brave Syrian women who risked their lives to publicly sign a statement demanding an end to the siege of their city, Zabadani. For the past few months, citizens of Zabadani have been relentlessly attacked with airstrikes and barrel bombs, unable to leave or to receive aid. New York Times columnist […]
No corner of Syria has been untouched by the violence that has consumed the country for the past four years. The city of Zabadani is no exception. Located close to the border with Lebanon, Zabadani is geographically strategic due to its position on the highway connecting Damascus and Beirut. Since July 2015, the Syrian army […]
This press photo from the recent draft ceasefire agreement in Myanmar is striking. It looks familiar: two men in suits, shaking hands. Yet standing right behind them is a less familiar sight: two women, watching over the historic deal they helped make possible. What a world we’d live in if more photos looked like this. […]
In late January 2014, 20 peacebuilders from Sudan and South Sudan (one man and 19 women), convened in Addis Ababa to discuss the ongoing conflicts in Sudan and South Sudan. These recommendations address gaps and/or deficiencies in the previously negotiated Cessation of Hostilities between South Sudan and opposition forces, the humanitarian response, and the peace […]
