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 […]
This article was originally published by Medill DC. Teams of female Marines are stepping off their bases in Afghanistan and entering villages to build relationships with an often overlooked sector of the Afghan population: women. Contrary to their image in the West, Afghan women can be powerful allies because of their central role in their […]
This article was originally published by Huffington Post. Although the importance of women in national security is impossible to quantify, anecdotes like Team Lioness suggest that perhaps women bring an additional perspective to a situation — one that sees the extra value in social networks and relationships, one that empathizes with the human need to […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
