Voices Against Violence Experience from an operational agency & policy implications CARE International October 2010
Afghanistan National – District – Local disconnects APARP, reintegration & the political settlement Protection/ participation
Nepal Success Stories? - 33% representation - momentum for peace - grassroots-national links Continuation of male-dominance at peace-making Party politics & other social/cultural dynamics undermining emancipatory & PBing agenda
Uganda National Action Plan on paper, but limited political will & resources to implement Womens Task Force on PRDP Perceived disconnects between womens concerns and political peacebuilding Need to progress beyond ad-hoc engagement of men & traditional leaders
CARE WPS Strategies x Setting
CARE Framework for understanding Womens Empowerment Agency: Her own aspirations & capabilities Structure: the environment that surrounds and conditions her choices Relations: the power relations through which she negotiates her path
CARE Strategic Peacebuilding Concept Strategic Peacebuilding: Is based on solid conflict analysis Has a clear vision of the peace it seeks to construct Seeks synergies with other peacebuilding interventions Has a clearly articulated theory of change Articulates the link between micro and macro, and seek impacts at the macro level
Emerging findings Which women? Be strategic in tackling obstacles Integrated and long-term programming Supporting agency, rather than funding per diem participation Protection ~ Participation: linkages & trade- offs Peace-making ~ Peacebuilding
Implications for UN indicators process Link Peacebuilding to Peacemaking in the pilots Regularise high-level advisory support groups UN Sec Gen & SC should bring womens' voices and issues into strategic political and security policy spaces at HQ and country levels DPKO/DPA gender advisor & NGO 1325 cluster? linkages: Recognise protection imperative & adequately resource UN capacity & gaps analysis
Implications for UK policy Aid policy – Country Assistance Plans ~ 1325 instruments – Realistic transitional funding for NGO / CSO programmes building from capacities built/sustained during conflict – Gender mainstreaming : beyond the tick-box – Linking practionners, policy-makers & contract managers Foreign policy – Practice what you preach in UK staffing – Transformative 1325 agenda vs real politik approach? Military operations – Wider civilian protection & human security – Respecting independence / safety concerns of CSOs