Introduction to NCWC

INTRODUCTION: The National Council of Women of Canada (NCWC) is an accredited NGO (Non Government Organization) with the United Nations. The NCWC has a long history of working internationally. NCWC has been a member of the International Council of Women (ICW) since 1897, and has consultative status at the United Nations, Category II. Each year we send a delegation to the meetings of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in New York in March.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Women’s Role in Local Peace Building Key findings from Afghanistan and Liberia.

Sponsored by Womankind and Acctionaid

Play a number of roles in conflict, but little power after conflict. 

Women in local peacebuilding – research – what are women doing? What support? What barriers? Recommendations to be the result. Did a  review and phone interview. In country interviews, research in the community level – chose 2 communities. Carried out by IDS review.
Women peace builders in Nepal – Rosy Yee, Widows role in peacebuilding process. Nepal resulted in young widows. Many have been forcibly removed – no support from family members. Continuously coping on own. They organize them in groups, and as card carriers for peace. Every background come together. Wives of both forces – Due to mandatory requirement, gov’t has to place widows in peacebuilding group. Widows networks being organized – Widows has been addressed in Action Plan. But not so far in the indicators. Their roles not recognized nor well addressed. Receive very little funding. Age barrier has been removed (60 years of age). Peace Trust Fund, not using holistic approach. No truth reconciliation process. Still uniting in widows groups, and mobilizing.

Research still ongoing in Pakistan, Nepal. But is finished in Afghanistan. Focus on research for Liberia and Afghanistan.

Peace and peacebuilding means:
Many obstacles, links from local to national. What peace means is not just absence of conflict, but freedom of movement, happiness for family, education for children, happiness in the home. Young women talked about sexual violence and rape. Some calmness of psychological – not just physical. Men talk about physical movement, and security. Linking poverty with lack of peace. Where interventions – men talked about gender equality. 

Characteristics of women’s peacebuilding

Violence against women, counsellingservices etc. Normalization of culture. Raising awareness – reporting sexual violence. Women organizing them selves. Women built a house – for women to meet. What can we do so war doesn’t happen again. They talked to their children – if anyone comes talking about war, don’t partake. Didn’t see role as important, or call it peacebuilding.
Not all peace building projects have focus on gender. In both Afghanistan and Libeia, there were projects, but no rights training. Rights awareness, and leadership training essential to ongoing success. Even when women receiving training. Roles focused on mediation or child minding. Mediation is important but not recognized as important on community level. Women community police group. Rapes and violence going up but getting better with the women police force..
Local and national links  - Peace must be built from the bottom up – difficulty in achieving this. All felt what was being talked about at the national level had any relevance. In Afghanistan peacebuilding council – how do they link with community councils. Said there are regional councils – but the community councils had never heard of them.
Barriers – needing to look after children – time and resources. Lack of long time and sustainable efforts. Domination of men has a long time effect on women’s ability to participate. Threats of physical violence. 

Recommendations
Resources and support at community level.
Understanding peace and conflict by listening to what people say.
Address stressors for conflict and insecurity at the local level.
Safe spaces for women together and organize.
Invest in building links between national and community level.Links between local and national justice. Community mechanisms – often don’t see reporting sexual violence at the local level.
Women take a much more holistic approach –
Nepal has a national action plan – is something happening. In Afghanistan very difficult to do this kind of research. Women getting formal support?
Yes, organizations working on National Action plan, but not properly implemented.
In Afghanistan – no one spoke about 1325. Peacebuilders getting support, difficult to get to the rural areas. Still have to make the case why it is important to build the peace at the community level. Making the links between local and national levels very important. How we define peacebuilding. How do we define security? Not talking about women’s rights, because it’s not a security issue. 

US, wrote a National Action Plan. Women essential to peace – convince the population cannot have peace unless women involved.
Recommendations to Security Council – 3 weeks. SC resolution. We do have the International Criminal Court.
Peace building – give more time and energy to economic empowerment.
Safe space in Nepal  for economic empowerment of widows, and others affected by conflict.
Economic empowerment projects on their own won’t be enough with out leadership training. There isn’t literacy or rights training. Must be part of a holistic package. Challenge power in their community

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