Originally published on the CGS blog on February 18, 2016.
As the international community attempts to revive negotiations for the ongoing conflict in Syria, it is important to notice who is invited to the peacemaking table. Too often women, despite their participation in the war-torn society, are sidelined in the post-conflict conversation.
The United Nations’ roadmap for a peace process in Syria is trying to overcome this pattern by “encouraging the meaningful participation of women in the UN-facilitated political process for Syria.” The creation of a Women’s Advisory Board is an attempt to include women through the scope of civil society. Any incorporation of women in peacemaking talks is a step in the right direction. However, the Women’s Advisory Board is not an official stakeholder in the negotiations, which drastically undervalues the contribution of women.
Syrian women have taken a large responsibility in community leadership positions since the beginning of the conflict. Their hands-on experience in communities across Syria speaks volumes to their dedication to creating a long-lasting peace. It is women who begin campaigns such as “I Am She” to end the siege of Zabadani, who volunteer at hospitals, become leaders in refugee camps, and re-open schools in areas where doing so was considered a nearly impossible task. Women often work on the ground to bring together different religious and ethnic groups, stand up to armed groups, and negotiate local ceasefires. Women are playing their part in holding Syrian society together through the conflict, and they deserve to have a strong voice in rebuilding their country once the violence is resolved.
If every foreign country who has staked a geopolitical interest in backing armed groups throughout the conflict has a seat at the negotiation table, then the women who endure the ongoing violence–while still promoting peace in their community–deserve a seat as well.
Currently the United Nations is calling for a temporary ceasefire in order to stop warfare long enough for the international community to reach Syrians with sufficient food and medicine. The rebuilding process in Syria starts at this point of temporary ceasefire; if women are not represented from the beginning, their advocacy and concerns will be forgotten down the line in processes of Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) and Security Sector Reform (SSR).
Women belong at the peacemaking table, for they “enlarge the scope of peace agreements to include a broader set of critical societal priorities and needs required for lasting and just peace.” Women in refugee camps throughout Syria become leaders and advocates for the needs of their communities, whether those needs are access to healthcare and education or a safe space to overcome any gender-based violence. This local perspective is what is missing at the United Nations peace talks.
Former Secretary-General Kofi Annan has promoted the importance of a woman’s role in rebuilding society, stating,
Women, who know the price of conflict so well, are also better equipped than men to prevent or resolve it. For generations, women have served as peace educators, both in their families and in their societies.”
Delegating the responsibility of rebuilding a fragile state primarily to men is doing a great disservice to any prospects of long-lasting security, for it will inevitably create a rule of law that excludes women’s concerns.
