Auf dem Weg zu einem feministischen Frieden: Wie die ECOWAS Frieden und Sicherheit in Westafrika neu gestalten kann

This research paper argues that the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) must move beyond superficial gender equality measures toward a substantive feminist approach to peace and security. It suggests that integrating intersectional analysis, collaborating with grassroots women-led organisations, and reforming the security sector to be accountable to all populations are essential to addressing the root causes of conflict in West Africa.

• There is a significant gap between the formal adoption of gender-justice frameworks by ECOWAS and their practical application. While the organisation has established various instruments—including the 1993 Revised Treaty (Article 63), the 2010 Dakar Declaration, the 2015 Supplementary Act on Equal Rights of Women and Men, and 2021 internal WPS guidelines—these have often resulted in a "superficial application of feminist principles" that fails to challenge the "patriarchal power structures" driving exclusion and conflict.
• To transform peace and security in West Africa, ECOWAS needs to adopt a feminist approach to peacebuilding. This framework prioritises the inclusive participation of marginalised groups and addresses root causes such as gender-based violence and inequality. Specifically, the paper suggests that the ECOWAS Conflict Prevention Framework (ECPF) should incorporate "intersectionality" to understand how sexism, racism, and poverty combine to create insecurity.
• ECOWAS should shift from elite-centred diplomacy to strategic partnerships with grassroots and women-led civil society organisations. The paper highlights the Mano River Women’s Peace Network (MARWOPNET), which was critical in peace negotiations in Liberia and Sierra Leone and brokered dialogue between the presidents of Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone in the early 2000s, but currently maintains an "ad-hoc" relationship with ECOWAS.
• The paper recommends that ECOWAS integrate feminist perspectives into Security Sector Reform (SSR) and climate security. For SSR, this means making the security sector accountable to the entire population to build trust with local communities. Regarding climate insecurity, the paper points to successful community-based resilience projects led by women in Niger and Burkina Faso as models for regional expansion.

APA

Haastrup, T. (2025). Auf dem Weg zu einem feministischen Frieden: Wie die ECOWAS Frieden und Sicherheit in Westafrika neu gestalten kann. Africa Policy Research Institute. https://afripoli.org/de/auf-dem-weg-zu-einem-feministischen-frieden-wie-die-ecowas-frieden-und-sicherheit-in-westafrika-neu-gestalten-kann-en

Chicago

Haastrup, Toni. Auf dem Weg zu einem feministischen Frieden: Wie die ECOWAS Frieden und Sicherheit in Westafrika neu gestalten kann. Africa Policy Research Institute, 2025. https://afripoli.org/de/auf-dem-weg-zu-einem-feministischen-frieden-wie-die-ecowas-frieden-und-sicherheit-in-westafrika-neu-gestalten-kann-en.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Haastrup |first1=Toni |title=Auf dem Weg zu einem feministischen Frieden: Wie die ECOWAS Frieden und Sicherheit in Westafrika neu gestalten kann |publisher=Africa Policy Research Institute |date=20 November 2025 |url=https://afripoli.org/de/auf-dem-weg-zu-einem-feministischen-frieden-wie-die-ecowas-frieden-und-sicherheit-in-westafrika-neu-gestalten-kann-en |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{haastrup2025auf, author = {Haastrup, Toni}, title = {{Auf dem Weg zu einem feministischen Frieden: Wie die ECOWAS Frieden und Sicherheit in Westafrika neu gestalten kann}}, institution = {Africa Policy Research Institute}, year = {2025}, month = nov, url = {https://afripoli.org/de/auf-dem-weg-zu-einem-feministischen-frieden-wie-die-ecowas-frieden-und-sicherheit-in-westafrika-neu-gestalten-kann-en}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }