Gender and Mediation

The document argues that peace processes incorporating meaningful participation from women and grassroots initiatives are more likely to be durable. It highlights the systemic bias toward elite and armed group inclusion, which often sidelines marginalized groups. Through four case studies, it demonstrates varying levels of success: Colombia's use of testimonies and peace communities, Liberia's non-violent mass action and strategic use of gender stereotypes, Libya's reliance on Track III community-level mediation due to structural exclusion from formal talks, and the Philippines' high level of female leadership in formal panels and strategic links between diplomatic tracks. The briefing concludes that pre-existing strong women's movements, early involvement across all tracks, community-level legitimacy, and women in leadership positions are key factors for successful grassroots inclusion.

• Peace processes that include meaningful participation from women and grassroots peacebuilding initiatives are more likely to result in durable and sustainable peace.
• In Colombia, grassroots inclusion was facilitated by a long-standing women's movement and mechanisms such as informal summits, the submission of testimonies from affected individuals, and the creation of neutral 'peace communities' where groups like the Association of Organized Women of Eastern Antioquia (AMOR) negotiated directly with armed factions.
• Women in Liberia accessed the formal peace process by utilizing non-violent mass action, such as sit-ins and rallies, and by strategically manipulating gender stereotypes and norms—including threats of sex strikes and public undressing—to pressure conflict parties.
• In Libya, women have been systemically excluded from formal negotiations due to patriarchal culture and militarist agendas, resulting in peacebuilding efforts occurring almost exclusively at the community level (Track III), though some progress was made via the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum in 2020.
• The Mindanao peace process in the Philippines is an outlier for its high level of female leadership, with women making up 50% of the government's negotiating team and 25% of the signatories, and the first female chief negotiator to sign a major peace accord.
• Successful grassroots inclusion is generally supported by four factors: the existence of strong pre-existing women's movements, early involvement of women across all diplomatic tracks, the establishment of legitimacy through community support, and the presence of women in national and international leadership positions.

APA

Smith, C. S., & Tank, P. (2022). Gender and Mediation. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/802c71cb-26ac-4275-a7c0-d23e660b1a4a/Grassroots participation in Peace Processes80.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Smith, Carina Strøm, and Pinar Tank. Gender and Mediation. Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2022. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/802c71cb-26ac-4275-a7c0-d23e660b1a4a/Grassroots participation in Peace Processes80.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Smith |first1=Carina Strøm |last2=Tank |first2=Pinar |title=Gender and Mediation |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |date=27 February 2022 |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/802c71cb-26ac-4275-a7c0-d23e660b1a4a/Grassroots participation in Peace Processes80.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{smith2022gender, author = {Smith, Carina Strøm and Tank, Pinar}, title = {{Gender and Mediation}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2022}, month = feb, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/802c71cb-26ac-4275-a7c0-d23e660b1a4a/Grassroots participation in Peace Processes80.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }