3 . CONCLUSION
The lessons in this Sampler span regions from the Middle East to Latin America and cover initiatives from crisis response to peacekeeping in order to address the questions Why ? and How ? Operationalizing Women , Peace , and Security matters to the security sector .
�
�
�
�
�
�
�
�
�
Why is WPS relevant to the security sector ?
To prevent conflict . Women ’ s participation in early warning mechanisms can mitigate instability and prevent violence , such as when women designed messaging that influenced citizens to solve disputes with peace instead of violence during tense elections in Kenya .
To create sustainable peace . Peace agreements are more likely to last longer when women are meaningfully involved in their creation . Women ’ s participation in the Colombia-FARC peace process ensured that concerns of several different identity groups were taken into consideration .
To increase security . By consulting local women who have different perspectives than men due to different social roles , UN peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo ( DRC ) achieved better situational awareness and formed stronger protection of civilian strategies , likely reducing attacks against local villagers .
To meet the needs of entire communities . When a U . S . military communications group adjusted radio programming to account for health concerns of women listeners in Afghanistan , infant mortality was reduced in the region . Such inclusion has the potential to improve security .
How can WPS be operationalized across the spectrum of conflict ?
Encourage participation of women in decision-making . Consult with women and include women in decision-making , whether in peacekeeping missions , peace agreements , disarmament , demobilization , and reintegration processes , or humanitarian assistance / disaster relief .
Support women ’ s role in conflict prevention . Include women and various other identity groups in strategy development to prevent violent extremism and in early warning mechanisms to mitigate instability during election cycles , such as in Kenya .
Promote equal access to relief and recovery . Perform a rigorous and context-specific gender analysis with sex-and-age-disaggregated data of the affected population in order to target disaster assistance towards those most at risk . Include women leaders in humanitarian relief response and shelter design . Incorporate gender assessments into HA / DR doctrine , handbooks and guides .
Develop violence protection mechanisms . Provide pre-deployment conflict-related sexual violence ( CRSV ) training for security sector personnel . Improve the capacity of police to investigate allegations of sexual violence in a trauma-sensitive manner , as the Norwegian specialized police team deployed with MINUSTAH did with the Haitian National Police .
Institutionalize WPS in the security sector . Ensure each mission has a gender advisor to remind leadership to speak with both women and men in order to better understand the local security situation . Proactively seek to include women trainers and host nation women in counter weapons of mass destruction / security cooperation programs . Ensure there are women personnel / peacekeepers available to communicate with local women as was done in the DRC , as long as this does not put local women in danger .
Operationalizing Women , Peace , and Security is both relevant and achievable .
Table of Contents | Quick Look | Contact PKSOI Page 31 of 34