Abstract

The last couple of decades have witnessed great changes in the nature of conflict globally. Consequently, the scope of peacekeeping and development operations have widened considerably. The mandates now cover a vast variety of responsibilities, such as promoting human security, supporting power-sharing arrangements and elections, strengthening the rule of law, monitoring respect of human rights and promoting economic and social development. It has become clear that women, men, boys and girls experience violence before, during and after conflicts differently and have different vulnerabilities, insecurities and coping mechanisms. Furthermore, conflicts have an impact on gender roles and relations as people often have to take up roles they might not do in peace times. The mandates of democratic sustainability and peace development have become more and more complex around the globe. There is increasing recognition that a gendered approach to the development of peace is essential to adequately respond to the needs of women, men, boys and girls who have been affected differently by conflict. The integration of gender into issues of peace development has taken two approaches: mainstreaming gender into the mandates, policies and practices of peace development and increasing the number of women working in peacekeeping operations. The United Nations Department of Peace Keeping Operations (UNDPKO) reports that as of 2008, only 2% of military personnel in UN peacekeeping were female. This paper aims to enhance understanding of the challenges that stand in the way of realizing the goals of achieving a gender balance in peace development, and peacekeeping operations, looking at recruitment of women, the impact of women peacekeepers, training and capacity-building activities in peacekeeping operations.

Key words: Gender, gender mainstreaming, gender-based violence (GBV) and peace development.