Reconstruction

Women, War, Peace and Reconstruction

 

"After the genocide, the widows decided to get together. There were 310 of us … At the first gathering it was mostly crying and some talking. We told each other what happened to us. Little by little we got accustomed to the situation – crying wasn’t the solution. We thought of activities to do. We thought about getting lodging and getting houses … A group of four or five would build for one, then go to another to build a shelter for her. If it was too difficult we would go to the local authorities and ask them to help build the house. In Rwanda women are not allowed to go on the roof. That is the man’s job. At first we’d go out at night to repair our houses, so no one would see us. But then someone found out and gave us pants to wear. Then we decided it did not matter if anyone laughed. We went out during the day." President and founder of the Duhozanye Association in Rwanda more...

Introduction

The reconstruction phase - the recovery and rebuilding period for a country devastated by violent conflict - requires not only the inclusion but the active involvement of women at all stages. Unfortunately, women rarely receive the necessary support or inclusion in leadership positions as efforts are made to establish a secure and functional state. The environment of a post-conflict society is extremely sensitive, with the most basic aspects of the country’s infrastructure ruined, often rendering access to food, water, and roads difficult if not impossible. Refugee and internally displaced populations comprised predominately of women return to their home countries.

Governments must be molded back together with the election and appointment of leaders willing to address the numerous needs of a crippled state and its peoples, including the concerns of women who form the backbone of post-conflict societies. Legal mechanisms such as international criminal tribunals, truth and reconciliation commissions, local court systems, and other community-based justice instruments address issues of accountability, impunity and violations of human rights. While peace agreements are beginning to contain gender terms that highlight the economic and security needs of women, gender provisions are rarely backed by sufficient resources and will.

Following processes of disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) of ex-combatants, peace and security must be maintained through the efforts of the police, international military observers and others. Crime lingers in post-conflict countries, often specifically targeting women in the forms of gender based violence and sexual violence. International and local agencies face the challenge of disarming and reintegrating both child soldiers and ex-combatants back into society, while paying specific attention to the needs of girls and women who fought as members of the warring factions. The educational needs of girls forced out of school during combat must be met, while civilians and ex-combatants alike require means to attain livelihood in order to support themselves and their families.

Many women seek work outside of the home in order to sustain their families as single parents. Widows often do not have rights to the land they cultivated for years with their husbands. Few if any income generating options force many women to engage in survival sex in order to feed their families. A large majority of the population in a post-conflict society requires immediate and long-term medical attention, in the areas of both physical and psychological health, with AIDS devastating lives during and after war. Women and girls often require medical care focused on the effects of rape, forced impregnation, enforced sterilization, and sexual slavery. In the midst of the challenging and delicate task of piecing together a broken country, women, who often make up more than half of the population, stand in the center of recuperation and development efforts as agents of change and as individuals with specific needs that must be addressed effectively and efficiently.

Key Terms

The Four Pillars of Reconstruction:

  • Security addresses all aspects of public safety, in particular establishment of a safe and secure environment and development of legitimate and stable security institutions. Security encompasses the provision of collective and individual security, and is the precondition for achieving successful outcomes in the other reconstruction pillars. In the most pressing sense, it concerns securing the lives of civilians from immediate and large-scale violence and the restoration of territorial integrity.
  • Justice and Reconciliation addresses the need for an impartial and accountable legal system and for dealing with past abuses; in particular, creation of effective law enforcement, an open judicial system, fair laws, humane corrections systems, and formal and informal mechanisms for resolving grievances arising from conflict. These tasks encompass the provision of mechanisms to redress grievances, exact appropriate penalties for previous acts, and build capacity to promulgate and enforce rule of law. Incorporating the concept of restorative justice, they include extraordinary and traditional efforts to reconcile ex-combatants, victims and perpetrators.
  • Social and Economic Well-Being addresses fundamental social and economic needs; in particular provision of emergency relief, restoration of essential services to the population, laying the foundation for a viable economy, and initiation of an inclusive, sustainable development program. Often accompanying the establishment of security, well-being entails protecting the population from starvation, disease and the elements. As the situation stabilizes, attention shifts from humanitarian relief to long-term social and economic development.
  • Governance and Participation addresses the need for legitimate, effective political and administrative institutions and participatory processes; in particular, establishing a representative constitutional structure, strengthening public sector management and administration, and ensuring active and open participation of civil society in the formulation of government and its policies. Governance involves setting rules and procedures for political decision-making, and delivering public services in an efficient and transparent manner. Participation encompasses the process for giving voice to the population through the development of civil society that includes the generation and exchange of ideas through advocacy groups, civil associations and the media. more...

International Organizations

  • The Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery of UNDP: more...
  • The World Bank: more...

UNIFEM Action & Analysis

UNIFEM is committed to promoting reconstruction processes once conflicts have ceased. UNIFEM has been involved in several reconstruction initiatives in countries including Albania , Burundi , The Democratic Republic of Congo, Guatemala , Indonesia, Tajikistan , and Timor-Leste.

Efforts include:

  • Empowering women to present a unified voice in the promotion of gender issues during peace processes;
  • Facilitating training workshops to enhance political skills aimed at assisting women in making informed decisions about running as electoral candidates, and strengthening women's leadership and capacities to bring a gender perspective into electoral, constitutional, legal and judicial reform processes;
  • Working in collaboration with governments and UNDP to promote women's active involvement in the disarmament process of the population;
  • Assisting governments and civil society institutions to provide development assistance to women in crisis and post-crisis situations;
  • Raising awareness at district and village levels on women's rights and the psychological impacts of conflict. more...
  • Developing the capacity of women’s groups to protect women from human rights violations in relief and recovery periods after a natural disaster, as well as helping women to revive and revitalize their livelihoods or explore new livelihood opportunities.
  • Development of the UNIFEM: Portal on Gender Responsive Budgeting

Tools & Checklists

UN Documents

Independent Experts' Assessment & Recommendations

 

The Independent Experts' Assessment on Women, War, Peace and Reconstruction and the accompanying recommendations can be accessed in this archive: Reconstruction Archive