Take action to support women in peacemaking
Women's participation in peacemaking leads to more successful and longer-lasting peace processes. Unfortunately, women only made up 13 percent of peace process negotiators from 1992-2019.
When women are excluded from peacemaking, women and girls are often at greater risk of gender-based violence, conflict-related sexual violence, intimate partner violence, and forced or early marriage.
That’s why Mercy Corps is urging the U.S. Congress to support the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda and fully integrate women into all peacebuilding policies — and we’re asking for 5,000 people to join us.
Send the letter below to your representatives asking them to advance gender equality in peacemaking, and create a safer world for us all.
Here is the letter we will send to Congress on your behalf:
Dear Member of Congress,
As your constituent, I am writing to urge you to support the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda and advance gender equality globally. WPS can advance peace and stability by addressing and mitigating gender dynamics that perpetuate and exacerbate conflict, including engaging with men, women, boys and girls in all aspects of conflict prevention, management, and resolution.
When women are meaningfully included in peacebuilding efforts, there are better results for everyone. Peace processes that include women are more successful and last longer. And yet, women comprised only 13 percent of peace process negotiators from 1992-2019. As a result of conflict, women and girls are often at greater risk of gender-based violence, conflict-related sexual violence, intimate partner violence, and forced or early marriage. Technology-facilitated gender-based violence also disproportionately harms women and girls, both online and offline.
Even for the countries that have developed WPS National Action Plans, there is a lack of funding, implementation, and community-level WPS efforts. Women play vital roles in both official peacebuilding platforms and behind the scenes in their households and communities. Women can have a unique influence within their families and communities, whether through promoting peace and reconciliation or encouraging violence. It is therefore essential to engage them in order to harness their influence and reach for peace. Engaging men and boys is also critical for changing social norms and attitudes related to gender inequity and violence.
The United States has committed to the WPS agenda through the Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2017 and the 2019 U.S. Women, Peace, and Security Strategy, but there is much more to be done. Gender equality must be fully integrated into all peacebuilding policies, especially the U.S. Strategy to Prevent Conflict and Promote Stability and the U.S. Strategy to Anticipate, Prevent and Respond to Atrocities.
Equality cannot be an afterthought. By advancing the global women, peace, and security agenda, we can build a safer world for us all.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,