A Country of their Own: Women's Organizations and Peacebuilding
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Essex
Department Name: Inst for Democracy & Conflict Resolution
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
Publications
Gizelis T
(2018)
Systematic Study of Gender, Conflict, and Peace
in Peace Economics, Peace Science and Public Policy
Gizelis T
(2019)
It Takes a Village: UN Peace Operations and Social Networks in Postconflict Environments
in Politics & Gender
Theodora-Ismene Gizelis (Author)
Where the women are : UNMIL and women's organizations
Theodora-Ismene Gizelis (Author)
(2012)
A country of their own : women's organizations and peacebuilding
Theodora-Ismene Gizelis (Author)
(2016)
Decoupling Local Ownership? The Lost Opportunities for Grassroots Women's Involvement in Liberian Peacebuilding
in Cooperation and Conflict
| Description | The peacebuilding literature often expresses scepticism over the ability of society, community actors, and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to contribute to peacebuilding. International Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) often tend to ignore the role of local CSOs and especially women organisations in peacebuilding. Yet, the research project has revealed and documented: o Significant variations in local capacity: Some of the oldest and most resilient women's organisations are present in regions where women traditionally have had higher status relative to the men as well as a history of forming loose social associations. o Significant variation in civil society: Areas where women's organisations form more dense networks also tend to have a more vibrant civil society, creating feedback effects and better prospects for peacebuilding projects. o Limited local-external interaction: UN and International NGOs are more active in areas where local society is more vibrant and organised, yet they do not fully engage with local actors, especially women's organisations. Interactions between UN bodies and women's organisations are quite limited in scope and time-frame, and are mostly characterised by local organisations developing dependency of funding by external donors. o Limited interaction between the UN missions and women's organisations leads to mistrust from both sides, weakening the effect of peacebuilding policies and negative implications to post-conflict reconstruction. The research also suggests: o Alternative criteria to assess women's organizations that are active in post-conflict environments. o Best practices that can be expanded and replicated in other contexts beyond Liberia. |
| Exploitation Route | The project might be of interest among practitioners and policymakers who work in peacebuilding, security and post-conflict reconstruction. The findings can contribute to 1. Changes in peacebuilding missions 2. Methods of assessing civil society organizations in post-conflict environments 3. Facilitating the role of women in development and peacebuilding 4. Gender mainstreaming policies |
| Sectors | Healthcare,Government, Democracy and Justice,Security and Diplomacy |
| URL | http://privatewww.essex.ac.uk/~tig/papers.html |
| Description | Representatives of the NGOs have indicated via emails that they interested in implementing some of the recommendations in their future engagements. The following excerpt will be an example of efforts to connect the underpinning research with the work of end users. "I hope this email finds you well. I was in Geneva last week for the meeting on gender and armed violence and was particularly interested by your paper on local NGOs in Liberia since we have a programme there working with youth at risk. I didn't manage to see you at the end of the conference to ask whether you could send me a copy of your paper? It would be great to be able to read the entire paper and I am sure that it would be very helpful in our future engagements with organisations around the world." |
| First Year Of Impact | 2013 |
| Sector | Government, Democracy and Justice,Security and Diplomacy |
| Impact Types | Societal |
| Description | Policy and Societal Outcome |
| Geographic Reach | South America |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Description | British Academy mid-career fellowship |
| Amount | £98,484 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | MD120057 |
| Organisation | The British Academy |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2012 |
| End | 07/2013 |
| Description | British Academy mid-career fellowship |
| Amount | £98,484 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | MD120057 |
| Organisation | The British Academy |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2012 |
| End | 07/2013 |
| Description | Gender and peacekeeping working group |
| Organisation | Folke Bernadotte Academy |
| Country | Sweden |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | I am a member of the Folke Bernadotte Academy Working Group on ?Gender and Peacekeeping?. The working group brings together academics and practitioners, e.g. the representatives of international NGO?s such as Women, Peace, and Security, Kvinna till Kvinna, and SIPRI US. As a member of the working group I presented parts of the research. I am also the co-editor of a special issue in the journal of International Interactions on the Systematic Understanding of Gender, Peace and Security: Implementing UNSCR 1325 that is due to get published in autumn 2013. |
| Collaborator Contribution | I have worked closely with the leader of the group in a series of publications built on the key findings of the research project. |
| Impact | Olsson, Louise and Gizelis, Theodora-Ismene (2014) 'Advancing Gender and Peacekeeping Research.' International Peacekeeping, 21 (4). pp. 520-528. ISSN 1353-3312 Gizelis, Theodora-Ismene and Krause, Jana (2015) 'Exploring gender mainstreaming in security and development.' In: Olsson, Louise and Gizelis, Theodora-Ismene, (eds.) Gender, Peace and Security Implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1325. Routledge Studies in Peace and Conflict Resolution . Routledge. ISBN 978-1-13-880002-1 Olsson, Louise and Gizelis, Theodora-Ismene (2015) Gender, Peace and Security Implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1325. Routledge Studies in Peace and Conflict Resolution . Routledge. ISBN 978-1-13-880002-1 Olsson, Louise and Gizelis, Theodora-Ismene (2015) 'Introduction: An introduction to Resolution 1325: measuring progress and impact.' In: Olsson, Louise and Gizelis, Theodora-Ismene, (eds.) Gender, Peace and Security Implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1325. Routledge Studies in Peace and Conflict Resolution . Routledge. ISBN 978-1-13-880002-1. |
| Start Year | 2011 |
| Description | The Gender Dimensions of Social Conflict, Armed Violence and Peacebuilding |
| Organisation | Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies |
| Country | Switzerland |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | I was invited to participate on a closed workshop on The Gender Dimensions of Social Conflict, Armed Violence and Peacebuilding at The Graduate Institute in Geneva, February 2013. The workshop included academics from Britain, Switzerland, Germany, Norway, Sweden, US, Italy, Indonesia, and Nigeria, as well as representatives of international non-governmental organizations, such as the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces, Small Arms Survey, and the Women's Initiative League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF). The purpose of the workshop was to comment and give feedback on a research proposal on The Gender Dimensions of Social Conflict, Armed Violence and Peacebuilding. Future collaborative projects on gender and armed violence were discussed and explored. |
| Start Year | 2013 |
| Description | A country of their own : women's organizations and peacebuilding |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This paper that presented the main findings of the research was given at the 8th Annual Households in Conflict Network (HiCN) Workshop in Aix-en-Provence, France, 3 - 4 December 2012. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
| Description | Gender, Peace and Security. Implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1325 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | This was a launch of the book: Olsson, Louise and Gizelis, Theodora-Ismene (2015) Gender, Peace and Security Implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1325. Routledge Studies in Peace and Conflict Resolution . Routledge. ISBN 978-1-13-880002-1. Two commentaries of the book included the Swedish Ambassador to the UN and an the representative of a developmental agency. Q & A session followed. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clmHHVS3DPw&feature=player_embedded |
| Description | International Peacekeepign Author Interviews |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The interviews were supported by the journal of International Peacekeeping. Three researchers answered common questions on peacekeeping missions. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | http://tandf.msgfocus.com/p/144MM# |
| Description | Peacekeeping Workshop 02-06-2016 at the British Academy Carlton House, London |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | A group of researchers from Essex presented the key research findings to a group of policymakers and practitioners. The policymakers indicated interest and requested further information and research papers linked to the research presented. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | https://tigizelis.wordpress.com/ |
| Description | Policy and Practice Series: 'Get ready: Syria will need peacekeepers': UCL Policy and Practice Series on 03-11-2016. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | An open debate on the challenges of peacekeeping. The event included panelists and a moderator. More than 200 people attended the event and had the opportunity to ask questions and debate the nature and efficacy of peacekeeping with local actors. It was reported by the organizer that the event was successful. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Research for Peace, Folke Bernadotte Academy June 2015 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | More than 200 policymakers and practitioner were present attending the Research for Peace, Folke Bernadotte Academy, Sweden event in June 2015. As part of the event we had the opportunity to present the book Olsson, Louise and Gizelis, Theodora-Ismene (2015) Gender, Peace and Security Implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1325. Routledge Studies in Peace and Conflict Resolution . Routledge. ISBN 978-1-13-880002-1. The event included a TED talk on the three book themes and a Q & A session, most of the participants showed interest in the approach and the studies included in the book. Some of the books have been cited in the UN Global Study on UNSCR 1325 (2015). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| URL | https://tigizelis.wordpress.com/2015/09/22/research-for-peace-folke-bernadotte-academy-june-2015/ |
| Description | Video Interview for the Journal of International Peacekeeping |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This is a video interview together with two other experts summarises key research findings on UN Peacekeeping missions' effectiveness and pitfalls. The video is available in the website of the journal of International Peacekeeping. The videos are also available in youtube channels as part of the Taylor & Francis International Peacekeeping Author Interviews. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | http://tandf.msgfocus.com/p/144MM# |