Women Waging Peace

Living in the shadow of a violent conflict keeps security at the top of the national agenda, pushing aside equally important issues such as health, transportation, welfare, infrastructure and education. When the discussion is dominated by the security establishment, solutions for prevention, retaliation and even negotiation remain within the confines of military thought, and decision-making gets stuck in a rut. Creative thinking is not allowed in and discourse becomes automatic. Decisions are based on expert assessments that are all forged in the same breeding ground. Against this background, Women Waging Peace championed two goals: promoting a respectful agreement to end the conflict and increased participation of women in foreign and security policy-making in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1325.