A Summary of European Parliament Resolution on
Participation of Women in Peaceful Conflict Resolution
prepared by Inclusive Security: Women Waging Peace

In November 2000, the European Parliament passed a resolution stressing the importance of community—and particularly women’s—involvement in peace building. The resolution calls for member states to guarantee the equal participation of women in conflict resolution at all levels. Key ways of ensuring women’s meaningful involvement in the reconciliation process are to recruit and train them for diplomatic positions and to require negotiation teams to regularly consult women’s community-based organizations. Because the reconciliation process presents a unique opportunity to address deeply rooted conflicts, the resolution suggests that member states promote the constitutional protection of women’s equality in peace accords.

Member states are also called upon to recognize and support grassroots involvement in peace building. Particularly, they should encourage all warring factions to include women and civil society representatives in their negotiation teams, as well as to foster public awareness in conflict zones regarding systematic gender abuse. The goal is to ensure that peace is deeply rooted and that citizens, especially women, are not victimized or marginalized during demobilization. To this end, all member states should emphasize the importance of gender sensitivity and awareness in peace and security missions.

The European Parliament acknowledges that women are generally excluded from peace negotiations, although they are the majority of refugees and war victims. Only with the participation of women can negotiations take into account the rights and interests of women and girls and achieve the legitimacy needed for sustainable peace. The European Parliament further recognizes that women and girls are often targets of sexual violence as a weapon of war, which can lead to stigmatization, sexual slavery, child prostitution, trafficking, and STDs.

The resolution calls for member states to protect war-affected populations, facilitate international efforts in conflict prevention and resolution, and support community-based participation in the peace process. It also encourages the use of non-military strategies in peacekeeping operations that protect female participants by international human rights standards rather than by cultural norms.

In condemning gender-based violence in conflict and calling for the protection of war-affected populations, the resolution insists that member states classify sexual violence as a grave breach of the Geneva Conventions and support the appointment of a UN Special Rapporteur on women in armed conflict situations. It further recommends that member states take specific steps to implement a gender-sensitive policy in all peace and security measures. These include providing gender training in field offices and the military and using a gender perspective when designing policies for refugee assistance.

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