International Organizations

Women participants in Conflict

The Gendered Experiences of Local Volunteers in Conflicts and Emergencies

Citation:

Cadesky, Jessica, Matt Baillie Smith, and Nisha Thomas. 2019. "The Gendered Experiences of Local Volunteers in Conflicts and Emergencies." Gender & Development, 27 (2): 371-88.

Authors: Jessica Cadesky, Matt Baillie Smith, Nisha Thomas

Abstract:

ENGLISH ABSTRACT:
This article explores the gendered experiences of local volunteers operating in conflicts and emergencies. Despite decades of progress to integrate gender issues into development and humanitarian research, policy, and practice, the gendered dynamics of volunteering are still little understood. To redress this, this article draws on data collected as part of the Volunteers in Conflicts and Emergencies (ViCE) Initiative, a collaboration between the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement led by the Swedish Red Cross, and the Centre for International Development at Northumbria University. Contributing original empirical findings on the intersection of gender, volunteering, and emergencies, this article offers new ways of thinking about how gender equality and women’s empowerment can be advanced in humanitarian crises, as seen through the experiences of local volunteers.
FRENCH ABSTRACT:
Cet article se penche sur les expériences sexospécifiques des volontaires locaux qui travaillent dans les situations de conflit et d’urgence. En dépit de dizaines d’années de progrès afin d’intégrer les questions de genre dans les recherches, les politiques et les pratiques des domaines du développement et des interventions humanitaires, la dynamique sexospécifique du volontariat est encore mal comprise. Pour remédier à cela, cet article se base sur des données recueillies dans le cadre de l’initiative Volunteers in Conflicts and Emergencies (ViCE), une collaboration entre le Mouvement du Croissant-Rouge et de la Croix-Rouge menée par la Croix-Rouge suédoise et le Centre for International Development de l’université de Northumbria. Cet article propose des constats empiriques originaux sur l’intersection du genre, du volontariat et des situations d’urgence, ainsi que de nouvelles manières d’appréhender la manière dont l’égalité entre les sexes et l’autonomisation des femmes peuvent être favorisées dans les situations de crise humanitaire, sous l’angle des expériences des volontaires locaux.
SPANISH ABSTRACT:
El presente artículo analiza las experiencias de género de voluntarios locales que prestan sus servicios en conflictos y emergencias. A pesar de las décadas de progreso en el sentido de integrar las cuestiones de género en la investigación humanitaria y de desarrollo, aún son poco comprendidas las políticas, la práctica y las dinámicas de género en los entornos del voluntariado. Para subsanar esta laguna, el artículo examina datos recopilados como parte de la Iniciativa Voluntarios en Conflictos y Emergencias (ViCE), una colaboración entre el Movimiento de la Cruz Roja y la Media Luna Roja liderada por la Cruz Roja Sueca y el Centro para el Desarrollo Internacional de la Universidad de Northumbria. Partiendo de los hallazgos empíricos originales sobre la intersección de género, voluntariado y emergencias aportados por ViCE, así como de las vivencias de voluntarios locales, el artículo da cuenta de nuevas formas de pensar cómo pueden avanzar la igualdad de género y el empoderamiento de las mujeres durante las crisis humanitarias.

Keywords: local volunteering, gender, humanitarian assistance, conflicts and emergencies

Topics: Conflict, Gender, Women, Gendered Power Relations, Gender Equality/Inequality, Humanitarian Assistance, International Organizations

Year: 2019

Gender, Climate Change and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

Citation:

Maguire, Rowena. 2019. "Gender, Climate Change and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change." In Research Handbook on Feminist Engagement with International Law, edited by Susan Harris Rimmer and Kate Ogg, 63-80. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing.

Author: Rowena Maguire

Abstract:

This chapter explores gender representation within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and seeks to examine why greater focus has not been placed on gender within the modalities of the regime. It argues that there are three main reasons which have diverted attention away from the development of: gender targets, gender reporting and the development of gender tools for use at the national level. First, the conceptualisation of vulnerability within the regime has traditionally been based upon North/South classifications, meaning that the regime has focused on the vulnerability of nations as compared with assessing vulnerability of certain groups (including but not limited to women) to climate change. Secondly, the climate change regime has prioritised scientific knowledge over other types of knowledge, including knowledge of the lived experience of climate change. And thirdly, parties to the regime have been preoccupied with getting all major emitters to accept mitigation commitments, which has resulted in feminist issues, along with other stakeholders’ interests, being sidelined in the global interests of solving climate change.

Topics: Environment, Climate Change, Feminisms, Gender, International Organizations

Year: 2019

Feminist Geographies of Climate Change: Negotiating Gender at Climate Talks

Citation:

Gay-Antaki, Miriam. 2020. "Feminist Geographies of Climate Change: Negotiating Gender at Climate Talks." Geoforum 115: 1-10.

Author: Miriam Gay-Antaki

Abstract:

Climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our time and will have differential impacts across different geographies and social strata. The Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is the most important international meeting surrounding climate change. The 2015 Paris climate talks reflected the global preoccupation around climate change, in that it was the first time 150 Heads of State ever gathered to discuss an issue. For geographers, the COPs are important sites to study because decisions around our environmental commons can perpetuate or contest socio-environmental narratives responsible for social and environmental inequalities. Increasingly, gender is being introduced into the climate debate in sites such as the COPs. Using qualitative methods, this paper delineates the mechanisms by which some meanings of gender like gender balance dominate over others like gender equality. My research illustrates how discourses of gender and climate change arise, are perpetuated, and materialized through climate policy. I use an intersectional lens to underscore the practices that perpetuate injustices, and explore the discourses that are the most popular at the COPs around gender and climate change, who perpetuates them, which narratives are mobilized, and which become invisible. I highlight how material practices at the COPs that construct polarized divisions of gender are accompanied by polarized divisions of space. Feminist geographies of climate change can challenge the global conversation about gender and climate change to form new coalitions and techniques to find just and equitable outcomes in the face of climate change.

Keywords: climate negotiations, gender balance, gender equality, strategic essentialism, intersectionality

Topics: Environment, Climate Change, Feminisms, Gender, Gender Balance, Gendered Power Relations, Gender Equality/Inequality, International Organizations, Intersectionality

Year: 2020

A Gendered Imperative: Does Sexual Violence Attract UN Attention in Civil Wars?

Citation:

Benson, Michelle, and Theodora-Ismene Gizelis. 2019. “A Gendered Imperative: Does Sexual Violence Attract UN Attention in Civil Wars?” Journal of Conflict Resolution 64 (1): 167-98.

Authors: Michelle Benson, Theodora-Ismene Gizelis

Abstract:

There is increasing awareness that sexual violence is distinct from other aspects of civilian victimization in civil wars. Few studies have examined the independent impact of such violence on responses to civil wars as compared to “traditional” forms of violence. This article explores whether reports of high levels of rape and sexual violence increase the probability of United Nations (UN) attention to conflicts and calls to action. In so doing, we combine original data on UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions with data on sexual violence in armed conflict and estimate the impact of sexual violence on UN attention to all civil wars from 1990 to 2009. We show that the effects of sexual violence on the number and level of UNSC resolutions are significant even when controlling for other important determinants of UN action. These findings have important implications for understanding how the UN has expanded its view on protecting civilians.

 

Keywords: war crimes, international organization, internal armed conflict, civil wars

Topics: Armed Conflict, Civil Wars, International Organizations, Justice, War Crimes, Sexual Violence, UN Security Council Resolutions on WPS, Violence

Year: 2019

“Provide Care for Everyone Please”: Engaging Community Leaders as Sexual and Reproductive Health Advocates in North and South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Citation:

Steven, Victoria J., Julianne Deitch, Erin Files Dumas, Meghan C. Gallagher, Jimmy Nzau, Augustin Paluku, and Sara E. Casey. 2019. ““Provide Care for Everyone Please”: Engaging Community Leaders as Sexual and Reproductive Health Advocates in North and South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo.” Reproductive Health 16. doi: 10.1186/s12978-019-0764-z.

Authors: Victoria J. Steven, Julianne Deitch, Erin Files Dumas, Meghan C. Gallagher, Jimmy Nzau, Augustin Paluku, Sara E. Casey

Abstract:

Background: Inadequate infrastructure, security threats from ongoing armed conflict, and conservative socio-cultural and gender norms that favour large families and patriarchal power structures contribute to poor sexual and reproductive health (SRH) outcomes in North and South Kivu provinces, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). In order to expand contraceptive and post-abortion care (PAC) access in North and South Kivu, CARE, the International Rescue Committee and Save the Children provided technical support to the Ministry of Health and health facilities in these regions. Partners acknowledged that community leaders, given their power to influence local customs, could play a critical role as agents of change in addressing inequitable gender norms, stigma surrounding SRH service utilization, and topics traditionally considered taboo within Congolese society. As such, partners actively engaged with community leaders through a variety of activities such as community mapping exercises, values clarification and transformation (VCAT) activities, situational analyses, and education.
 
Methods: This manuscript presents findings from 12 key informant interviews (KIIs) with male political and non-political community leaders conducted in six rural health zones of North and South Kivu, DRC. Transcripts were analysed thematically to explore community leaders’ perceptions of their role in addressing the issue of unintended pregnancy in their communities.
 
Results: While community leaders in this study expressed overall positive impressions of contraception and strong support for ensuring access to PAC services following spontaneous and induced abortions, the vast majority held negative beliefs concerning women who had induced abortion. Contrasting with their professed opposition to induced abortion, leaders’ commitment to mediating interpersonal conflict arising between community members and women who had abortions was overwhelming.
 
Conclusion: Results from this study suggest that when thoughtfully engaged by health interventions, community leaders can be empowered to become advocates for SRH. While study participants were strong supporters of contraception and PAC, they expressed negative perceptions of induced abortion. Given the hypothesized link between the presence of induced abortion stigma and care-avoidance behavior, further engagement and values clarification exercises with leaders must be integrated into community mobilization and engagement activities in order to increase PAC utilization.

Keywords: abortion, contraception, community leader, post-abortion care, DRC, Qualitative, community mobilization

Topics: Armed Conflict, Gender, Gender Roles, Gendered Power Relations, Patriarchy, Health, Reproductive Health, Infrastructure, International Organizations Regions: Africa, Central Africa Countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo

Year: 2019

Pro-Gender Foreign Policy by Stealth: Navigating Global and Domestic Politics in Australian Foreign Policy Making

Citation:

Lee-Koo, Katrina. 2020. “Pro-Gender Foreign Policy by Stealth: Navigating Global and Domestic Politics in Australian Foreign Policy Making.” Foreign Policy Analysis 16 (2): 236–49

Author: Katrina Lee-Koo

Abstract:

As a middle-power nation, Australia promotes its global effectiveness, in part, through the adoption of international norms. Among those that it has more recently embraced has been pro-gender norms. The inclusion— for the first time—of gender equality considerations into overarching strategic doctrines, and the development of stand-alone gender strategies demonstrates this. While this is not without its shortcomings and contradictions, it is evidence that Australia is allowing feminist design to underpin areas of its foreign policy. However, unlike other states, this is not publicly emphasized. In fact, it is as if these policies were developed by stealth. This article examines the depth of Australia’s commitment to pro-gender norms in foreign policy. It argues that there is a genuine embrace of progender norms, but the masculinist cultures of Australia’s politics limit the capacity for it to be publicly debated and celebrated.

Topics: Feminisms, Feminist Foreign Policy, Gender, Gendered Power Relations, Gender Equality/Inequality, Masculinism, International Organizations, Peace and Security Regions: Oceania Countries: Australia

Year: 2020

World Survey on the Role of Women in Development 2014: Gender Equality and Sustainable Development

Citation:

2014. World Survey on the Role of Women in Development 2014: Gender Equality and Sustainable Development. UN Women.

Annotation:

Summary:
The World Survey on the Role of Women in Development is a UN Secretary-General report mandated by the Second Committee of the General Assembly and comes out every five years. The 2014 report focuses on gender equality and sustainable development, with chapters on the green economy and care work, food security, population dynamics, and investments for gender-responsive sustainable development. The report comes at a crucial moment, as the global community grapples with the definition of the Sustainable Development Goals and the emergence of the post-2015 framework. Against this context, World Survey 2014 asserts the central role of gender equality in charting the rationale and the actions necessary to achieve sustainable development. The World Survey uses three criteria to assess whether policy actions and investments for sustainable development adequately address gender equality. Do they support women's capabilities and their enjoyment of rights? Do they reduce, rather than increase, women's unpaid care work? And do they embrace women's equal and meaningful participation as actors, leaders and decision-makers? It offers a comprehensive set of recommendations for gender-responsive policy actions and investments towards sustainable development overall, as well as for the selected areas which the World Survey emphasizes. (Summary from UN Women)

 

Table of Contents:
1. About the World Survey on the Role of Women in Development
 
2. Gender Equality and Sustainable Development
 
3. Green Economy, Gender Equality and Care
 
4. Food Security and Gender Equality
 
5. Population, Sustainable Development and Gender Equality
 
6. Investments for Gender-Responsive Sustainable Development
 
7. Conclusions and Policy Recommendations

Topics: Development, Economies, Care Economies, Ecological Economics, Gender, Women, Gendered Power Relations, Gender Equality/Inequality, International Organizations, Political Participation, Rights, Women's Rights, Security, Food Security, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Year: 2014

Women's Advocacy in Postwar Bosnia and Herzegovina: Implementation of UNSCR 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security

Citation:

Rosul-Gajic, Jagoda. 2016. "Women's Advocacy in Postwar Bosnia and Herzegovina: Implementation of UNSCR 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security." Journal of International Women's Studies 17 (4): 143-59.

Author: Jagoda Rosul-Gajic

Abstract:

In this paper, I address the question of how Bosnian women's NGOs have contributed to the implementation of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR 1325) on Women, Peace and Security in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). What instruments did they use to enforce gender, peace and security norms into state policy and the policy of international actors in the post-conflict internationalized society of BiH? Since national and international actors did not comply with international gender specific norms and standards, I argue that, as norm advocates, Bosnian women's NGOs have been working with a double strategy to influence gender, peace and security policy and enforce change, both by national and international actors. In order to act gender-sensitively, this paper claims--unlike most of the literature on global norm diffusion--it is not only the national actors who need to be socialized to comply with international norms and standards, but also the international political elite. Hence, it not only looks at the process of norm implementation into domestic policies, but also in the policies of international actors in post conflict countries. The methodology followed is a descriptive one wherein the analyses is conducted on information resulting from interviews and published secondary data.

Keywords: UNSCR 1325, gender norms, post-conflict settings, women's NGOs, postwar Bosnia and Herzegovina

Topics: Gender, Women, Gender Analysis, Governance, Post-Conflict Governance, International Organizations, NGOs, Peace and Security, Peace Processes, Security Regions: Europe, Balkans, Eastern Europe Countries: Bosnia & Herzegovina

Year: 2016

Documenting the Impact of Conflict on Women Living in Internally Displaced Persons Camps in Sri Lanka: Some Ethical Considerations

Citation:

Swiss, Shana, Peggy J. Jennings, K. G. K. Weerarathne, and Lori Heise. 2019. “Documenting the Impact of Conflict on Women Living in Internally Displaced Persons Camps in Sri Lanka: Some Ethical Considerations.” Health and Human Rights Journal 21 (1): 93-101.

Authors: Shana Swiss, Peggy J. Jennings, K. G. K. Weerarathne, Lori Heise

Abstract:

Women’s Rights International works with rural women and girls who are living in countries at war or with ongoing political violence. In 2005, The Asia Foundation invited Women’s Rights International to Sri Lanka to evaluate the feasibility of a random-sample survey of women to document the impact of the decades-long conflict. The significant imbalance in the risks-to-benefits ratio compelled us to recommend that random-sample surveys that included questions about sexual violence be avoided at that time, especially in the displaced persons areas. Instead, we recommended that three strategies be given priority in situations in which the risks for women are too great to justify a random-sample survey. First, maximize the use of existing information. Second, collect survey data only in partnership with a strong community organization that will use the data for direct tangible benefits. Third, share knowledge that will help build the capacity of local organizations to design surveys that address their priorities, and collect and use their own data following ethical guidelines that maximize the protection of individuals and the wider community. We implemented these recommendations in a partnership with a local organization with a strong history of advocating for women’s rights.

Topics: Armed Conflict, Displacement & Migration, IDPs, Refugee/IDP Camps, Conflict, Gender, Women, Girls, International Organizations, Rights, Women's Rights, Sexual Violence, Violence Regions: Asia, South Asia Countries: Sri Lanka

Year: 2019

Extractive Industry and the Politics of Manhood in Nigeria's Niger Delta: a Masculinity Perspective of Gender Implication of Resource Extractivism

Citation:

Ashamole, Darlington C. 2019. "Extractive Industry and the Politics of Manhood in Nigeria’s Niger Delta: A Masculinity Perspective of Gender Implication of Resource Extractivism." Norma 14 (4): 255-70. 

Author: Darlington C. Ashamole

Abstract:

Using an empirical case study focusing on the oil-rich region of Nigeria’s Niger Delta, this paper contributes to discourse on the gender and environmental politics of resource extractivism. It examines the ways in which oil resource extraction and other activities undertaken by oil multinationals operating in the Niger Delta have impacted on men and masculinities by interfering with the process of becoming a man and triggering what the paper terms the ‘frustration of unrealised masculinity’ or the ‘frustration of failed manhood’, which the young men affected tend to express through violence. The paper further identifies the resulting violence as one of the implications of the construction of masculinity in the Niger Delta and elsewhere based on socio-economic achievements – namely marriage or breadwinning for a family and financial independence. The study uses a qualitative research paradigm involving purposive sampling and semi-structured interviews to enable direct engagement with the research population.

Keywords: masculinity, resource extractivism, environmental sustainability, livelihood, gender politics and violence, Niger Delta, corporate social responsibility

Topics: Environment, Extractive Industries, Gender, Masculinity/ies, Households, International Organizations, Livelihoods, Violence Regions: Africa, West Africa Countries: Niger

Year: 2019

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