Held this week at the venues of the Swedish Institute in Alexandria, Egypt, a central conference for our project the Mediation Lab gathers delegates from three areas of conflict (Southeast Turkey, Palestine and Colombia) to exchange experiences, strengthen networks, and to receive further training in mediation.
The Mediation Lab aims at strengthening and promoting the mediation capacity of women both from political representation and from civil society, thereby advocating for women’s participation in negotiations and peace processes.
The ambition is to contribute to durable peace: research has proven that the participation of women at all levels is key to the success and sustainability of peace processes. Also, the involvement of civil society reduces the risk of peace agreements failing. Even if resolution 1325 has had a positive impact on women’s participation and access to power over peace and security, much remains to be done. Less than four percent of the participants in current peace negotiations in weak states are women. Women are underrepresented as mediators. Until recently, only 2% of chief mediators and 9% of negotiators in peace processes were women.
The invited participants are women with experience from negotiations between conflicting parts or between government and affected communities. Parallel to the conference, Operation 1325 will also support their work by informing the public about their achievements. Follow us on Facebook for more information.
