The Mediation Lab was organised in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and Colombia with the aim of sharing knowledge and experiences on women’s peacebuilding from different contexts. The project enabled women peace workers from several countries to meet and work together to strengthen women’s capacity to learn from each other and work for peace.   

Project: Mediation Lab  

Country: Colombia, Iraq, Libya, Palestine, Sweden, Turkey, Yemen  

Partner organisation: Iniciativa de Mujeres Colombianas por la Paz, KÖM Turkey, Palestinian Center for Peace and Democracy (PCPD)  

Donor organisation: MUCF, Folke Bernadotte Academy

Project period: 2016 – 2017  

Purpose: A triangular exchange of experiences to highlight innovative, successful mediation processes that have led to increased security and women’s participation. To identify what made these mediation processes successful and how it can be replicated in other areas and conflicts.   

Target group: Women peace actors, civil society organisations, academics and local policy makers from Colombia and the MENA region 

How: The project started with an inventory of mediation experiences and knowledge, through interviews and digital research. The project created a reference group of experts and decision-makers in peacemaking. As part of the project, a central mediation conference was organised for the empowerment of women as peacebrokers. The aim of this conference was to exchange experiences, knowledge and create shared learning. In each participating country, smaller conferences were held where partner organisations shared new insights and disseminated mediation skills in their context. Lessons learnt and tools from the project were disseminated digitally, including through the creation and publication of a report and a handbook on the topic. An advocacy letter was sent to, among others, the UN Security Council and the UN Member States Support Unit.   

Results: Women’s and peace organisations have shared experiences and increased their knowledge of mediation in other contexts to draw lessons for their own peace work. Through the conferences, the publication of a report and a handbook on women, peace and security, knowledge has reached beyond the primary target group. Through contact with decision-makers, participants were able to influence at a higher level.   

• Handbook on peace negotiation Mediation Lab – Women Pacemakers as mediators’ was created  
• Report ‘Mediation and Influence Insightse’ released  
• Letters of influence sent to, among others, the UN Security Council and the UN Member States Support Unit. 

Publications: 

Mediation Lab – Women Pacemakers as mediators (eng)

Mediation Lab – Women Pacemakers as mediators (arabic)

Mediation Lab – Women Pacemakers as mediators (español

Mediation Lab –  Women Pacemakers as mediators (türkçe)

Mediation and Influence

Projekt: Säkerhetssektorreform (SSR) i Irakiska Kurdistan och Irak 

Project: Security Sector Reform (SSR) in Iraqi Kurdistan and Iraq  

Country: Iraqi Kurdistan and Iraq  

Project period: 2015

Purpose: To enable interaction between women’s organisations and responders active in the field of Security Sector Reform (SSR) and advocacy.   

How: Initial activities were to map the SSR structures and the level of collaboration, and prepare participants for and conduct a workshop in Iraq. Due to the security situation, the project objectives were changed to further development and adaptation of the booklet “Security on the Ground” to Iraqi conditions with translation into Arabic. The booklet provides concrete and useful advice to those working in SSR, how to increase women’s participation in conflict and post-conflict areas, as well as how to strengthen women’s security.  

Target audience: Response personnel and women’s organisations  

Results: The booklet was met with a positive response from both field staff and women’s organisations and has been used as training material for Swedish UN police and the UN mission in South Sudan. 

Project: Monitoring in Iraq and Kurdistan + Regional Initiative

Country: Iraq and Kurdistan

Donor: Folke Bernadotte Academy and Swedish Institute

Project period: 2014

Purpose: Facilitate networking and regional exchange of experiences in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region with focus on advocacy through civil society participation in development processes for national action plans for women, peace and security, and in reviewing states’ implementation of UNSC Resolution 1325. Also to contribute to the production of a ‘Civil Society Monitoring Report on UNSCR 1325 for Iraq as part of the global Women Count report.

Target group: Women’s civil society organisations

How: Workshop on monitoring and advocacy. Participating organisations also conducted data collection and analysis for the report and project planning for advocacy.

Results: Women’s organisations have strengthened their work for women, peace and security. The dialogue has contributed to skills development and increased advocacy. You make the difference: Women participation and security is a brochure produced in collaboration between Operation 1325 and the Iraqi women’s movement, based on their experiences. It provides clear recommendations and has been disseminated in Sweden and the MENA region.

Publications:

You make the difference: Women participation and security

1325 toolkit – arabic

The Women and Media in MENA project was implemented in Sweden, Lebanon, Iraq and Palestine. The aim was to create platforms for women and peace groups to raise awareness of the women, peace and security agenda. The project created new meeting places for women and media actors. Participants learnt how media can be used as a tool for knowledge and advocacy.   

Project: Women and Media in the MENA region    

Country: Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine and Sweden   

Partner organisation: Women Empowerment Organization (WEO), Media Association for Peace (MAP), TAM – Women, Media and Development   

Donor: Folke Bernadotte Academy, Swedish Institute.    

Project period: October 2014 – January 2016   

Purpose: To explore and contribute to creative media forums for women and peace groups that serve as platforms to draw attention to the women, peace and security agenda in the MENA region.    

Target group: Women’s organisations fighting for peace, women’s rights and democracy.   

How: The participating organisations identified existing meeting points and relationships between women’s groups and the media sector in the project countries. The results were summarised in a report that was presented during a joint meeting. During the week of the meeting, workshops and discussions were also held on the challenges, differences and similarities between the countries regarding women’s rights and media. Together, they drafted a brochure and a toolkit with collected success stories and tools for improved cooperation between media and civil society organisations.   

Following needs and evaluations in the project countries, the common media toolkit was refined and formed the basis for a series of interactive workshops and discussion groups with participants. The toolkit was then published, followed by a panel discussion and seminar attended by, among others, Swedish and international media as well as Swedish parliamentarians and government members. A panel discussion on UNSC Resolution 1325 and women and the media was also held with the Committee on Foreign Affairs, which then invited to a discussion on the same issues. Communicative PR events and social media campaigns were also organised to disseminate the toolkit to the public in the participating countries.     

Results: Meeting points and relationships between women’s groups and the media have been identified in the different countries. Participants have strengthened their capacity to portray women, peace and security in the media. They have also strengthened their advocacy skills to increase the dissemination of information on women’s rights and make it more relevant to decision-makers. In a longer perspective, the participants can contribute to a more frequent and fair reporting and portrayal of women and women’s rights in the media.    

• Media tools on women’s rights in relation to the media were created and published in English and Arabic.   
• The project reached several government and parliamentary members as well as Swedish and international media.   

Project: Women, Peace and Security – Information and Education Programme in Iraqi Kurdistan  

Country: Iraqi Kurdistan  

Partner organisation: Civil Development Organisation and Amez Organisation for developing potential

Donor: Folke Bernadotte Academy  

Project period: 2011

Purpose: To increase and deepen knowledge of UNSCR 1325 and to help strengthen the capacity of individual organisations, decision-makers and authorities to implement the resolution in Iraqi Kurdistan.  

Target group: Civil society, opinion leaders, decision-makers and authorities in the country.  

How: Mapping and networking, production of information and training material and a seminar in Iraqi Kurdistan.   

Results: Participating organisations have increased their knowledge of how to work concretely with UNSCR 1325. The project reached several actors at different levels of Iraqi Kurdish society and reached out with information and took note of the needs that exist.