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| Global Network of Women Peacebuilders | |
|---|---|
| Name | Global Network of Women Peacebuilders |
| Abbreviation | GNWP |
| Formation | 2000 |
| Founders | Muriel Brindley; Carmen G. Salazar |
| Type | Non-governmental organization |
| Headquarters | Manila, Philippines |
| Region served | Global |
Global Network of Women Peacebuilders The Global Network of Women Peacebuilders is an international women-led organization focused on advancing women's participation in peace processes, transitional justice, and security sector reform. It engages with multilateral bodies, regional commissions, national legislatures, and grassroots movements to translate international instruments into national practice. The network links activists, scholars, and policymakers across continents to promote inclusive implementation of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, and related frameworks.
Founded in 2000 in the aftermath of the Peace Agreement (Mindanao) deliberations and amid global debates following the Second Congo War and the Kosovo War, the organization emerged from collaborations among women's rights advocates in the Philippines, Uganda, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Sierra Leone. Early convenings brought together participants from the United Nations, UN Women, International Crisis Group, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, and the African Union to press for gender-responsive approaches to peacebuilding. The founders drew on experiences from the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action advocacy networks and the campaign for UNSCR 1325 implementation to form an international umbrella for local and regional women’s peacebuilding groups.
The organization’s stated mission aligns with commitments in UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and subsequent resolutions such as UNSCR 1820 and UNSCR 1889 to protect women’s rights and ensure participation in peace processes. Objectives emphasize translating international law from instruments like the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court into national policies, strengthening the capacity of civil society actors connected to the European Union, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Economic Community of West African States, and regional human rights mechanisms. The network advocates for gender-sensitive mechanisms within institutions including the United Nations Security Council, International Criminal Court, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and the World Bank.
Programs have included training curricula for local women negotiators derived from collaborations with the National Democratic Institute, International Republican Institute, and the Open Society Foundations. Initiatives address gender provisions in peace agreements in contexts such as Colombia, Nepal, Iraq, Timor-Leste, and the Philippines (Mindanao conflict), and support monitoring instruments like National Action Plans modeled on examples from Norway, Canada, and Sweden. The network has piloted projects on transitional justice with partners including Trial International, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and national truth commissions in countries like Sierra Leone and Liberia. Other initiatives engage the African Union Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, and the European Court of Human Rights on gendered harms.
The organization operates through a board and secretariat based in the Philippines, with regional coordinators in hubs such as Accra, Nairobi, Brussels, and New York City. Governance draws on NGO best practices promoted by entities like The World Bank Group, United Nations Development Programme, and the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law. Leadership includes women peacebuilders who have worked with the United Nations Development Fund for Women and regional bodies like the African Development Bank and the Asian Development Bank. Funding streams historically involved grants from the European Commission, United States Agency for International Development, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, and philanthropic foundations including the Ford Foundation and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
The network collaborates with multilateral institutions such as the United Nations, UN Women, United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations, and the United Nations Human Rights Council, while engaging regional blocs like the African Union, European Union, and ASEAN. Advocacy efforts link to campaigns by Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Equality Now, International Alert, and the Women's Media Center to influence agendas at forums like the UN Commission on the Status of Women, UN General Assembly, and the UN Security Council Open Debate on Women, Peace and Security. The network has submitted reports to treaty bodies including the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and engaged with parliamentary bodies such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
The network has contributed to the adoption and localization of National Action Plans on Women, Peace and Security in several states, influencing policy in contexts such as Colombia, Philippines, Jordan, Sierra Leone, and Nepal. It has supported women negotiators in peace talks linked to the Colombian peace process, Mindanao peace process, and post-conflict reconstruction in Timor-Leste, producing training modules adapted by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research and cited in reports by the Secretary-General of the United Nations. Its monitoring and shadow reporting have informed decisions at the UN Security Council and recommendations by the Committee Against Torture and the Human Rights Committee.
Critics from some national feminist groups and think tanks such as the Center for Strategic and International Studies and Chatham House have argued that international networks can reproduce donor-driven agendas similar to those critiqued in literature on NGO-ization and that engagement with multilateral institutions like the International Monetary Fund and World Bank may constrain grassroots autonomy. Operational challenges include sustaining funding from donors like the European Commission and USAID, navigating politicized peace processes involving actors such as Al-Shabaab and ISIS, and ensuring representation across diverse constituencies including indigenous groups represented at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
Category:Women's organizations Category:Peace organizations