UN Women partners with Mikeladze Diplomatic Training Institute to increase women’s participation in peace processes
Date:
According to UN Women, between 1990 and 2017, women constituted only 2 per cent of mediators, 8 per cent of negotiators and only 5 per cent of signatories in all major peace processes.
According to the recent study peace agreements with female signatories are associated with more durable peace. Investing in women mediators and negotiators is not only a matter of promoting equal representation in important decision-making processes, but also an investment in positive change and more sustainable results.
On 5 September 2019, UN Women in partnership with the Levan Mikeladze Diplomatic Training and Research Institute (affiliated under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia) hosted a workshop on mediation and negotiation skills for women who are current or potential participants of formal and informal negotiation processes.
Fifteen participants, comprising representatives of both the public sector and civil society, took part in the training aimed primarily towards improving their mediation and negotiation skills and increasing their understanding about the meaningful participation of women in peace processes. Eliko Bendeliani, representing the NGO Institute for the Study of Nationalism and Conflict, remarked: “It was important for me to learn about the inclusion techniques that are fundamental for the effectiveness of any negotiation, and to acknowledge the benefits of women’s meaningful participation in different tracks of peace processes, especially in the context of protracted conflicts. I will definitely use [this information] in practice.”
The initiative, supported by the US Department of State and the Government of the United Kingdom, was part of UN Women’s technical support to the Government of Georgia in fulfilling the global commitments to the Women, Peace and Security agenda and implementing the 2018-2020 National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security.
UN Women and the Levan Mikeladze Institute plan to continue their cooperation on inclusive peace processes that enable women, including grass-roots women, to effectively, meaningfully and more broadly participate at all levels of decision-making in all peacebuilding efforts.