To mark the tenth anniversary of the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, PRIO Gender Team, in cooperation with the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, held a two day conference at PRIO in November 2010. The aim of the conference was to addresses the most pressing research challenges the themes of the resolution pose.

Even though awareness of the gender dimensions of peace and security issues has increased as a consequence of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, the level of precise knowledge and reliable information on the gender dimensions of today’s conflicts is still limited. This is true of both the qualitative and the quantitative impact of wars and conflicts on countries and people. Most of the statistics on the consequences of wars and conflicts on women and children are unreliable. Little is known about the effectiveness of national and international programs as well as the strategies and policies which are aimed at ameliorating the suffering of women and children. We do not know which effects the increasing participation of women in peace keeping operations has, and whether there has been an increase in the influence of women on decision making in general and peace building efforts in particular.

Thus, the team brought together researchers and practioners working within the fields of peace and security studies and gender studies to foster inter-disciplinary dialogue. The conference focused on three key research challenges:

  • Sexual violence in war: what are the most important research questions?
  • Post-conflict peace-building: What is the value-added of applying a gender perspective?
  • Decision-making: What is the influence of women?

You can find the conference concept note and conference programme on the left.

        Conference Papers and Powerpoint Presentations

Keynote Speech: Bineta Diop

Panel 1: SVAC Project (Ragnhild Nordås and Dara K. Cohen), Amelia Hoover-Green, Michele Leiby, Inger Skjelsbæk

Panel 2: Elisabeth Porter,Torunn L. Tryggestad (Tryggestad PPT), Kristen Cordell (Cordell PPT)

Panel 3: Jolynn Shoemaker, Cheryl Hendricks PPT