From gender-responsive provisions to gender-equal peace: Exploring the implementation of gender provisions in peace agreements

The research explores the question: “What are the factors that facilitate or hinder the implementation of gender-responsive provisions in peace agreements?” While there is a growing body of literature about women’s participation in peace processes and the inclusion of gender provisions in peace agreements, the question of the factors that lead to effective implementation of gender provisions in peace agreements remains under-researched. Addressing this gap will be the primary objective of the research.

In order to effectively evaluate the level of implementation of the gender provisions, and explore the factors that affect it, the research will also critically examine the very concept of implementation. The research will problematize the feasibility of measuring effective implementation of gender provisions, recognizing that some provisions may be more easily measurable than others; implementation measures and indicators may themselves not be value-neutral; and implementation of peace agreements is often not linear, and thus does not easily lend itself to measurement. Drawing on feminist scholarship, the research will recognize that even when gender provisions appear to be implemented, the vision of feminist peace which underlies them may not be. Conversely, in some cases even when gender provisions are not implemented, they may still offer entry points for advancing the feminist vision of peace. Thus, for instance, even if women have not been able to influence the text of the peace agreement, they may use it to advance gender equality. Few of the existing analyses of the concept of “implementation” look specifically at the implementation of peace agreements. Filling this gap will be the second objective of the proposed research.

To achieve these two objectives, the research will employ a mixed methods approach. Quantitative analysis will be used to assess the progress in implementation of different gender-responsive provisions, and cross-reference it with a range of factors, to note patterns in what factors are conducive or non-conducive to implementation. This analysis will be complemented by a qualitative account of lived experiences and perceptions of women peacebuilders in two case study countries, selected based on the results of the quantitative research. The research will draw on the perspectives of women peacebuilders both in creating the quantitative dataset, and in the qualitative case study research. The case studies will provide a more nuanced analysis of the progress in implementation and the factors that facilitate and hinder it – including those that may not be easily captured by quantitative indicators. Existing academic and policy literature on gender provisions in peace agreements and on the concept of implementation will also be analysed to provide a conceptual depth to the research.