The role of women in intercultural dialogue

International approach

"For generations women have served as peace educators, both in their families and in their societies. They have proved instrumental in building bridges rather than walls." (UN Secretary General Kofi Annan 2000)

Women are on the frontline of efforts to end violence and secure a just peace through non-violent means such as engaging in intercultural dialogue. They are increasingly being recognised for playing a significant role in peace building and promoting intercultural dialogue in war-torn countries across the world. Their participation at all levels of dialogue is essential to conflict prevention, sustainable trust and understanding and global justice.

It is a fact that peace-makers are overwhelmingly female at grassroots level - taking the initiative of setting up non-governmental peace organisations - and are the main contributors to building confident and resilient communities. However although women are agents for change at the local level they are almost entirely absent at leadership decision-making levels across the globe.

In order to address this, in October 2000, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, which pushes for women's genuine and equitable participation in peace negotiations in war zones and the aftermath. 

The implementation of Resolution 1325 has seen a positive increase in the development of intercultural dialogue between women in order to learn from shared experience:

• ways to increase participation at senior level in discussions and decisions around peace-making agreements;
• how to identify ways to ensure that gender dimensions in conflict resolution are considered, and;
• ways to deal with sexual violence.

Case study 1

The Northern Ireland Women's Coalition (NIWC), set up in 1996, fought in the elections for the right to be represented in peace negotiations. They have, despite all the obstacles, fostered ongoing reconciliation processes and pursued a new approach to the implementation of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.

Pursuing an agenda based on "reconciliation through dialogue, accommodation and inclusion" and based on a broad coalition of women with a variety of political backgrounds and religions, the NIWC supported Resolution 1325, linking the principle of gender equality with broader civil, social, religious and cultural rights, pursuing a community development approach and enhancing cross-border co-operation between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. Women's groups in the South have also entered into alliances with women's organisations in the North, supporting their efforts to build and maintain a peaceful society and taking action at many levels locally to promote relations between the two communities and restore a sense of community.

(Source: Council of Europe - The role of women and men in intercultural and interreligious dialogue for the prevention of conflict, for peace building and for democratisation)

 

Case study 2

Hands Across the Divide (HAD), is a group of Cypriot women living to the north and south of the Green Line and abroad, who are calling for lasting peace, working towards gender equality and disseminating the values of democracy, inclusion and nonviolence.

It deliberately called itself a women's organisation because it has incorporated an approach generally lacking in Cyprus, namely a gender perspective that takes account of the situations of women and men, of the feminine and the masculine, and of the relationsbetween them. Women involved in this group feel that this new viewpoint can help address the issue of conflict in Cypriot communities today, advance the long-drawn-out peace process and help achieve a peace settlement for the whole of Cyprus.

The group's fundamental purpose is to incorporate a gender-equality programme, which is important to all Cypriot cultures, in the peace programme agenda: "We aspire to live in a united country and to create a democratic society, where there is equality, including equal access to resources and gender equality, and respect for all, irrespective of differences. Our mission is to contribute towards a culture of peace and multiculturalism." The aim is to bear in mind the connection between gender-based violence at the personal level and violence in armed conflict and to address the clear links between the ideologies of militarism, patriarchy, nationalism and capitalism.

(Source: Council of Europe - The role of women and men in intercultural and interreligious dialogue for the prevention of conflict, for peace building and for democratisation)

 

British Council approach

The British Council aims to enhance the UK's reputation as a modern diverse society, committed to strengthening democracy, political participation and human rights through dialogue and partnership with other countries. Specifically in the field of rights for women the Council works to promote the status of women and their participation in the political, social and economic life of their societies, by providing access to information, education and training and incorporating the principles of gender mainstreaming throughout all its activities:

For example:

• Using its funds to support programmes with local partners overseas which will strengthen organisational capacity and raise awareness of the need to mainstream gender and tackle issues of gender justice

  Case study 3 - Jordan

  A taboo-breaking initiative in Jordan, which has enabled the country's officials to discuss and prevent violence and abuse against women and children for the first time ever, has won the United Nations' Human Rights Prize for the British Council. The project, which is funded by the UK's Department for International Development (DFID), is unprecedented in a patriarchal Arab society where domestic issues are traditionally closed to non-family discussion, let alone intervention. The project has brought together Jordan's judges, politicians, policemen, NGOs, even its religious leaders, to implement unprecedented reforms including the preparation of a draft law to allow the Ministry of Social Development to provide shelter services for female victims of violence. This represents a significant message from the Jordanian Government to its public, namely that it will not tolerate the abuse of women's rights and will assert the role of the State in protecting them.

• Supporting key individuals overseas, both men and women, to integrate gender issues into policy and planning processes at local and national levels

  Case study 4

  Rough estimates suggest that between 700,000 and 2 million women are trafficked across international borders annually. Adding domestic trafficking would bring the total much higher - estimates suggest 4 million people a year. Trafficking in women is a criminal phenomenon that violates basic human rights, totally destroying victims' lives. The British Council in Bulgaria have been working with schools and youth groups in vulnerable communities to raise awareness of the dangers of trafficking and have now produced an educational film with local partners International Organisation for Migration IOM) and European Centre for Education and Training  (ECET), to be distributed throughout the region, called 'Open Your Eyes'.

• Developing networks at regional and global levels to disseminate experiences and learning which help women to tackle barriers of inequality

  Case study 5

  The British Council's Women at Work programme in Near East and North Africa region is an exemplar ICD project in addressing the stereotyping of women's roles and looks at some of the professions where they are under-represented. It addresses women's empowerment and challenges perceptions around the contribution that women can make to the economic well-being of their societies.

• Building partnerships between higher education institutions in the UK and overseas to integrate gender into curricula and develop research capacity

  Case study 6

  Under the DELPHE programme the British Council is managing a link between the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in India, London Metropolitan University, the University of Warwick, and York University in the UK, to support the teaching and research on women's issues. It aims to enhance the quality of teaching and research into gender equality and the empowerment of women and develop new courses and a research centre in violence and abuse.

• Working across different sectors to promote a better understanding of the need to mainstream gender through all areas of work and experience: e.g. the British Council developed a toolkit on Gender Mainstreaming which looked at some of the methodologies which enable women to participate in dialogues and influence policy and practices where their voices aren't heard or represented, based on the Moser gender analysis framework  http://www.worldbank.org/wbi/sourcebook/sba109.htm
• Bringing together men and women from different countries and regions working to improve the status for women  and sharing experiences and good practice: (publications on Gender and Democracy: What Works; Aspirations to Action: 25 years of CEDAW; Violence Against Women)
• The British Council is committed to equality of opportunity and diversity both internally and in the way it works with others (LINK to EoD strategy).

ICD is recognised as a powerful tool in addressing women's rights in education, and in participation in the social, civil society and public life of their community.