Journal of International Peace Operations
Volume 7, Number 4 – January-February 2012

A Female Engagement Team member meets with women to address their needs.

The crucial role for women in conflict and post-conflict environments

“…involving women in operations is crucial if we want to establish relationships and trust with the civil         society…in the theatres where we are involved, there are different traditions and cultures. But everywhere, our interactions – whether military-to-military, military-to-government or military-to-population, have largely been seen as ‘man-to-man.’ This is no    longer true, this is changing, and therefore it is essential to go on      injecting gender perspectives in all our actions.”

Admiral Giampaolo Di Paola, Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, at the

10th anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, 9 September 2010

Gender refers to the socially constructed roles and relationships between men and women. Men and women often have different perspectives, priorities, and concerns, including about their personal security and the security of their communities. These perspectives need to be considered in all areas of peace and stability operations. Acknowledging this reality, in October 2000 the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security. Since then, it has become widely acknowledged that involving both men and women in peace-building efforts, including in security sector reform (SSR) processes, is essential. Still, women’s views are often side-lined in security institutions and SSR processes. Although many clients of private military and security companies (PMSCs), such as the United Nations, NGOs and donors, have mainstreamed gender concerns into their peace support operations and post-conflict reconstruction projects, PMSCs are only beginning to do so. This article considers the importance of integrating gender perspectives into PMSCs and identifies practical ways to do so.