Gender, Women 

Background Women play a critical role in peace processes. Yet from Dayton to Colombia, and from East Timor to Pretoria, women have either been absent or grossly underrepre- sented in diplomatic peace negotiations at which peace accords have been signed and the future of countries decided. Formal peace negotiations generally bring together the male leaders of the warring parties who engage in a series of facilitated talks to end conflict and to lay the foundation for the reconstruction of political, legal, economic and social structures. However, the process of reconstructing the nation following an armed conflict requires the equal involvement of men and women. Ensuring women's equal participation in formal negotiations enhances the legitimacy of the process by making it more democratic and responsive to the concerns and perspectives of those segments of society involved in, and affected by, the fighting. This paper concentrates on advocacy by women for gender-balanced representation in diplomatic peace negotiations. The peace processes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) serve as a case study. The DRC - formerly Zaire - covers 2,345,410 square kilometres of central Africa and has a population of 56.6 million (UN estimates, July 2003), 55 percent of which is female. Since gaining independence from Belgium in 1960, the country has been dominated by dictators. President Mobutu Sese Seko took power in 1965 and ruled the then Zaire for 32 years, until Laurent Kabila toppled him in 1997. Opportunities for women have generally been limited. Congolese women have borne the brunt of the economic decline. They are underrepresented in the formal workforce, especially in higher-level posi- tions, and generally earn less than their male counter- parts in the same jobs. The war in Congo broke out in 1998 when neigh- bouring Rwanda and Uganda backed Congolese rebels trying to overthrow Kabila, accusing him of harbouring armed militias that threatened their own security. Angola, Namibia and Zimbabwe stepped in on the side of the government. Despite continued fighting in some regions of the country, the war officially ended with the signature of the December 2002 Pretoria Agreement. The DRC conflict was characterized by internal and external actors fighting for control of territory, especial- ly areas rich in natural resources, including cobalt, coltan, diamonds and gold. An estimated three million people have died because of the war, most of them from war-induced famine and disease.

 

4 p.; 24 cm