The Contribution of Women to Peace and Reconciliation

total of thirty resolutions of the General Assembly since 1947, and 233
resolutions of the Security Council, all aimed at a solution of the Middle
East conflict, or of a particular situation of war and violence current at
the time. The disregard for the United Nations as the only instance with
international legitimation for peace processes and for ending violence
and war is a shocking fact of life in the Middle East conflict. The delegitimizing
and demoralizing effect of this fact, extending far beyond the
bounds of this concrete conflict, should not be underestimated.
In this situation, the strategy of non-violent resistance to defend access
to closed-off villages and oppose the expulsion of Palestinian families
from East Jerusalem, the reconstruction by the Palestinian administration
and international aid organizations of the infrastructure destroyed
by the military actions of the Israeli army in the West Bank, and the tireless
work of UNWRA in Gaza, are rays of hope – as is the participation
of young Israelis in demonstrations and actions of non-violent resistance.
General Conclusions
1. Peace work by women is very often based on the daily work they
perform to ensure the survival of their families. In times of war and violent
conflict, they in addition assume the role of breadwinner, even in
such traditionally patriarchal societies as Somalia. Especially in societies
in which they are prevented from playing any public role, women organize
daily resistance against the separation of the population into
friend and foe. Often they try to help each other across the ideological
and military divides. In many cases women generate a peace dividend
under conditions of war, by maintaining relationships which circumvent
the enmity created by war, through direct cooperation between women
of the opposing parties. The experience and wisdom of women is of incalculable
value for the peace building process.
2. In three of the four cases documented in our project – Yugoslavia,
Rwanda and Somalia – women were subjected to extreme sexual violence
during the hostilities. The recognition of sexual violence against
women as an action of war, as a war crime, and as a violation of human
rights by the UN is an important factor for dealing with the traumas.
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