Helpdesk Report: Women’s participation in peacebuilding and reconciliation in Iraq

Question

A rapid review of the evidence available on women’s participation in peacebuilding and reconciliation in Iraq.

Summary

This rapid review synthesises data from academic, policy and NGO sources on women’s participation in peacebuilding in Iraq. Peacebuilding will be defined as a ‘range of measures targeted to reduce the risk of lapsing or relapsing into conflict by strengthening national capacities at all levels for conflict management and to lay the foundation for sustainable peace and development’, and reconciliation will be included under this term (Khodary, 2016, p. 499). There is a severe lack of focus on women and peacebuilding in the literature, which is mirrored by the limited role women have played in institutionalised peacebuilding in Iraq. Moreover, there is little disaggregation in the literature between the various religions, ethnic groups or class structures and women are categorised together as uniform.