Empowering Women as Peacebuilders: The Heart of the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus
This is the tenth chapter in a forthcoming e-book, entitled 'The Triple Humanitarian, Development and Peace Nexus: In Context and Everyday Perspective', edited by Marina Ferrero Baselga and Rodrigo Mena. Chapters are currently being serialised on Global Policy.
Women’s meaningful participation and leadership are key to any effective crisis prevention, response and peacebuilding process the Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) nexus – where reduction of humanitarian need goes hand-in-hand with addressing root causes of crises and reducing risk and differentiated vulnerability – gender equality and elevating women’s diverse, unique and transformative roles must be central.
Research demonstrates that when women participate meaningfully in peace processes, the likelihood of lasting peace agreements increases by as much as 35%. Women’s engagement in peace processes helps shift dynamics and broaden the issues discussed, increasing the chances of community buy-in and putting greater pressure on the parties to reach an agreement. Supporting women’s participation in decision-making and influence as conflict mediators has a further ripple effect that extends into other areas of community life, strengthening the HDP nexus linkages.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) plays a leading role in promoting HDP coherence at the global level through its engagement in all the major multistakeholder nexus forums, together with partners such as the United Nations Development Coordination Office, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs/Peacebuilding Support Office. This is translated into supporting a coordinated nexus approach at the national and local levels that strengthens institutional responses to crises. Internally, UNDP has mainstreamed the HDP nexus approach across its policies and guidance, integrating key principles from forced displacement to stabilization in fragile contexts. This high-level commitment supports on-the-ground initiatives where women are key peacebuilders.
As the global community concludes discussions at the 69th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) and prepares for the Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Week (HNPW), these case studies drawn from UNDP’s programmatic experiences from the Philippines and Somalia offer important lessons for work at the HDP nexus going forward. These examples demonstrate how empowering women not only contributes to peace, but also enhances community capacities to respond to crises, recover from shocks, and build sustainable futures.
Philippines: Bangsamoro Women Insider Mediators Creating Durable Community Resilience
In the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, the Bangsamoro Women Commission and UNDP initiated the Women Insider Mediators-Rapid Action and Mobilization Platform (WIM-RAMP). Established in 2021, the Platform has aimed to shift attitudes that fuel conflicts, while promoting avenues and roles for women in subnational and local dialogues and peacebuilding, in addition to strategies against violence. The Platform brought together 122 women with previous mediation experience, selected from various ethno-linguistic groups, across civil society and government, including leaders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Moro National Liberation Front. UNDP helped to deepen their skills in conflict management, prevention of violent extremism and psychosocial and mental health support.
Wilma Madato, a member of the Bangsamoro Islamic Women Auxiliary Brigade (BIWAB), underscores this impact: “When women are thrust between two parties in conflict, people often see them as fairer and more impartial,” she recalls, adding that compared to men, women are often seen in the community as “less controversial.” Wilma’s reflections demonstrate how the Platform’s efforts have not only enhanced women’s mediation skills but also built their confidence in leading peacebuilding initiatives.
Following a whole-of-society approach, WIM-RAMP has implemented peace-humanitarian response initiatives in conflict and disaster-prone areas, advocating against violence towards women and children and forced marriages. It also focused on community-based mediation and conflict resolution, establishing early warning systems, and advocating for the prevention of violent extremism.
While its main focus has been addressing family disputes and gender-based violence cases, the sample evidence shows that the Platform has also been instrumental in helping to solve conflicts related to land and family or clan feuds (so-called ridos). These peace efforts by women extend into various aspects of community development and humanitarian assistance, integrating the HDP nexus at the local level. The Platform has addressed issues in distributing humanitarian during COVID-19 as well as after community violence or natural disasters. Furthermore, its members have spearheaded initiatives to establish Community Quick Response Teams, advocate for women’s rights, and participate in the governance structure of the Bangsamoro autonomous region. These roles have not only helped stabilize communities but also driven inclusive development, empowering communities to address health, education, and livelihood needs while reducing dependency on external aid. By elevating women as leaders and advocates, WIM-RAMP exemplifies how peacebuilding can lay the foundation for sustainable development and humanitarian preparedness.
Showing the importance of anchoring women’s leadership in HDP nexus efforts, several key factors lent to the success of the Bangsamoro WIM-RAMP. These include a deep understanding of the complex context and relationships within the Bangsamoro region, and a commitment to inclusivity in conflict prevention and peacebuilding, which involves engaging even those considered opposition. The initiative was also able to establish and capitalize on connections with key actors and stakeholders (e.g. former women combatants, civil society partners of peace process mechanisms, and military officials’ family members).
Somalia: Nonviolent Communication for Community Cohesion and Social Transformation
In Somalia, UNDP has supported the establishment of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) centres across the Federal Member States to increase access to justice for marginalized groups, in particular women. In 2018, the Programme initiated a pilot project in the Baidoa ADR centre using the NonViolent Communication (NVC) model, with the aim of empowering participants to empathetically explore their own and each other’s needs to address disputes, discriminatory practices and harmful social norms deeply embedded in the traditions and culture.
The project focused on training women – together with (male) traditional and religious elders and leaders – in the methods of non-violent communication (NVC). By encouraging inclusive dialogues, women have become catalysts for broader social change, promoting values that extend into governance justice, security, education, and even health. Their enhanced roles in decision-making and mediation have resulted in a cohesive, resilient community able to navigate crises more effectively. For example, even though the NVC-based generative dialogue in Baidoa focused mainly on justice and security, participants recognized the health issues in a remote IDP camp and developed an action plan to support access to health care, including organizing crowdfunding for an ambulance service in this IDP camp. Additionally, because it empowers beneficiaries to identify their needs and design their own solutions, it also breaks down the separation between beneficiaries and providers, leading to a renewed partnership between the two based on mutual accountability.
Non-violent communication (NVC) served as a powerful tool for strengthening gender-responsive approaches and women’s voices in HDP-nexus efforts by fostering a common way to perceive reality and solve issues by focusing on human needs (vs. strategies). It also helped to develop a common language, resulting in the dissolution of cultural barriers among the peace, humanitarian and development sectors. Its mechanisms enabled various stakeholders to surface hidden competing commitments in planning, unconscious needs and approaches and strengthened their empathy to see issues from other’s perspectives, which ultimately led to designing integrated local justice solutions. As such, in this case study the non-violent communication contributed to a change of culture and behaviors among the triple-nexus partners.
In the following years, the initiative was extended to support non-violent dialogue between communities, offering training to representatives from rule of law institutions and community leaders (including women, youth, and internally displaced persons) as part of a process of integrated justice solutions. Transformative individual and community changes unfolded: The dialogue is currently being expanded to internally displaced persons’ camps to create a space for camp residents, leaders, and providers of services that support the transformation of mindset and build stronger social cohesion as a prerequisite to design solutions and provide services, therefore increasing community resilience. It has contributed to the emergence of additional transformative leaders, from youth organizations, police and justice institutions who are also contributing to change in their communities and institutions.
Insights
These case studies reveal critical insights for integrating gender equality and women’s empowerment within HDP nexus initiatives. Firstly, equipping women with the resources, authority, and platforms to lead HDP nexus approach programs can foster self-reliance at the community level, which can enhance humanitarian and developmental outcomes. Furthermore, women’s involvement across humanitarian, development, and peace activities creates a multiplier effect. Women leaders build bridges between sectors, ensuring that humanitarian needs are met in ways that support long-term development and resilience. Lastly, women’s leadership in peacebuilding fosters trust within communities, facilitating participatory approaches that align with local values. This alignment reduces conflicts, stabilizes communities, and creates a foundation for sustainable development. Thus, anchoring women’s meaningful participation and leadership is not only an investment toward gender equality—it is a transformative strategy for lasting peace, development, and resilience.
Rehab Al-Sanabani is a Yemeni gender and crisis specialist with nearly two decades of experience advancing gender equality across humanitarian, development, and peace (HDP) contexts. She has worked extensively across the Middle East, Central Asia, Europe, and the Caribbean with civil society organizations and United Nations agencies, including FAO, ILO, and UNDP, where she is now based at the Crisis Bureau headquarters. Her expertise spans programme management, strategic planning, theory of change development, evaluation, partnerships, and policy advocacy. She holds three master’s degrees in gender studies, international development, and humanitarian aid and cooperation, and is completing a PhD focused on gender and climate change. A recognized UNDP Gender Champion, People of 2030 Champion, and Yemeni role model, Rehab has a proven track record of driving gender-responsive solutions and shaping inclusive strategies in complex crisis environments.
Anna Deb Kunová is a Senior Research Analyst at the Independent Evaluation Office of UNDP. She coordinates and co-authors ‘Reflections’, a series of learning-oriented papers, and provides research and data management for corporate and thematic evaluations. Before joining UNDP, she worked as a consultant evaluating EU public policies and as an independent evaluator for international development projects focused on social systems, education, and human rights across Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and the Caribbean. She has also led ethnographic research on social inclusion for the Czech Government.
Photo by NIC LAW
