Attachment J.9 - OTI Gender Integration Analysis.pdf

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Support Which Implements Fast Transition (SWIFT) 6 Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Contract Federal contract opportunity
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7200AA23R00029
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US Agency for International Development

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09. SWIFT 6 RFP Amendment 06.pdf PDF
Revised_2 SWIFT 6 SF33.pdf PDF
Attachment J.18 - Amended Past Performance Matrix (SWIFT-Programs).xlsx XLSX spreadsheet
Revised SWIFT 6 SF33.pdf PDF
OTI eLearnings Access Instructions.pdf PDF
08. SWIFT 6 RFP Amendment 05.pdf PDF
07. Revised Attachment J.7 - Phase Two Sections L and M.pdf PDF
06. Revised SWIFT 6 RFP 7200AA23R00029.pdf PDF
5. SWIFT 6 RFP Amendment 04.pdf PDF
Attachment J.22 - Amended Cost-Price Evaluation Matrix (SWIFT-Support).xlsx XLSX spreadsheet
4. SWIFT 6 RFP Amendment 03.pdf PDF
Attachment J.21 - Amended Cost-Price Evaluation Matrix (SWIFT-Programs).xlsx XLSX spreadsheet
3. SWIFT 6 RFP Amendment 02.pdf PDF
2. SWIFT 6 RFP Amendment 01.pdf PDF
Attachment J.1 - List of Acronyms.pdf PDF
Attachment J.23 - Labor Category CDR Matrix (SWIFT-Programs).docx DOCX document
Attachment J.17 - Past Performance Short Form Template.docx DOCX document
Attachment J.7 - Phase Two Sections L and M.pdf PDF
Attachment J.15 - Cost Categories Under SWIFT 6.pdf PDF
Attachment J.10 - Proposal Checklist SWIFT-Programs (Phase Two).pdf PDF
Attachment J.28 Certification Regarding TIP Compliance Plan.docx DOCX document
Attachment J.21 - Cost-Price Evaluation Matrix (SWIFT-Programs) .xlsx XLSX spreadsheet
Attachment J.25 - Fee & Indirect Cost Matrix (SWIFT-Programs).xlsx XLSX spreadsheet
Attachment J.18 - Past Performance Matrix (SWIFT-Programs).xlsx XLSX spreadsheet
Attachment J.20 - Past Performance Matrix (SWIFT-Support).xlsx XLSX spreadsheet
1. SWIFT 6 RFP 7200AA23R00029.pdf PDF
Attachment J.2 - OTI Overview.pdf PDF
Attachment J.12 - Illustrative Case Study_ Patriam.pdf PDF
Attachment J.7 - Phase Two Sections L and M.docx DOCX document
Attachment J.8 - Program Examples Including GUCs.xlsx XLSX spreadsheet
Attachment J.5 - Proposal Checklist SWIFT-Programs (Phase One).pdf PDF
Attachment J.6 - Proposal Checklist SWIFT-Support (Phase One).pdf PDF
Attachment J.22 - Cost-Price Evaluation Matrix (SWIFT-Support).xlsx XLSX spreadsheet
Attachment J.26 - Fee & Indirect Cost Matrix (SWIFT-Support).xlsx XLSX spreadsheet
Attachment J.30 - DD Form 254.pdf PDF
Attachment J.4 - OTI Database & OTI Anywhere Guide.pdf PDF
Attachment J.13 - Activity Manual Annotated Outline.pdf PDF
Attachment J.16 - OTI Global IEEE.pdf PDF
Attachment J.3 - Illustrative Personnel Qualifications.pdf PDF
Attachment J.19 - Implementation Planning Exercise (SWIFT-Support).xlsx XLSX spreadsheet
Attachment J.14 - Implementation Planning Exercise (SWIFT-Programs).xlsx XLSX spreadsheet
Attachment J.29 USAID_FY_2023_Subcontracting_Plan_Template.docx DOCX document
Attachment J.27 - Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SF-LLL).pdf PDF
Attachment J.11 - Proposal Checklist SWIFT-Support (Phase Two).pdf PDF
Attachment J.24 - Labor Category CDR Matrix (SWIFT-Support).docx DOCX document
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Attachment J.9 – Gender Integration Analysis for USAID/OTI SWIFT 6 IDIQ

USAID’s Bureau for Conflict Prevention and Stabilization’s Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) conducted a gender analysis following a decision to procure SWIFT 6. OTI understands the importance of empowering local partners to achieve effective programming and is committed to implementing programs that address key political transition and stabilization needs.

This general gender analysis is for IDIQ-level awards and provides a topline overview of gender considerations in conflict and transition environments. Individual Task Orders issued under this IDIQ will require additional and context-specific gender analysis before award.

Introducing the Gender Analysis Conflict and insecurity upend and polarize societies, disrupting social structures and norms. As societies change during periods of insecurity, so do people’s beliefs and behaviors. Men, women, girls, boys, and gender minorities experience conflict and violence differently as witnesses, victims, and perpetrators. While mass displacement, worsening socio-economic conditions, and trauma affect entire societies, they have an outsized impact on vulnerable groups, such as women and gender minorities, and often worsen existing discrimination and marginalization.

During the assessment and start-up phase for new programs, OTI conducts a gender analysis to better understand changing gender dynamics, the different roles, cultural norms, and identities of men, women, and other gender minorities, how these experiences contribute to the causes and consequences of instability, and how they can be drivers for peace. Examining the relationship between conflict, power, and gender offers greater insight for OTI into sources of tension and opportunities for peacebuilding that otherwise might be missed.

Policy Guidance The U.S. Government has several policies and strategies that address the relationship between gender, peace, and security in countries in crisis. In March 2021, President Biden signed Executive Order 14020, establishing the White House Gender Policy Council and recognizing that the “full participation of all people — including women and girls — across all aspects of our society is essential to the economic well-being, health, and security of our Nation and of the world.” The National Strategy on Gender Equity and Equality (2021) commits the U.S. to “elevate gender equality in security and humanitarian relief efforts” through promoting gender parity and gender equality issues in security processes, ensuring gender equity in humanitarian relief and refugee resettlement efforts, and including gender in efforts to prevent terrorism.

In addition, the United States Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Globally (2019, under revision) recognizes the importance of considering and incorporating GBV risks, prevention, and response as a national security and human rights priority in our work to promote peace, security, and democracy globally. Lastly, the 2017 Women, Peace and Security Act serves to strengthen efforts to prevent, mitigate, and resolve conflict by increasing women’s participation in negotiation and mediation processes. The Act mandated the creation of a government-wide strategy to increase the participation of women in peacekeeping, conflict mitigation, and security operations. Following the Act, the United States Strategy on Women, Peace, and Security was issued in June 2019 and “promotes the meaningful inclusion of women in processes to prevent, mediate, resolve, and recover from deadly conflict or disaster.”

SWIFT 6 - Attachment J.9 1 https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/03/08/executive-order-on-establishment-of-the-white-house-gender-policy-council/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/National-Strategy-on-Gender-Equity-and-Equality.pdf https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/258703.pdf https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/258703.pdf https://www.congress.gov/115/plaws/publ68/PLAW-115publ68.pdf https://www.congress.gov/115/plaws/publ68/PLAW-115publ68.pdf https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/WPS_Strategy_10_October2019.pdf https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/WPS_Strategy_10_October2019.pdf

USAID has also developed guidance on how to address gender during conflict and transition.

USAID’s Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Policy (2020, under revision) calls for increasing the legal capacity and social ability of women to participate meaningfully in peace and political processes and promoting women’s roles in the prevention of and recovery from conflict. The LGBTI Vision for Action (2014, under revision) outlines the Agency’s commitment to promoting equity for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people, including their needs and perspectives in development initiatives. USAID’s Counter-Trafficking in Persons Policy (2021) calls for increased C-TIP activities in conflict-affected areas, as well as a recognition of the specific vulnerabilities of women and girls to trafficking. The Ending Child Marriage & Meeting the Needs of Married Children: The USAID Vision for Action (2012) recognizes that girls may be more vulnerable to early marriage during and after conflict or periods of major transition.

Defining Gender1

Gender is best described as a dynamic organizing principle in society. It is more than an individual’s biological sex (male/female/intersex). Gender is a learned pattern of behavior that is embedded in everything we do at the individual, community, and institutional levels. Social definitions of what it means to be feminine or masculine, and sanctions for not adhering to those expectations, vary among cultures, change over time, and often intersect with other factors such as age, class, caste, (dis)ability, ethnicity, race, religion, and sexual orientation.

Sex refers to the different biological and physiological characteristics, such as chromosomes, hormones and reproductive organs. Gender and sex are related to but different from gender identity. Gender identity refers to a person’s deeply felt, internal and individual experience of gender, which may or may not correspond to the person’s physiology or designated sex at birth.

Gender mindset is the socialization and internalization of the described roles and expectations that a society finds most appropriate and valuable for a person—men, women, girls, boys, and sexual and gender minorities. A person’s gender mindset can alter during societal change based on new community values, norms, and expectations.

Changing Gender Norms in Periods of Transition Gender is almost always about power. Gender is hierarchical and distributed differently among men, women, and other gender minorities. An individual’s gender identity intersects with other biological, cultural, and social characteristics such as race, class, sexual orientation, ability, and religion, that influences the type and level of power that an individual holds within a society.

These intersecting identities reinforce interrelated forms of discrimination and inequity that create systems of oppression.

As described by USAID’s Center for Conflict and Violence Prevention in a 2020 gender analysis, power dynamics can manifest as unequal access to resources (money, food, jobs, education), decision-making (government, markets), protection from violence (equality before the law, violence in the home), and mobility (freedom to leave the home). This does not mean that men always hold all the power – in some places, women may have primary control over household finances or family decision-making, while in others, men may have lower rates of education.

Gender varies from society to society and changes over time, particularly during conflict and instability. It is important to not overly generalize gender roles. For example, we cannot assume that only women are victims of conflict-related sexual violence or that all women are peaceful.

1 Adapted from the Gender Inclusive Framework and Theory (GIFT) guide: https://www.usip.org/publications/2018/08/gender-inclusive-framework-and-theory

SWIFT 6 - Attachment J.9 2 https://www.womensrefugeecommission.org/research-resources/wrc-public-comment-on-draft-usaid-gender-equality-womens-empowerment-policy/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwntCVBhDdARIsAMEwACmV1sSyxoIDS5VDmX74GBq77N9KvGquN_P1hS7C-3Bh0EF2N8xnA_QaAsBuEALw_wcB https://www.usaid.gov/policy/lgbt-vision-for-action https://www.usaid.gov/trafficking/c-tip/policy https://www.usaid.gov/trafficking/c-tip/policy https://2012-2017.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2155/Child_Marriage_Vision_Factsheet.pdf#:~:text=Ending%20Child%20Marriage%20and%20Meeting%20the%20Needs%20of,the%20more%20than%2050%20million%20children%20already%20married.iage_Vision_Factsheet.pdf https://2012-2017.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2155/Child_Marriage_Vision_Factsheet.pdf#:~:text=Ending%20Child%20Marriage%20and%20Meeting%20the%20Needs%20of,the%20more%20than%2050%20million%20children%20already%20married.iage_Vision_Factsheet.pdf https://www.usip.org/publications/2018/08/gender-inclusive-framework-and-theory

One person’s perspective or behavior does not represent all who identify with that gender. This is particularly important to keep in mind when conducting a gender analysis. ADS 205 on “Integrating Gender Equality and Female Empowerment into USAID’s Program Cycle” requires that the descriptive statistics gathered for gender analyses should not treat women and men as monolithic categories but should reflect the intersection of sex with other characteristics in order to capture the extent to which intersecting identities may heighten marginalization or exclusion.

Why Does Gender Matter in Conflict and Political Transitions?

As reflected in the U.S. National Strategy on Gender Equity and Equality, conflict, political instability, and insecurity often reinforce and exacerbate gender inequality. Though women and girls are disproportionately affected during times of crisis, they remain under-represented in efforts to prevent, mitigate, and resolve conflict, post-conflict peacebuilding and recovery.

Equality and the security of women, girls and gender minorities is closely linked to state stability.2 Higher levels of gender equality are associated with a lower risk of conflict between and within states.3 Insecurity exacerbates structural inequalities, further reinforcing economic, political, and social disparities. Moreover, GBV can be used as a weapon by state actors, security forces, paramilitaries, criminal entities, and peacekeeping forces. States that fail to address gender inequalities and GBV impunity during peacebuilding and recovery risk a return to violence.4 Preventing and responding to all forms of GBV is also essential to building strong democracies. States with lower rates of GBV are the most secure, peaceful, and democratic.5

Sexual and gender-based violence is also frequently used by violent extremist organizations (VEOs) to terrorize and control populations, and VEOs routinely exploit gender roles and stereotypes to recruit and radicalize individuals.6 The systematic rape, enslavement, and trafficking of women and girls is entrenched in the ideology and practices of certain VEOs, while men and boys are subjected to forced recruitment and compelled to commit violence aimed at severing ties to their families and communities.7 Men and boys may also be subjected to sexual violence, particularly LGBTQI+ individuals. Though under-acknowledged, women serve different roles as perpetrators, victims, and mitigators. Some women are leaders, informants, recruiters, or enforcers in VEOs, joining for a complex range of socioeconomic, political, religious, and psychosocial reasons.8 Recognizing the diverse roles and contributions of women and men to preventing and countering violent extremism is critical for designing effective interventions.

Gender Analysis Domains This analysis examines sociocultural, economic, and demographic factors, as well as legal policies and practices, that influence the contexts in which CPS/OTI programs operate. At the

8 Speckhard, Anne (2021). A training manual: Women in preventing and countering violent extremism. Available at https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Field Office ECA/Attachments/Publications/2021/2/PVE_TrainingManual-min.pdf

7 Ibid.; Hudson, Valerie M.; Caprioli, Mary; Ballif-Spanvill, Bonnie; McDermott, Rose; Emmett, Chad F. (2008/2009). The Heart of the Matter: The Security of Women and the Security of States for International Security Journal. Available at:

https://www.belfercenter.org/publication/heart-matter-security-women-and-security-states.

6 U.S. Department of State and USAID (October 2018). U.S. Strategy to Support Women and Girls at Risk from Violent Extremism and Conflict. Available at https://www.state.gov/u-s-strategy-to-support-women-and-girls-at-risk-from-violent-extremism-and-conflict/.

5 Brookings Institute (2017). Democracy and Security Dialogue Policy Brief Series. Available at :

https://www.brookings.edu/research/democracy-gender-equality-and-security/

4 Arriaga, Alexandra (May 2017). Linking Security of Women & Security of States: Policymaker Blueprint for Futures Without Violence and Open Square. Available at: https://www.futureswithoutviolence.org/wp-content/uploads/FWV_blueprint_Final_web.pdf.

3 Ibid.; Hudson, Valerie M.; Caprioli, Mary; Ballif-Spanvill, Bonnie; McDermott, Rose; Emmett, Chad F. (2008/2009). The Heart of the Matter: The Security of Women and the Security of States for International Security Journal. Available at https://www.belfercenter.org/publication/heart-matter-security-women-and-security-states.

2 Arriaga, Alexandra (May 2017). Linking Security of Women & Security of States: Policymaker Blueprint for Futures Without Violence and Open Square. Available at: LINKING WOMEN & STATES.

SWIFT 6 - Attachment J.9 3 https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/10/22/fact-sheet-national-strategy-on-gender-equity-and-equality/ https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Field%20Office%20ECA/Attachments/Publications/2021/2/PVE_TrainingManual-min.pdf https://www.belfercenter.org/publication/heart-matter-security-women-and-security-states https://www.state.gov/u-s-strategy-to-support-women-and-girls-at-risk-from-violent-extremism-and-conflict/ https://www.belfercenter.org/publication/heart-matter-security-women-and-security-states https://www.futureswithoutviolence.org/wp-content/uploads/FWV_blueprint_Final_web.pdf

SWIFT 6 overarching contract level, the gender analysis domains highlight potential challenges and opportunities and provide examples that OTI and partners should consider when designing programs.

Laws, Policies, Regulations, and Institutional Practices

● Globally, women still hold only three quarters of the legal rights afforded to men.9 Women and gender minorities in fragile and conflict-affected environments are disproportionately affected by discriminatory laws and policies, as well as by a lack of legislation protecting their rights.

● During periods of conflict and political instability, laws protecting human rights are often not enforced or are discarded as the state prioritizes security and/or shuts down dissent.

This is particularly detrimental to women and gender minorities, who rely more heavily on the law to ensure their protection.

● GBV rates increase during conflict and instability, particularly among refugees and displaced populations. Without addressing underlying discrimination against women and LGBTQI+, gender inequality, and impunity for GBV, the risk of organized violence remains high and fuels state insecurity.

● Political transitions offer unique opportunities to address violations of women and gender minority rights and promote the transformation of traditional and societal norms.

Transitions do not, however, always lead to inclusive democracy and long-lasting peace, and may erode key gains in the quest for gender equality.

● Many countries in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia still criminalize homosexuality and 11 impose the death penalty.10

Cultural Norms, Beliefs and Perceptions of Gender Roles

● Conflict and insecurity exacerbate existing gender inequalities, reinforce patriarchal norms and toxic masculinity, and worsen other forms of violence and exclusion experienced by marginalized populations, including children, persons with disabilities, ethnic and religious minorities, older persons, and LGBTQI+ people.

● Instability is often used to rationalize nationalistic violence, enforce conservative gender norms and notions of family, and increase reproductive violence and control, including through atrocities.

● Aggression and violence during conflict or instability may be linked to “manhood,” with one’s enemies being seen as a threat to women’s purity or tradition. Discrimination against LGBTQI+ people may increase when adherence to idealized gender norms becomes part of how identity groups define themselves.

● Research on conflict and post-conflict countries highlights that post-conflict communities regularly see a distortion of gender dynamics and a re-emergence of patriarchal power structures that may work to condone and perpetuate violence against women.11

● Despite gender constraints, women often play an active role in bringing about political change. Countries like Sudan, Egypt, and Ukraine had high participation of women in major protest movements. In addition, women can sometimes protest in ways men cannot. In Argentina, for example, the mothers of Argentina’s “disappeared” have

11 Health and Human Rights Journal (2018). Domestic and Family Violence in Post-Conflict Communities: International Human Rights Law and the State’s Obligation to Protect Women and Children. Available at: Domestic and Family Violence in Post-Conflict Communities

10Human Dignity Trust (2022). Map of Countries that Criminalise LGBT People. Available at: Map of Countries that Criminalise LGBT People

9 World Bank (2022). Nearly 2.4 Billion Women Globally Don’t Have Same Economic Rights as Men. Available at :

https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2022/03/01/nearly-2-4-billion-women-globally-don-t-have-same-economic-rights-a s-men

SWIFT 6 - Attachment J.9 4 https://www.hhrjournal.org/2018/12/domestic-and-family-violence-in-post-conflict-communities-international-human-rights-law-and-the-states-obligation-to-protect-women-and-children/ https://www.hhrjournal.org/2018/12/domestic-and-family-violence-in-post-conflict-communities-international-human-rights-law-and-the-states-obligation-to-protect-women-and-children/ https://www.humandignitytrust.org/lgbt-the-law/map-of-criminalisation/ https://www.humandignitytrust.org/lgbt-the-law/map-of-criminalisation/ https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2022/03/01/nearly-2-4-billion-women-globally-don-t-have-same-economic-rights-as-men https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2022/03/01/nearly-2-4-billion-women-globally-don-t-have-same-economic-rights-as-men marched for forty years and succeeded in holding the Government accountable: more than 1,000 of the dictatorship’s torturers and killers had been tried and 700 sentenced.12

Gender Roles, Responsibilities, Time Use and Space

● There is an expectation across countries and cultures that women’s care work is the all-catching safety net that can absorb the costs of wars, disasters, or pandemics in detriment of women’s own economic aspirations or participation in public life.13

● In fragile and conflict-affected countries, only 44% of women are likely to be in paid work, compared to 66% of men.14

● As the primary providers of water, food and energy at the household and community levels, rural women are often highly dependent on natural resources for their livelihoods and are therefore particularly susceptible to changes in the availability and quality of these resources during and after instability.15

● Conflict-affected countries enacted half as many social protection measures in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 crisis as countries that are not classified as conflict-affected, disproportionately impacting women.16

● In post-conflict countries, nearly four in five women are in paid agriculture work with low wages and few legal protections. 17 Women take on heavier domestic burdens and caregiving duties during instability, impairing their ability to earn a stable income.

● Conflict can also allow space for gender patterns to change; for example, when women leave the home to become combatants or take up jobs that men can no longer do, such as in Ukraine, where women are taking both military and head-of-household roles. The war in Ukraine is also having a disproportionate gendered impact on women and minorities, who are facing immense hardship when it comes to health, safety, and access to food.18

Access to and Control Over Assets and Resources

● Around 2.4 billion women of working age are not afforded equal economic opportunity and 178 countries maintain legal barriers that prevent their full economic participation. In 86 countries, women face some form of job restriction and 95 countries do not guarantee equal pay for equal work.19 Women in fragile and conflict-affected countries consistently face greater economic barriers than their peers in more stable and developed countries.

● Women and gender minorities in fragile and conflict affected countries suffer disproportionately from unequal access to resources, including housing and land rights, social benefits, and public services.

● Child marriage is closely correlated with lower education and employment opportunities and increased during conflict and economic uncertainty.20 Reports of child marriage in Afghanistan skyrocketed in late 2021, for example, following the Taliban takeover.

20 UNICEF (2020). Child Marriage around the World. Available at: Child marriage around the world

19 Bank Group (2022). Women, Business, and the Law. Available at: Women, Business and the Law.

18 UN Women and Care (2022). Disproportionate Impact of the War. Available at:

https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/news/2022/05/ukraine-new-un-women-and-care-report-highlights-disproportionate-impact -of-the-war-on-women-and-minorities

17 GIWPS and Permanent Mission of the UAE to the UN (2020). Advancing Women’s Participation in Post-Conflict Reconstruction

16 Ruth Carlitz (2021, forthcoming). Comparing Military and Human Security Spending. Data from the International Labour Organization

15 UN Women (2013). Women and Natural Resources: Unlocking the Peacebuilding Potential. Available at https://postconflict.unep.ch/publications/UNEP_UN-Women_PBSO_UNDP_gender_NRM_peacebuilding_report.pdf

14 Yvonne Quek (2019). Women’s Work Amid Fragility and Conflict: Key Patterns and Constraints. Georgetown Institute for Women Peace and Security

13 UNDP and UN Women, COVID-19 Global Gender Response Tracker, available at: https://data.undp.org/gendertracker/

12 The Guardian (2017). Forty Years Years Later. Available at: 40 years later

SWIFT 6 - Attachment J.9 5 https://www.unicef.org/stories/child-marriage-around-world https://thedocs.worldbank.org/en/doc/702301554216687135-0050022019/original/WBLDECADEOFREFORM2019WEB0401.pdf https://data.undp.org/gendertracker/ https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/28/mothers-plaza-de-mayo-argentina-anniversary

● Failure to recognize the challenges to women in conflict-affected settings risks perpetuating inequalities and deepening grievances linked to natural resource rights, access and control, which have proven to be powerful catalysts for violence. 21

● Addressing resource access and ownership inequality and participation in decision-making and benefit sharing early on in peacebuilding is critical for lasting peace.22

● In the aftermath of conflict, capitalizing on changing gender roles can also break down barriers to women’s empowerment and enhance productivity in sectors critical to economic revitalization.

Patterns of Power and Decision-Making

● Women remain significantly under-represented in decisions related to peace and security, despite evidence of their critical contributions to stability.

● Between 1992 and 2019, women constituted, on average, only 13% of negotiators, 6% of signatories, and 6% of mediators in major peace processes.23 However, research shows that when women meaningfully participate in peace processes, the resulting agreements are 35% more likely to last at least 15 years24 because women’s participation broadens the range of conflict drivers and potential solutions under discussion.

● Worldwide, only 25.5% of all national parliamentarians are women. In conflict and post-conflict countries, women’s representation in parliament was just 18.9% in 2020.25

● In 2020, women made up 36.9% of local-level elected positions globally, and 25.9% in conflict-affected countries. 26 Women’s participation in public administration in fragile and conflict-affected countries averages 23%, less than half of the average in all other countries.27

● Women and girls are also frequently overlooked in preventing and countering violent extremism efforts, despite their roles as survivors, preventers, peacebuilders, policy makers, and security actors, as well as supporters and perpetrators. 28 Efforts to address VE are more effective and sustainable when women and girls are leaders in the response, and when they have the opportunities and resources to mitigate it.29

● Women politicians, peacebuilders, civil society leaders, and human rights defenders face disproportionate risks of GBV online and offline, and this violence can cause women and girls to withdraw from public life or deter them from participating in the first place.30

● Authoritarian leaders and other political actors in countries like Russia, Belarus, India, Turkey, and the Philippines are using gender disinformation and online abuse to push

30 Brookings Institute (2021). Gendered Disinformation is a National Security Problem. Available at: Gendered disinformation

29 U.S. Department of State and USAID (October 2018). U.S. Strategy to Support Women and Girls at Risk from Violent Extremism and Conflict. Available at:

https://www.state.gov/u-s-strategy-to-support-women-and-girls-at-risk-from-violent-extremism-and-conflict/.

28 Speckhard, Anne (2021). A training manual: Women in preventing and countering violent extremism. Available at https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Field Office ECA/Attachments/Publications/2021/2/PVE_TrainingManual-min.pdf

27 United Nations Security Council (2021). Report of the Secretary-General on women peace and security (S/2021/827), para. 51.

Available at https://undocs.org/S/2021/827

26 United Nations Security Council (2021). Report of the Secretary-General on women peace and security (S/2021/827), para. 51.

Available at https://undocs.org/S/2021/827

25 UN Women’s calculation based on data from Inter-Parliamentary Union, Monthly ranking of women in national parliaments as of 1 January 2021. Available at https://data.ipu.org/women-ranking?month=1&year=2021.

24 International Peace Institute (June 2015). Reimagining Peacemaking: Women’s Roles in Peace Processes. Available at https://www.ipinst.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/IPI-E-pub-Reimagining-Peacemaking.pdf.

23 UN Women and the Council on Foreign Relations (January 2018). Women’s Participation in Peace Processes. Available at https://www.cfr.org/interactive/womens-participation-in-peace-processes.

22 UN Women (2013). Women and Natural Resources: Unlocking the Peacebuilding Potential. Available at https://postconflict.unep.ch/publications/UNEP_UN-Women_PBSO_UNDP_gender_NRM_peacebuilding_report.pdf

21 UN Women (2013). Women and Natural Resources: Unlocking the Peacebuilding Potential. Available at https://postconflict.unep.ch/publications/UNEP_UN-Women_PBSO_UNDP_gender_NRM_peacebuilding_report.pdf

SWIFT 6 - Attachment J.9 6 https://www.brookings.edu/techstream/gendered-disinformation-is-a-national-security-problem/ https://www.state.gov/u-s-strategy-to-support-women-and-girls-at-risk-from-violent-extremism-and-conflict/ https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Field%20Office%20ECA/Attachments/Publications/2021/2/PVE_TrainingManual-min.pdf https://undocs.org/S/2021/827 https://undocs.org/S/2021/827 https://data.ipu.org/women-ranking?month=1&year=2021 https://www.ipinst.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/IPI-E-pub-Reimagining-Peacemaking.pdf https://www.cfr.org/interactive/womens-participation-in-peace-processes back against the progress made on women’s and minority rights. This movement “seeks to push women politicians and activists aside, reignite gender stereotypes and misogyny, and strategically take advantage of technology as a tool in these campaigns.” 31

31 Brookings Institute (2021). Gendered Disinformation is a National Security Problem. Available at: Gendered disinformation

SWIFT 6 - Attachment J.9 7 https://www.brookings.edu/techstream/gendered-disinformation-is-a-national-security-problem/

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