Feminist peacebuilding governance

This chapter explores the evolution of 20 years of UN feminist governance in peacebuilding from both a policy formation and a practice perspective. The first section examines the evolution of the UN feminist peacebuilding normative and legal framework. It suggests that there are two demands promoted by feminist activists and scholars that are now well-established UN peacebuilding practices: partnership with local women’s organisations and the engagement of informal, localised spaces in the quest for multidimensional sustainable peace. The second section examines how these gender-sensitive practices in UN peacebuilding interventions are implemented and reveals their limitations. The chapter argues that peacebuilding interventions could offer opportunities for the diffusion of feminist peacebuilding norms and values including the inclusion of marginalised perspectives. Nevertheless, they are often based on a set of assumptions about women’s agency and informal spaces that lead to important tensions and contradictions, limiting the impact of UN feminist peacebuilding governance.