"La Lutte Continue": the Role of the UNSCR 1325 National Action Plan in Promoting Women's Participation in Peacebuilding in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Author
Pipinato, Chiara
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2023
Submitted on
2023-05-21
Pages
68
Abstract
This thesis examines what the launch of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s National Action Plan (NAP) on Women, Peace and Security has meant for women’s inclusion in peacebuilding, and how local organizations navigate its limits. Using a “politics of scale” lens—looking at how local, national, and international levels interact—the study finds that limited funding, socio-cultural barriers, and weak effectiveness at the local level make the NAP’s impact largely symbolic: visible on paper, but thin in practice. Yet organizations use this symbolism as a resource. By working across scales and invoking how things “should be” under the NAP and UN Security Council Resolution 1325, they expand their influence. They reinforce their local base of support (“space of dependence”) and create new arenas for action (“spaces of engagement”) by building networks of associations to reach their goals more effectively. This strategy increases the role of women’s organizations in promoting women’s inclusion in peacebuilding, makes them interlocutors at local, national, and international levels, and positions them as Congolese political actors able to represent the country as a whole.
Denne afhandling undersøger, hvad lanceringen af Den Demokratiske Republik Congos nationale handlingsplan (NAP) for Kvinder, Fred og Sikkerhed har betydet for kvinders inddragelse i fredsopbygning, og hvordan lokale organisationer håndterer planens begrænsninger. Med et “politics of scale”-perspektiv – altså hvordan det lokale, nationale og internationale niveau påvirker hinanden – peger studiet på, at begrænset finansiering, sociale og kulturelle barrierer samt svag virkning lokalt gør NAP’ens effekt overvejende symbolsk: synlig på papiret, men begrænset i praksis. Alligevel bruger organisationer denne symbolik aktivt. Ved at spille på flere niveauer og henvise til, hvordan tingene “bør være” ifølge NAP’en og FN’s Sikkerhedsråds resolution 1325, udvider de deres indflydelse. De styrker deres lokale støttebase (“space of dependence”) og skaber nye handlearenaer (“spaces of engagement”) ved at opbygge netværk af foreninger for at nå deres mål mere effektivt. Denne strategi øger kvindeorganisationers rolle i at fremme kvinders inddragelse i fredsopbygning, gør dem til samtalepartnere på lokalt, nationalt og internationalt niveau og positionerer dem som congolesiske politiske aktører, der kan repræsentere landet som helhed.
[This apstract has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]
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