Women’s participation in peacebuilding is crucial in the development of three pillars of lasting peace: economic recovery, social cohesion, and political legitimacy. Evidence indicates that women participants in peace processes are usually focused less on post-conflict balances of power and more on reconciliation processes, economic development, education, and transitional justice, which are all critical elements of sustainable peace.

However, women are often excluded from formal peace processes. Between 1992 and 2019, women constituted, on average, thirteen percent of negotiators, six percent of mediators, and six percent of signatories in major peace processes around the world. While there has been some progress in women’s participation, about seven out of every 10 peace processes do not include women mediators or women signatories—the latter indicating that few women participated in leadership roles as negotiators, guarantors, or witnesses.

Join us on Friday, July 2, 2021 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time as YouthLead Ambassadors Maria Fernanda Montes Ribiero from Brazil and Anita Dywaba from South Africa come together in a conversation about the importance of female representation in the peacebuilding process and the challenges ahead in achieving gender equality. Both YouthLead Ambassadors will draw directly from their first-hand experiences working on these issues through youth-focused projects and share stories on how they have promoted gender equality and youth engagement in peacebuilding.

PRESENTERS

ANITA DYWABA, Human Rights Activist, YouthLead Ambassador, South Africa

Anita Dywaba is the YouthLead Ambassador from South Africa. She is currently studying for her postgraduate degree at Rhodes University in journalism and media studies. Anita is a founding member of a non-profit called Nkwenkwezi NPO that provides tutoring services to disadvantaged students and their families. She also serves as a sub-Saharan Ambassador to Peace First. Anita is part of the South African Institute for International Affairs (SAIIA) Youth Policy Committee, evaluating policies relating to gender, peace and security, and inequalities and racism. Anita was the lead of the Peace and Security thematic group for SAIIA’s APRM youth submission report. Lastly, Anita hosts a podcast called “Let’s Talk Activism.”

FERNANDA RIBEIRO, Human Rights Researcher, YouthLead Ambassador, Brazil

Fernanda Ribeiro is currently a YouthLead Ambassador for the YouthPower2: Learning and Evaluation program. She is an undergraduate law student of the Federal University of Ceará and a human-rights researcher focusing on gender, democracy, and the rule of law in Latin America. Beyond that, she is the general coordinator of Vote Nelas Fortaleza, a project aimed to increase female representation in local politics, a volunteer at AIESEC and part of the United People Global community. She advocates for SDGs 5, 16 and 17.

ABOUT YOUTHLEAD

Launched in 2018 under the USAID-funded project YouthPower Learning and continued under YP2LE, YouthLead.org is designed for young changemakers making a positive impact in their community through service, activism, advocacy, education, and entrepreneurship. Our network members are focused on finding solutions by connecting people, ideas, and resources to tackle critical issues affecting young people at home and around the world.

ABOUT YOUTHPOWER2: LEARNING AND EVALUATION (YP2LE)

YP2LE activities will bring USAID’s Youth in Development Policy to life by enabling investments in PYD research and evaluation within and across multiple sectors, including health, education, agriculture/food security, economic opportunity, peace and security, democracy, and human rights and governance. YP2LE will build and disseminate PYD evidence across multiple sectors; offer leadership in promoting PYD best practices; and provide rapid response, technical assistance to USAID staff to design, implement, and evaluate youth activities. The goal of these activities is to give practitioners the information, tools, and resources they need to develop high-quality, impactful, and sustainable youth programs, allowing empowered youth, working with supportive adults, to create the kind of sustainable change in individuals and systems.