Understanding the Slow Progress in Appointing Women as Mediators to Formal Peace Processes – An investigation of Norway’s process from words on paper to action

Abstract

In October 2020 the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) celebrated 20 years of existence. The resolution emphasises the important role women play in peace building and peace processes. Yet remarkably little have improved for women in mediation. An average of six percent of mediators in formal peace processes between 1992 and 2019 were women. From 2015-2019 there was an increase to eleven percent. This thesis investigates the slow progress in getting women to the mediation role. It does so with the case of Norway, a potential outlier in comparison to the global average. In both 2016 and 2018, Norway had to two formal peace processes where both mediators were women. By using feminist institutionalism theory and expert interview as method, this thesis investigates how the institutional structure of the Section of Peace and Reconciliation in Norway supports, or hinders, women’s inclusion to the most formal peace processes. This is a contribution to the research gap concerning women mediators and to the theoretical field of feminist institutionalism on the WPS agenda.