Women's role in peacebuilding: Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala compared

Peacebuilding has become increasing important as a means of preventing continuing hostilities among previously warring factions. Traditional peacebuilding strategies to date have included activities that strive to address challenges related to security, governance, relief, development, and reconciliation with the goal of curbing potential volatile situations from once again becoming full-fledged conflicts. However, peacebuilding strategies or designs have not fully recognized the particular needs of women and have not acknowledged the significance of women’s contributions to peacebuilding in war torn communities. In Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala women responded to this marginalization by initiating unique peacebuilding mechanisms and making space for themselves during the process of rebuilding. This analysis therefore begins with an analysis of traditional peacebuilding, introducing four areas that have been identified as important during peacebuilding, and outlining some of the concerns, problems and limitations that plague the peacebuilding process in the post-war setting. It then turns to an examination of women’s role in peacebuilding in three case studies, namely Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala. This study is significant because it demonstrates that women have played an integral role in the peacebuilding process in Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala. While marginalized from traditional peacebuilding processes, women’s experiences and knowledge building peace post-conflict have the potential to contribute to an improve and more inclusive peacebuilding design that may result in increased effectiveness for future operations