En fredligare lösning? – En undersökning av kvinnors deltagande i fredsprocesser och den svenska implementeringen av FN-resolution 1325

In today's conflicts women are especially exposed. The UNSC-resolution 1325 recognises this and also that women’s participation in the process of establishing a stable peace, is crucial. Despite an increasing awareness of the resolution and its importance, the implementation is lagging behind and women are continually under-represented. Thus this thesis aims at analysing the implementation of resolution 1325, focusing on one of its main objectives: increasing female participation and influence in peace-processes. The study departs in Sweden's plan of action. The research also aims to, within a normative framework, stress the importance of female participation. From a gender perspective the research emanates from theories on implementation, power and female participation and representation. First, the thesis has shown that female participation is important because of women’s special experiences from conflict and their often particular and common political interests. Furthermore, their participation is essential in order to grasp all sides of a conflict. Second, the research has found that the implementation falls short in recognising local priorities; and so far, few explicit suggestions on how women can influence have been made. Also, the working guidelines remain unclear. The study is mainly based on interviews with key persons in the Swedish implementation of resolution 1325