Women's peacebuilding civil society organisations and empowerment: A case Study of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Women are underrepresented in politics and rarely included in official peace processes, therefore, they often mobilise in civil society. Moreover, the political empowerment of women continues to be understudied. The thesis looks into how women's peacebuilding civil society organisations engage in the political empowerment of women. To finds answers to the research question, five women's peacebuilding civil society organisations based in Bosnia and Herzegovina were analysed through a conceptual framework of political empowerment. The organisations share the ideas of pacifism and gender equality. The research concludes that they engage in all dimensions of the conceptual framework but most significantly aim at increasing women's agency. The organisations provide women with a safe space to use their voices, share experiences, and create momentum. All the studied organisations fight gender-based violence and provide legal assistance to women. Membership in different networks and initiatives was identified as an important asset. The activities aiming at political empowerment and not directly stating the objective of peacebuilding can be perceived as such due to the positive link between gender equality and sustainable peace