Breaking the gender trap: Challenging patriarchal norms to clear pathways for peace

International Alert’s latest research in Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Nigeria and the Philippines has found that peacebuilding is compromised by restrictive patriarchal understandings of gender roles. Each of these countries has developed national action plans on UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security, yet each has struggled to promote meaningful and sustainable gender equality because they are missing programming that transforms discriminatory gender norms. The authors, Ndeye Sow and Swechchha Dahal, find that patriarchal norms must be placed at the heart of peacebuilding to achieve sustainable peace.