Since 2013, Peaceful Change initiative has been supporting community-level peacebuilding initiatives in more than 40 Libyan municipalities. This report captures our experience and lessons learned from nearly 10 years of integrating gender into our programme. Key lessons include:
- Using a gender lens to analyse conflict was key to increasing community understanding of why women’s agency in local peace and conflict should not be underestimated
- Understanding interests and needs of diverse groups of women helped to offer relevant incentives for them to engage in local peacebuilding activities
- Working with men on their attitudes and behaviours and identifying ‘male allies’ helped to create a safer space for women to participate
- Funding and opportunities for women to strengthen their leadership skills and implement their own initiatives represented an important tool to deepen women’s participation
- Safely raising the visibility of women peace leaders helped shift social perceptions towards women and their role in peace and decision making
Find out more about the Social Peace and Local Development (SPLD) programme
