Engendering Sustainable Peace: Toward a Victim-Centric, Gender Aware and Culturally Sensitive UN Peacekeeping Framework

Proposals for a standing United Nations (UN) peacekeeping body--often referred to as a UN Emergency Peace Service (UNEPS)--have percolated for decades in order to prevent armed conflict and atrocity crimes, protect civilians at extreme risk, ensure prompt start-up of peace-keeping operations, and provide immediate humanitarian assistance in emergencies. However, these discussions have not always engaged with some of the uncomfortable aspects of previous peacekeeping operations, including the failure to adhere to a "do not harm" principle, in particular toward vulnerable women and girls. With the UN Summit of the Future on the horizon and the People's Pact for the Future is developing apace, UNEPS and similar proposals are gaining support from civil society and States. This panel discussion aims to ensure that such initiatives draw from past experience as they look to the future. This Q&A panel discussion-- hosted by Citizens for Global Solutions (CGS) and the World Federalist Movement/Institute for Global Policy (WFM-IGP)--will draw on lessons learned from past and current UN peacekeeping operations to explore why and probe how all current United Nations permanent peace force proposals should apply a gender sensitive approach.