Gender and Defence Sector Reform: Problematising the Place of Women in Conflict-Affected Environments

Gordon, Eleanor

doi:10.1080/17502977.2018.1516389

Cited by 10 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Based squarely in the Kathmandu valley, aid donors and international organisations were slow to understand the success of the Maoist movement in relatively remote parts of the country and initially favoured 'law and order' solutions by strengthening the existing state capacities in contrast to the fundamental state restructuring called for by the rebels (Rasaratnam and Malagodi 2012). Since the peace agreement, the international organisations have sought to apply a blue-print of 'liberal peacebuilding' to post-conflict politics, offering technocratic and international expertise-based approaches to security sector reform, reintegration of former combatants, reform of political parties and institutions, and the promotion of social inclusion and gender equality (Gordon 2018;Westendorf 2018).…”

Section: Civil War Post-conflict Transition and Peacebuilding In Nepalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Capitalising on UNSCR 1325: The Construction of Best Practices for the Women, Peace and Security Agenda

Lyytikäinen

Yadav

2021

Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding

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This article explores a narrative of peacebuilding best practice: the national efforts to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1325 in Nepal. We demonstrate how the contested realities of postconflict gender politics are skilfully transformed into internationally transferable policy knowledge. We argue that in order to construct a peacebuilding best practice, policy entrepreneurs draw on their social capital to make claims about policy as simultaneously local and context-specific as well as global and universally applicable. The credibility of the claims is based on the extent to which they can be presented to international policy audiences in formats suitable for their consumption.

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Section: Civil War Post-conflict Transition and Peacebuilding In Nepalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Capitalising on UNSCR 1325: The Construction of Best Practices for the Women, Peace and Security Agenda

Lyytikäinen

Yadav

2021

Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding

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“…In this sense, outsiders tend to be rendered experts, rather than those who have context-specific knowledge or direct experience of the threats and needs being discussed. This can be coupled with gendered and ageist assumptions about security knowledge, with women and young people being thought to lack the requisite knowledge, skills and aptitude to make valid contributions to crisis response programming (Goldstein, 2018;Gordon, 2019;Lee-Koo, 2018).…”

Section: Why Are Inclusive and Responsive Approaches Lacking?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Addressing the security needs of adolescent girls in protracted crises: Inclusive, responsive, and effective?

Gordon

Lee-Koo

2020

Contemporary Security Policy

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Adolescent girls face significant and often unique forms of insecurity in protracted crises. Yet, their specific needs tend to be overlooked by international agencies, and they are rarely consulted as programs are developed and implemented. Drawing from field research conducted in four crisis contexts-Lake Chad (Niger, Nigeria, and Cameroon), South Sudan and Uganda, Lebanon (Beirut), and Bangladesh (Cox's Bazar)-this article explores the experiences of insecurity that adolescent girls face in crisis contexts, and the extent to which responses to their needs are inclusive, responsive, and effective. Employing literature from inclusive peacebuilding, the article argues that marginalizing adolescent girls in the development and implementation of programs compromises the ability for such programs to be responsive to their needs. Moreover, it misses the opportunity to employ their skills, knowledge, and strengths to build resilience and security within their communities.

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“…Articles in this special issue address ways in which different actors or stakeholders engaged in SSR and DDR may compete or co-operate, and how their normative assumptions may collide and, consequently, further complicate planning and implementation of programmes. The contributions pay particular attention to the relationship between state and non-state actors: assumptions about who has the necessary skills, knowledge and aptitude to work in the security sector or engage in SSR, which tends to marginalise those not perceived to be part of the formal security sector as well as privilege those considered to be representative or constitutive of the state (Gordon 2018); the integration of combatants from non-state armed groups after conflict into state armed forces (Bussmann 2018 andGordon 2018); the impact certain non-state (and state) actors can have on undermining prospects for programmatic success (Ansorg and Strasheim 2018); as well as the role of local communities in community policing schemes (Kagoro 2018 andKocak 2018). Gordon's (2018) article reflects upon the continued marginalisation of women in SSR, particularly defence reform, despite the fact that gender-responsive SSR is increasingly recognised as being key to success.…”

Section: A Myriad Of Actorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Co-operation, Contestation and Complexity in Post-Conflict Security Sector Reform

Ansorg

Gordon

2018

Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding

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Security Sector Reform (SSR) remains a key feature of peacebuilding interventions and is usually undertaken by a state alongside national and international partners. External actors engaged in SSR tend to follow a normative agenda that often has little regard for the context in post-conflict societies. Despite recurrent criticism, SSR practices of international organisations and bilateral donors often remain focused on state institutions, and often do not sufficiently attend to alternative providers of security or existing normative frameworks of security. This article provides a critical overview of existing research and introduces the special issue on 'Co-operation, Contestation and Complexity in Post-Conflict Security Sector Reform'. We explore three aspects that add an important piece to the puzzle of what constitutes effective SSR. First, the variation of norm adoption, norm contestation and norm imposition in post-conflict countries that might explain the mixed results in terms of peacebuilding. Second, the multitude of different security actors within and beyond the state which often leads to multiple patterns of cooperation and contestation within reform programmes. And third, how both the multiplicity of and tension between norms and actors further complicate efforts to build peace or, as complexity theory would posit, influence the complex and non-linear social system that is the conflict-affected environment.

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Gender and Defence Sector Reform: Problematising the Place of Women in Conflict-Affected Environments

Cited by 10 publications

References 37 publications

Capitalising on UNSCR 1325: The Construction of Best Practices for the Women, Peace and Security Agenda

Capitalising on UNSCR 1325: The Construction of Best Practices for the Women, Peace and Security Agenda

Addressing the security needs of adolescent girls in protracted crises: Inclusive, responsive, and effective?

Co-operation, Contestation and Complexity in Post-Conflict Security Sector Reform

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