Disarmament Demobilization and Reintegration
Encouraging gender equality as part of DDR programming means recognizing and supporting:
- The equal rights of women and men to participate;
- The experiences, roles and responsibilities of both sexes during and after conflict and reflect them in the design and implementation of DDR programmes.
Steps to ensure that women’s interests and needs are included in national DDR programmes:
- Establish quotas for women participating in peace negotiations and decision-making bodies on DDR, including in peace accords;
- Support women to participate in these processes by providing training, education and the necessary resources;
- Ensure that female participants in the DDR programme and a range of women’s views―e.g. leaders representing different social, political, geographical, and economic groups, including disadvantaged groups―are taken into consideration during DDR planning and implementation;
- Hire gender experts to inform all stages of planning and implementation;
- Ensure that the national DDR authority has an explicit mandate and legal framework governing DDR programming for women
