Gender and Peace Commission (GEP)

 

The Gender and Peace Commission (GEP) – previously the Women and Peace Commission – is one of the earliest commissions of International Peace Research Association (IPRA) with members all around the world. During the 2000 IPRA International Conference in Finland, the Women and Peace Commission was renamed for Gender and Peace Commission to emphasize that all women and men, girls and boys, need to help implement effective strategies to end gender-based violence and promote social justice and sustainable peace. 

The IPRA’s mission is “to advance the field of peace research through rigorous investigation into the causes of conflict and through examination of alternatives to violence.” Therefore, the Gender and Peace Commission represents the development and strengthening of strategies for ending gender-based violence and promoting social justice in a world free from violence, which is our common responsibility. 

GEP Commission is dedicated to shaping global standards on gender equality and women’s empowerment and invite scholars and practitioners to evaluate gendered forms of vulnerability in today’s global world and effective responses to them with a focus on: 

  • Gender, power and empowerment and peace-building
  • Gender, peace, and development in policy development.
  • Promoting gender justice and community development.
  • Structures and processes for promoting women’s and girls’ human rights.
  • Youth and gender-based violence and preventive measures
  • Increasing women’s roles as decision-makers in all levels of society.
  • Reducing cultural and gender norms as barriers to equality, particularly, changing laws to improve equality.
  • Equity and social justice through education.
  • Gender issues and health, including reproductive health.
  • Technology as a tool in social movements, as a means with which to give voice to girls and women in closed societies.
  • Women’s participation in and contribution to economic recovery.
  • Gendered vulnerability and cultural belonging.
  • Women in peace-making activities.
  • Other proposals related to the conference theme and to the intersectionality of gender, conflict, peace and power. 

We look forward to a successful Gender and Peace Commission during the 2021 IPRA International Conference in Nairobi, Kenya. 

Commission Conveners:

  • Maria Subert, Hostos Community College, USA
  • Seema Shekhawat, India