Corporate thematic evaluation of UN Women’s support to women’s participation in peace processes

Advancing women’s participation in peace processes is a cornerstone of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda. UN Women champions this work by supporting gender equality and women’s rights and ensuring women’s meaningful involvement at every stage and level of peace processes. Yet, this work faces significant challenges. Peace processes are inherently sensitive and political, often limiting UN Women’s access. Moreover, global trends of backlash against gender equality further complicate efforts to advance women’s roles in peacemaking.

Against this backdrop, UN Women conducted a corporate evaluation on UN Women’s support to women’s participation in peace processes between 2018 and 2023. The evaluation drew on extensive stakeholder input and a mixed-methods, realist approach. It assessed “what worked where, in which contexts, for whom and in what ways”.

The evaluation found that supporting women’s participation in peace processes is deeply rooted in UN Women’s unique mandate and leadership role, and its strong relationship with women’s civil society allows it to effectively bring women’s voices to peace processes. The evaluation identified five key mechanisms for achieving results, including:

• convening stakeholders,
• increasing awareness,
• supporting women’s mobilization,
• embedding WPS within institutions, and
• developing strategic relationships.

The evaluation also highlighted areas for improvement, including the need to:

• strengthen political and diplomatic capacities,
• systematically share lessons learned,
• sharpen efforts to engage marginalized groups, and
• proactively address resistance to gender equality.

The findings and recommendations aim to inform strategic decisions and future work on the WPS portfolio, aligning with the current UN Women Strategic Plan.