Gender roles in war and armed conflicts have been stereotyped for centuries across many cultures. Men are not all equally involved in violent conflicts and women are by no means only victims, however.

Though still important today, the strategic objectives of the 1995 Beijing Platform for Action on women and armed conflict have not been achieved: reducing military spending and promoting human rights and non-violent conflict resolution. Action is needed to explicitly address women and their contribution to fostering a culture of peace: participation in peace processes, the protection of women in conflict situations and the provision of assistance and training opportunities for refugee and internally displaced women in need of protection under international law. The global study on the 15th anniversary of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security in 2015 clearly proves that the participation of women is verifiably central to the effectiveness, success and sustainability of peace processes.

By supporting specific projects and programmes with partner institutions at government level and in civil society, the Austrian Development Agency seeks to contribute to putting the study recommendations into practice;