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Gender centre
20 October 2016

r4d “Gender and Conflict” research project recommended for renewal

Following a mid-term evaluation held on 26 September in Bern, the Review Panel of the Swiss Programme for Research on Global Issues for Development (r4d) has recommended the renewal of the Gender Centre’s project on the Gender Dimensions of Social Conflict, Armed Violence and Peacebuilding for another three years.

During the r4d Social Conflict Forum that accompanied the mid-term evaluation, the Research Consortium presented three preliminary, particularly policy-relevant findings to academics, experts and practitioners.

  • First, the research uncovered instances of grass-roots, gendered models of "early warning" and dialogue-fostering initiatives that contributed significantly to de-escalating tensions in ethno-religious conflicts in Jos (Nigeria) and Ambon (Indonesia).
  • Second, researchers identified the case of the Inong Balee, a group of former female combatants turned into peacebuilders in Aceh, who have been largely neglected by the local and national peace processes, creating a missed opportunity for a more inclusive peace.
  • Finally, the project highlighted negotiations around the regional implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 in Aceh, in particular how concessions regarding the name and scope of implementing legislation opened the path for promoting gender equality in an environment otherwise resistant to international gender equality norms.

The Forum offered our research consortium an opportunity to liaise with the two other r4d projects funded under the r4d/SNSF social conflict theme. The research consortia exchanged experiences and common challenges, discussed cross-cutting themes emerging from their respective research, and shared insights with regard to research design and method.

Gender Dimensions of Social Conflict, Armed Violence, and Peacebuilding is a six year research project funded by the Swiss Programme for Research on Global Issues for Development, a joint programme of the Swiss Agency for Cooperation and Development (SDC) and the Swiss National Science Foundation. Its goal is to investigate, at the micro-level, links between gender dynamics and conflict cycles (escalation, de-escalation, non-escalation), and gender in peacebuilding processes in Indonesia and Nigeria.

The research consortium consists of three teams, one based in Indonesia and coordinated by Prof. Wening Udasmoro and Arifah Rahmawati, both from the Universitas Gadjah Mada, in Yogyakarta, one based in Nigeria and led by Joy Onyesoh (President, WILPF Nigeria) and Mimidoo Achakpa (Executive Director, Women’s Right to Education), and the responsible team in Switzerland, including Prof. Elisabeth Prügl, Dr. Christelle Rigual (Research Coordinator), Piia Bränfors (Research Assistant) at the Graduate Institute, Geneva; Dr. Rahel Kunz (co-applicant) from the University of Lausanne, and Dr. Henri Myrttinen (partner) from International Alert. The project was conceived by Dr. Jana Krause, who crafted the initial proposal based on her dissertation research, and served as lead researcher and coordinator during the project’s first phase.