Gender-Responsive SSR: What Does it Mean and What are the Challenges for its Implementation?

The integration of a gender perspective is widely recognised as one of the key principles of security sector reform (SSR). However, despite this, gender perspectives are often not strategically addressed or, worse yet, not considered at all during the practical implementation of SSR. The failure to ensure gender-responsive SSR prevents the reform process from contributing to an effective, accountable and sustainable security sector.

Building on the FBA’s approach to SSR, this brief aims to outline why the integration of a gender perspective is one of the key principles of the reform process. It also aims to raise some of the common misunderstandings related to gender and how they prevent gender-responsive SSR.

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Working for peace in the shadow of a frozen conflict

Since 2008, the European Union Monitoring Mission EUMM has been a constant presence in Georgia. With the mandate to monitor the ceasefire and prevent the conflict between Georgia and Russia from reigniting, the mission works to promote stability and security – and to help ensure a safer daily life for the people affected.

2025-08-26 12:45

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The Gender-Responsive Leader's Handbook

Gender equality is both a goal and a prerequisite for sustainable peace and development. FBA’s Gender-Responsive Leadership (GRL) Initiative is designed to support leaders and managers within organizations such as the EU, UN, ECOWAS, OSCE and the African Union to fulfill their central role in enabling gender equal peace, security and development work.

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Monitor at EUMM in Georgia

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Election observer

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Part One of this post highlighted the importance of the rule of law in supporting crisis response in countries struggling with the effects of conflict. One of the most important rule of law principles in such settings is accountability, particularly “downward accountability”, in which state authorities focus on serving citizens dependent on them.

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The post Civil Society as a Critical Partner: Rule of Law and Accountability in the Liberian COVID-19 Response, Part II first appeared on FBA-bloggen.
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Posted by Kristin Valasek
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Right before the winter break, 236 women and men from 105 different organizations and 46 countries around the world joined our International Dialogue on Gender-Responsive Leadership, to discuss an absolutely critical and often missing part of the gender equality puzzle: gender-responsive leadership.

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The post Time for a joint vision on gender-responsive leadership first appeared on FBA-bloggen.
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Gender-Responsive SSR: What Does it Mean and What are the Challenges for its Implementation?

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The Gender-Responsive Leader's Handbook