Swedish Women’s Mediation Network – A Historical Overview

After the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1325 in 2000, emphasizing the necessity of women's involvement in all international efforts for peace and security, significant progress has been made globally. However, women are still significantly underrepresented in peace talks and mediation processes.

Therefore, the Swedish government decided in June 2015 to establish a network tasked with strengthening women's roles and active participation in peace processes. Members of the network were Swedish women with significant expertise and experience in peace mediation, peacebuilding, negotiation, and international diplomacy.

Over the years, the network's members have contributed to enhancing women's capacity in dialogue and mediation, as well as highlighting women's perspectives, needs, and interests in dialogue and peace processes.

Activities Conducted by the Network

The network's members have contributed to strengthening women's capacity in dialogue and mediation, as well as highlighting women's perspectives, needs, and interests in dialogue and peace processes. The following are some examples:

Support for Women in Negotiations in Sudan

In Sudan, technical advice and capacity-building efforts were provided to women involved in negotiations for the restoration of constitutional order on multiple occasions in 2022–2023. The initiative was a collaboration with the Swedish embassy, UN Women, and the UN mission UNITAMS.

Workshop with South Sudanese Female Leaders

In December 2018, network members participated in a workshop where South Sudanese female leaders involved in the country's peace process shared their experiences and lessons learned.

The key outcomes were compiled in the report "Women's Experiences in the South Sudan Peace Process 2013–2018" by FBA, Crisis Management Initiative (CMI), and National Transformational Leadership Institute (NTLI). The workshop took place in Nairobi, Kenya.

Mentorship for the Follow-up of Peace Agreements in Mali

In 2020, a high-level meeting was led by FBA and the network where 200 women from various parts of Mali discussed challenges related to women's participation in the peace process. The meeting, organized by the Malian government in collaboration with MINUSMA and UN Women, resulted in the appointment of nine women to a follow-up committee for the peace agreement and a mentorship program tailored to their needs, with a network member serving as a mentor.

An evaluation in 2022 showed positive results, with the network members' contributions described as invaluable.

Report on Women's Experiences in Peace Negotiations

As part of a joint initiative between FBA, the Center for Security Studies (CSS) at ETH Zurich, Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice (Kroc IPJ), and the European Institute for Peace on women's experiences in peace processes, the report "Redefining Peace Leadership: Insights from Track One Women Negotiators and Mediators" was launched in 2021.

The aim was to fill the knowledge gap regarding women's roles as mediators and negotiators in "Track One" peace processes, involving leadership at the highest levels such as political, military, and religious actors. Several network members participated in workshops between 2018–2019 that laid the foundation for the report.

Conclusion of FBA's Mission

In FBA's appropriation directions for 2023, the government indicated that the mediation network would be suspended pending an independent evaluation. According to the subsequent year's appropriation direction for 2024, FBA no longer has the mandate to manage the Swedish Mediation Network for Women.