The X-Factor in Politics and Reconciliation

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It is time that Women speak beyond Women’s Issues and onto National Issues

The oft-neglected and ironically oft-powerful quality is what I call the X-Factor in Politics and Reconciliation. Whilst efforts do exist they are not scaled up to the potential they should be or indeed can be. The reasons are several, and a subject for a separate discussion. However, the case must be made, once and for all. So, what is the X-Factor in Politics and Reconciliation? It is not supernatural, neither is it superhuman. However, it is indeed in the category of a potent ‘super-contribution!’

We are talking about the role that women can and indeed must play in politics and reconciliation. The untapped potential is sad not only because it is unrecognised but mostly because it is a costly omission. The Sri Lankan case can be made with ease: post-war efforts will benefit enormously from the contributions of women not only on issues concerning women but more importantly on issues concerning the national interest.

The following are insights from comparative contexts which are meant to inform and stimulate discussion on the subject that, it is hoped, will in turn lead to conviction of belief and steadfastness in practice in the Sri Lankan context too.





" The biggest challenge concerning political engagement of women is in the politics of engagement in decision-making generally, whether at household and community or national levels or within civil society movements. For peace to be sustainable it requires structural change towards greater levels of inclusion and participation.  "





Women’s peace efforts, like many civil society efforts, challenge unhealthy dynamics such as ingrained mistrusts and divisions and exclusionary politics, in both formal and informal spheres by advocating consensus-building instead of recrimination and inclusion instead of elite-dominate politics. These efforts often aim to address the structural changes necessary for sustainable peace, and can attract wide support for women’s groups and build their legitimacy. A key strategy that has been used by women’s groups the world over is to take a non-partisan, unified and consensus-based approach to achieve influence. Women in Bougainville and Northern Ireland, for instance, developed forums and networks as a way to achieve strength through consensus and unity.

In Sierra Leone in 1995 the women’s peace campaign put the issue of a negotiated settlement in the public domain in a non-confrontational manner combining non-threatening events to mobilise support with more direct measures. As a result a negotiated settlement became a respectable option for both parties to the conflict.
Inclusion – ensuring that a wide range of perspectives is represented, including marginalised sections of the community – is an important factor for sustainable peace.




" Important contributions by women at household and community level tend to go unrecognised and it is therefore essential to link efforts at multiple-levels more effectively, to open up the space where women and others excluded from formal forums work, and for this space to receive more recognition. "




Women’s groups can broaden the range of substantive issues on the table, promoting not just women’s rights but also social justice. During negotiations for the Belfast Agreement, the Northern Ireland’s Women’s Coalition (NIWC) ensured that victims’ rights and reconciliation was achieved. Subsequently, these became key issues in the referendum campaign for the agreement.

In Cambodia and Sierra Leone, women’s groups reached out beyond urban centres. Cambodian women activists worked to promote a broad social development agenda focused on the neglected rural majority. The Sierra Leone’s Women’s Movement for Peace (SLWM) opened branches in all accessible parts of the country which strengthened its support base and helped to share information.

Women activists also promote a vision of peace that goes beyond the negotiating table. The peace conferences in Somaliland in 1993 and 1996 would not have taken place without the collective lobbying of elders by women who urged them to intervene to end conflicts. Women in Northern Uganda worked collectively to revive cultural institutions and prepare the community for reconciliation through peace education and story-telling.

Assistance to peace processes and practice needs to be re-thought so that women are better supported and integrated. Practical and logistical support can play an important role in facilitating participation in some cases; political support is almost always required.

Experience from Northern Ireland show that despite the obstacles women can achieve political change. The NIWC’s direct involvement in negotiations for the Belfast Agreement not only facilitated and secured women’s participation in electoral politics, it also demonstrated a way for civil society to participate and influence formal political negotiations.




" Women activists also promote a vision of peace that goes beyond the negotiating table. The peace conferences in Somaliland in 1993 and 1996 would not have taken place without the collective lobbying of elders by women who urged them to intervene to end conflicts. Women in Northern Uganda worked collectively to revive cultural institutions and prepare the community for reconciliation through peace education and story-telling. "




It is important to note  that women’s inclusion in talks can be superficial. During negotiations for the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in Sudan, for example, women delegates were expected to follow the party lines and their perspectives and experiences in peacebuilding and negotiation were overlooked. In the post-settlement phase women were once more politically marginalised.

It is also important to recognise that women are not a homogenous group: location, education, class and opportunity condition how individuals are affected by conflict, as well as the approaches they employ in peacebuilding. In Angola poor women, in both rural and urban areas, faced very different challenges from those more privileged.

The biggest challenge concerning political engagement of women is in the politics of engagement in decision-making generally, whether at household and community or national levels or within civil society movements. For peace to be sustainable it requires structural change towards greater levels of inclusion and participation. This means going beyond expressing women’s immediate and practical needs or simply promoting quotas. New political structures and practices are needed in which the involvement of women as decision-makers is accepted as legitimate and normal.

A clear lesson from comparative experiences is the importance of networking. Linking women across divides, facilitating contacts and consultations between women in capital cities and those in the countryside, can contribute to the development of broad-based agendas.

Moreover, women peace activists and their organizations gain confidence and inspiration from learning about other women’s experiences elsewhere in the world, as Bougainville women did for example when they attended the Beijing Conference on Women in 1994.

Significantly, it is critical to accept that just as war is a gendered concept, so is peace a gendered process. Experiences from conflict-ridden contexts have shown how women describe a view of peace as holistic and inclusive. Involving women in peace processes, on their terms, will help to ground settlements and ensure their sustainability.

Important contributions by women at household and community level tend to go unrecognised and it is therefore essential to link efforts at multiple-levels more effectively, to open up the space where women and others excluded from formal forums work, and for this space to receive more recognition.

The experiences from other countries and contexts demonstrate that women’s contribution has not always been to its full capacity. It is time we ratchet up efforts to ensure that women in Sri Lanka not only speak out on women’s issues but also on national issues.

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