Promoting gender-responsive approaches to natural resources management for peacebuilding

Description What is done in the programme or project and why, what results are pursued, who benefits from the activities and who are involved in the implementation.

In developing countries at household and community levels women are often still the main providers of food, water and energy, this being especially true in rural settings. This dependency makes women vulnerable to the changes in their livelihoods with regards to natural resources, especially during and after conflicts. On other hand, in conflict situations women may assume new roles in natural resources management, and seizing and maintaining these roles can both serve peacebuilding efforts and support women's political and economic empowerment and participation. In 2013 UNEP, UNDP, UN Women and PBSO published a joint policy report "Women and Natural Resources: Unlocking the Peacebuilding Potential" that addressed these questions and provided experience-based policy recommendations. After 2013, both the four UN organizations as well as Finland have found that there is increasing demand and need to continue concrete work in this field. Under the project, three to four country pilots in conflict-affected settings will be undertaken. The aim is to address and support natural resource management practices that take into account gender equality and strengthen especially women's position. The conflict context is taken into account in this work. The aim is to support the ongoing peacebuilding process through gender-responsive natural resource management practices. Based on the data gathered from the pilots and via other research, a toolkit will be created. The toolkit contains methodologies for supporting peacebuilding processes through gender-responsive natural-resource management. The toolkit is meant to serve UN country teams, international organizations and national actors. In long term the aim is to reduce inequalities and grievances linked to natural resources, help creating better livelihoods for both men and women and support sustainable management of ecosystems. These impacts should strengthen peacebuilding outcomes. Finland has a lot of knowledge and a strong political profile in all these areas. Finland financed the inception phase of the project with 500 000 euro in 2016. It is proposed that Finland finances the project as a first additional financing with 500 000 euro from the 2017 budget.