서강대학교

초록/요약

Women have been greatly underrepresented in the peace processes and post-conflict reconstruction even though women are the majority of victims in contemporary conflicts and have actually taken an active role during armed conflicts. Since women and men experience conflict in different ways, women’s experiences and perspectives should be integrated in the peace support operations. Gender mainstreaming emerged from this awareness and evolved into an international regime through a series of international conferences and treaties. The regime acquired legitimacy through the landmark UN Security Council Resolution 1325 in 2000 and has become one of the most cardinal principles of peace support operations. This thesis examines feminist theory as the theoretical grounds of gender mainstreaming regime in peacekeeping operations since it offers more inclusive explanations on security which incorporate political, economic and ecological dimensions as well as a military facet. Also, the contradictory nature of the peacekeeping mission contributes to the rationale for women’s participation in the mission, for peacekeepers are required to have both qualities of soldier and social worker. This thesis highlights women’s participation in peace negotiations and eradication of sexual violence against women as the most challenging and urgent matters of gender mainstreaming agenda. It is because women need to bring their issues to the peace table and participate in designing the post-conflict society to achieve more sustainable peace. Also, as the use of sexual violence in conflicts is prevalent to a great extent, and it has been least condemned, coping with sexual violence demands unwavering commitment, new perceptions about security threats, and different strategies from conventional war crime. This thesis employs case studies in Liberia and East Timor, where the relatively new regime was comprehensively implemented and made profound impact in post-conflict society. Both countries have made progress in building a more secure environment for women and in involving them in formalized decision-making process from the peace negotiation table to post-conflict government. Keywords: Gender Mainstreaming, Peacekeeping Operation, UN Security Council Resolution, Peace Negotiation, Sexual Violence