Conflict Prevention and Gender
Linking peace and development in the Northern Border Zone of Ecuador
By staff of the Peace and Development Programme

Launch of the Women's Agenda for the province of Sucumbios in the Northern Border Zone of Ecuador in April 2007. Photo by the Peace and Development Programme.

The Northern Border Zone of Ecuador (NBZ) is an area of special vulnerability due to its historic marginalization coupled with the spillover effects of the humanitarian crisis and violence that exist across the border in Colombia. Typical of many conflict situations, women in the NBZ often face greater vulnerability than other members of the overall population, including high rates of domestic violence, under-age prostitution, sexual violence and limited access to basic social services and economic opportunities.

In this complex area, the Peace and Development Programme in NBZ is an inter-agency initiative housed within the Office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator. Its focus is on strengthening conflict-sensitive interagency coordination, key national capacities and strategic public policy. A decision was made within the programme to link gender and conflict prevention within the framework of UNDP´s Eight-Point Agenda for Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality in Crisis Prevention and Recovery (8PA), since women in the border area face a number of specific challenges yet represent a strategic opportunity as strong civil society actors and potentially important resources for peace.

Efforts to Date

Following the decision to link gender and conflict prevention, the programme, in alliance with UNIFEM, undertook a gender assessment in the area from a conflict prevention perspective. Based on this assessment, a comprehensive interagency gender mainstreaming strategy for the programme was established. The strategy reflects core priorities of the 8PA and targets three levels of impact:

1. Relevant governmental public policy and pertinent crisis prevention and recovery programming
2. United Nations interagency coordination in the area
3. Programme core management

This strategy capitalizes on the programme’s legitimacy with key governmental and civil society counterparts.

Lessons Learned

The programme has shown that it is important to:

• Prioritize the gender-conflict nexus and emphasize the building of strategic alliances with a wide range of governmental and civil society actors
• Develop a resource mobilization strategy targeting donors interested in gender and conflict prevention
• Build interagency partnerships and alliances in order to ensure the availability of expertise and the coordination of day-to-day implementation
• Establish solid relationships and legitimacy with the women’s movements through activities on the ground

Next Steps

The programme will apply and scale-up its gender mainstreaming strategy in the following areas: implementation of Plan Ecuador, the government plan for peace and development in the NBZ of Ecuador; implementation of the bi-national plan for border-zone integration between Ecuador and Colombia; and inclusion of conflict prevention in the activities of the United Nations Country Team.

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