Testing the women, peace and security agenda: The case of Afghanistan

Claire Duncanson, Vanessa Farr

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter (peer-reviewed)peer-review

Abstract / Description of output

Military intervention in Afghanistan was launched only weeks after the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security (WPS). Yet, there was no mention of Resolution 1325 in any of the resolutions passed by the United Nations Security Council on Afghanistan in 2001, and gender-just peace remains elusive in Afghanistan. This chapter explores the reasons why the WPS agenda had such little traction in what could be considered its first testing ground, and how it might even have been counterproductive. After examining efforts to implement the WPS agenda in each of its four pillars, we suggest three key interconnected reasons for the limited progress: the self-interested nature of the intervening powers, the legacies of decades of conflict and intervention in Afghanistan, and the WPS agenda’s emphasis on civil and political rights and relative neglect of women’s economic and social rights. We conclude with suggestions for enhancing women’s security and participation in Afghanistan and the WPS agenda more broadly.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationThe Oxford Handbook of Women, Peace and Security
EditorsSara E Davies, Jacqui True
Place of PublicationAbingdon, UK
PublisherOxford University Press
Chapter42
Pages553-568
ISBN (Print)9780190638276
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 7 Feb 2019

Publication series

NameOxford Handbooks
PublisherOxford University Press

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

  • Afghanistan
  • intervention
  • transitional justice
  • gender-based violence
  • backlash
  • neocolonial
  • neoliberal
  • gender-justice

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