"We fight hard to make sure that we bring peace" - A study of women's organisations and peacebuilding in Liberia

Abstract: Since the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 in 2000 it has become a frequently repeated argument that the participation of women makes peacebuilding processes more sustainable. Women’s involvement in peacebuilding is often connected to a long-term perspective, despite this little research have been carried out to examine how long-term peacebuilding is exercised in practise, leaving the understanding of the concept incomplete. This study aims to address this research gap by posing the following research question: “What type of peacebuilding activities are women’s organisations in Liberia carrying out?”. The main material consists of semi-structured interviews with representatives from Liberian women’s organisations. The study concluded that the women’s organisations were conducting both reconstructive and transformative peacebuilding and thus indicated that women’s organisations have the potential to play a significant role even in long-term peacebuilding endeavours. They exercised peacebuilding through activities such as rebuilding relationships, promoting establishment of democratic institutions, promoting popular support for democracy and peace, advocating for fulfilment of core state functions, promoting economic development, promoting respect for human rights, providing local capacities for conflict resolution and resolving underlying causes of conflict. This study also found that women’s organisations were engaging in the prevention of electoral violence as a form of peacebuilding activity, which has not been identified by previous research.