It is a great question, “Why aren’t women included in peace negotiations?” They are, but only a small percent. 

As referenced in our Women In Peace article, according to the Council on Foreign Relations, “Between 1992 and 2019, women constituted, on average, 13 percent of negotiators, 6 percent of mediators, and 6 percent of signatories in major peace processes around the world.”

One might think only thirteen percent in twenty-seven years but let’s put some perspective on this. Before that, women didn’t have a presence at the peace table of the world.

For things to have long-lasting change, they take time. The presence of women in power is happening though.

The world government and decision making processes have been primarily masculine for generations.

Let’s put some perspective on the change that is taking place in our world. You may not see it, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t happening. 

You may or may not know some of their names but these women are working as influencers in the field of peacekeeping and peace negotiations:

• Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany
• Sheikh Hassina Wajed, Prime Minister of Bangladesh
• Erna Solberg, Prime Minister of Norway
• Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland
• Bidhya Devi Bhandari, President of Nepal
• Saara Kuugongelwa, President of Namibia
• Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister of Denmark
• Kersti Kaljulaid, President of Estonia
• Tsai Ing-Wen, President of Taiwan
• Ana Brnabic, Prime Minister of Serbia
• Halimah Jakob, Prime Minister of Singapore
• Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand
• Katrin Jakobsdottir, Prime Minister of Iceland
• Sahle Work-Zewde, President of Ethiopia
• Salome Zourabichvili, President of Georgia
• Paula-Mae Weekes, President of Trinidad & Tobago
• Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados
• Sanna Marin, Prime Minister of Finland
• Zuzana Caputova, President of Slovakia
• Maia Sandu, President of Moldova
• Katerina Sakellaropoulou, Prime Minister of Greece
• Ingrida Simonyte, Prime Minister of Lithuania
• Rose Christiane Raponda, Prime Minister of Gabon
• Hillary Clinton, Former US Secretary of State and First Lady
• Oprah Winfrey, American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and philanthropist
• Rashida Tlaib, American politician and lawyer serving as the U.S. Representative for Michigan’s 13th congressional district since 2019
• Amanda Gorman, United State’s youngest known Inaugural Poet

I hope this makes you feel encouraged that we are headed in the right direction. Change takes time.

In peace and prosperity, 

Manal