INTRODUCTION

UNSC Resolution 1325 has recognised women’s role in conflict resolution and there is evidence to show a positive impact in the standard of peace thus achieved and its durability,1 along with the successful nature of its implementation.2 The challenge at hand is to understand their work in order to provide strategic support while ensuring their security and working with limited access to resources such as documentation. Interestingly, women from the Arab states of Iraq, Libya, Syria and Yemen have shown the positive impact of their engagement in the form of ceasefire deals,3 prisoner releases,4 displacement settlement,5 etc. The analysis of this data and the understanding of women’s role in achieving positive outcomes will help strengthen Community Mediation Centres as they could also train these women as mediators because they represent the community and thus, the community’s approach is more amicable to them. Moreover, the methods used and developed by these organic mediators, even without any training, can help further mediation techniques around the world, especially in extreme cases of conflict such as the ones experienced by the communities living in the nations mentioned above.

LOOKING AT WOMEN’S ROLE IN MEDIATIONS ACROSS COUNTRIES

For the purpose of this paper we shall refer to the mediation activities undertaken by women in the following Arab countries:
A. Yemen
i. Resolving Conflict Through Established Relationships and Influence The city of Taiz witnessed a water supply deprivation due to a continued situation of conflict. This was handled by a woman head of a local NGO, who served as a member of the Technical Advisory Group to the Office of UN Special Envoy for Yemen. She was able to contact the governor and garner his support purely on the basis of her existing relationships and reputation, along with the reputation of her organization which was established by its track record. She then gathered other influential women of a similar status to devise a strategy. The military commanders initially refused to accept women negotiators but when they came to know of the support extended to these women by all local community leaders, including religious ones, they decided to engage.6 This resulted in water accessibility being restored by the way of agreements for six out of nine wells, one of which is now controlled by the Water and Environment Ministry.
B. Syria
i. Leading the People to Change A Damascus based women-lead Civil Society Organisation formed local committees which involved influential men and women from the local community such as leaders and activists to address violence against internally displaced people. The CSO worked towards collaborating with local authorities and addressed issues of education, economic opportunities and other municipal services. This project was expanded to the city of Tartus, where the director used her influential family background to further the cause. Even though the change was slow the IDP camps started being integrated in the community. The harassment and ill-treatment reduced while the children were also allowed access to schools and thus education.
ii. Attempting to Bring Opposites Together In the district of Zabadani – an area under the control of the opposition forces – fairly early in the civil war, the government asked all men to surrender along with handing over the weapons. Only women were in a position to take any action, although the community was a backwards one which expected women to be limited to the realm of the household. Despite the extreme circumstances, the women took charge and initiated a mediation process. The women engaged in a negotiation which was initially successful10 but failed later on due to the change in circumstance.
iii. Stepping Up in Times of Need The Al-Kiswah district was returned to the government and all male residents risked arrest by stepping out of their homes. The situation was such that there was lack of resources and the external help which could be received was exceptionally limited. The women of the community undertook several jobs such as negotiating with the authorities, reopening the school, ensuring the local medical dispensary is functional, dealing with harvest and related activities, etc.
iv. Coming Together Despite Differences The Syrian Women’s Advisory Group to the UN Special Envoy was the first advisory group that was run by women and was formal in nature. The group was initiated by a group of women leaders of Syria. Initially, it faced several challenges in the form of lacunae within the group itself. For instance, those who identified as feminists felt uncomfortable to work with those who came from a conservative background. These issues can be attributed to the diversity of the membership of the group as it included women from Kurdish areas, the government supporters, and those who supported the opposition. They have mediated several conflicts in north-east and north-west Syria by undertaking the role of ‘insider mediators’. The recognised shortcomings are the limited elite strata forming the group, the lack of connection to the community, lack of representation and transparency.12 Despite these challenges, the group has been able to achieve a lot in terms of society engagement when it comes to women rights issues. Furthermore, it has been advocating for direct participation of women in decision making bodies.
v. Protecting Each Other Idlib is a place where the community was conservative and expected women to take familial responsibilities instead of those which lie in the public sphere. It was with the war that women started working as activists. Thus, whenever their phone would need some sort of repair, they would be forced to take it to male technicians who were complete strangers. This then posed a threat to their privacy along with the threat to security which would be posed if the said technician found out the women was working as an activist. A women-lead Civil Society Organisation held negotiations with the existing male technicians, and, using arguments of privacy, got them on board with the idea of an all-women technician shop; something necessary for the security of women. Women with technical training started repairing phones and then the service extended to even laptops. This ensured women privacy and helped them continue their work of activism.
C. Libya
i. Resolving Inter-Tribe Conflict
A conflict arose between the tribes of Tebu and Ahali which resulted in the displacement of the latter. Several attempts by the men to enter into negotiations were made over a span of two years and yet, the vicious cycle of revenge continued. It was women’s intervention in the form of ‘insider mediators’ that made a difference. Organisations such as UN Women and ProMediation got involved and women representatives from both tribes indulged in dialogue. After this interaction, they went on to influence the influential stakeholders and leaders of their respective tribes.16 The same resulted in the signing of the ‘Agreement of Good Intent’ which furthered the return of the Ahali tribe along with other confidence building measures, with the final aim of signing a Peace Agreement.
D. Iraq
i. Diffusing Hate in Conflicts
Due to the unrest caused by ISIL during the period of 2015-2020, there was a conflict between those who supported ISIS with those whose families was victims of ISIS. Even though the discussion was led by male tribal heads, it was the women of the tribes who held strong feelings.18 For instance, the women whose male family members were killed by ISIS were driven by the feelings of revenge. The need of the hour was to reach a peace agreement to help those who were internally displaced and carried the stigma of being associated with ISIS; this stigma ostracised them from the society and were at a life risk as the possibility of acceptance was faint. Thus, in order to address the situation, a female mediator was sent to meet women of both sides of the dispute.19 This caused the women to feel more empathetic than revengeful. The importance of changing the outlook held by women was also acknowledged by the Iraqi mediator,20 as several local peace agreements were signed by various communities.
ii. Protecting Each Other From Harm
An Iraqi Kudristan-based NGO undertook the work of providing mediation training and then engaging in the process of mediation specially in cases such as domestic violence and abuse. In situations like this, the mediators had to cater the specific needs of the survivor. For instance, in several situations, the survivor required the whole process to remain fully anonymous as any leak of information, even to the family, posed a threat to the survivor’s life. For this, purpose, the mediators had to form alliances with various entities such as the law enforcement. These law enforcement officers in the beginning of the project were very reluctant to follow the procedure as proposed by the NGO such as not asking the victims of their story, forcing the survivor to stay with the husband who was abusive, or creating constant pressure on them. However, after several efforts, the law enforcement came onboard. Now several solutions such as signing an agreement with the offender ensuring non-repetition of the act along with insurance if the said act is repeated then the said offender would be arrested have been created to protect the survivors.

MEDIATION AND NEUTRALITY

The fact that there are two distinct parties in a mediation and a mediator is the one chosen to resolve conflict, the basic assumption that runs is that the mediator has to be neutral and unbiased. This is assumed to be imperative to ensure fairness, as understood in the western context.21 However, several theories have proven that it is impossible to be neutral in the situation of a conflict.22 The most crucial point that allows women to hold conversations that ensure such strong results is the fact that they act as insider mediators as they have links to the community and are regarded as one of the community’s own.23 They gain legitimacy not by the virtue of their education profile which depends on privilege, but on the basis of the position they hold in the society and the trust they have managed to build.24 Their unique selling point is their relationships which can be used as leverage and provide exceptional accessibility.25 There, women taking charge are usually those who have a professional status,26 who act in society organizations,27 are religious representatives,28 belong to influential families,29 are of old age,30 are adversely affected by displacement,31 or are survivors of violence,32 The very reason behind their success is their conflict of interest, which by the very virtue of its existence, stands against the concept of neutrality and the western conception of mediation.33 In fact, there is need of a certain level of partiality and biases in certain cases which can have catastrophic impacts,34 and the same is elucidated further in this paper.

THE EXTENT OF WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION

It should also be noted that while men have the possibility of interfering in a situation even without any relation or connection to it, women derive their agency as mediators from that very connection.35 Thus, negating mediation with an ‘insider mediator’ and imposing the requirement of having a fully neutral mediator takes away the agency and recognition which is well deserved by several female mediators, specifically in non-liberal, eastern societies. This work can only be undertaken by insiders as outside entities such as even the United Nations cannot render active support, as the same might only cause more harm than good.36 Another detriment faced by these ‘insider mediators’ is the limited subjects they may be permitted to indulge in. Their opinion is considered valid and relevant in humanitarian facets, but invalid when it comes to business prospects. The commonly seen areas where women functioning as ‘insider mediators’ have been involved are ceasefire crisis,37 war-time violations,38 confidence building measures,39 intertribal disputes,40 post-conflict representation,41 resource access,42 displacement,43 property access or post run of service44 and personal or family disputes.45

V. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF WOMEN’S ROLE IN MEDIATION

While the society’s prejudicial bias forces women to conform to certain norms and behaviours, these ‘insider mediators’ have learnt to use the same to their own benefit. They establish trust by using active listening and showing empathy.46 The approach they take is long-term in nature as they spend a lot more time engaging through dialogue than their male counterparts.47 This additional effort adds to their credibility. This role undertaken by them serves as a precursor to the negotiation process that takes place much later.48 It is society’s perception that views them as non-threatening that even allows them access to the process.49 This role should not be undermined in any way or form as men are simply not allowed such access and without the prior mediation, the later negotiation would not exist. Women are also known to have the backdoor influence that governs a lot of the actions of the male head of the family.50 Even though their role establishes the edifice of all solution, it is deemed to be of less value. Moreover, it also restricts access to documentation, their hardships and information about their techniques, due to security concerns,51 which would only help enhance and facilitate the process of mediation.

TAKEAWAYS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

While the living condition, culture and profiles of these insider mediators residing in Yemen, Iraq, Libya and Syria were diverse, the tools used by them have been similar. There are several takeaways despite the lack of access and evidence. For instance, women were more protected in places like Yemen where the influence of tribal norms are stronger in the communities in comparison to places such as Libya, Iraq and Syria.52 However, in order to continue this security, they are also bound by other tribal norms, which restrains their access to several women’s rights and commands them to conform to society’s misogynistic and sexist standards. Secondly, irrespective of the setting in the country, the women indulging in mediation formed alliances. Iraq witnessed alliances with police and other state actors, while alliances within Syria and Yemen were formed with other male leaders of the community. These alliances also act as shackles in other pastures of these women’s life as they have to make several sacrifices and investments in order to continue these alliances. Thirdly, these community mediators had formed their own groups and a functional network. This worked as a support system within nations. In fact, women from Yemen sought advice from those from Syria and Libya. These groups not only function for exchanges in terms of mediation but also to help each other in other aspects of their life. However, the threat of losing credibility and continuing their operations requires them to maintain anonymity of their donors and supports, which does pose a threat to their security in extreme situations. Organisations working towards the enhancement of such mediations should work on instilling ideas of respecting women and spreading awareness using the existing alliances. The said alliances should be strengthened in the future utilizing the networking channel established by the above mentioned groups. These groups should be facilitated by enhancing funding which would further contribute towards strengthening their security which works as the biggest threat. The satisfaction of security would allow an increased agency. There is a lot of conversation regarding training these ‘insider mediators’, however, such training should not include the western conceptions of mediations. For instance, the requirement of neutral mediator with no ties to one of the parties as elucidated above is a focal point of western mediation but fails to even exist in the Arab world scenario. Thus, these groups should be reached out to by offering monetary and security benefits. The strategies used by them should be taught to women all across the world, instead of a westernised curriculum-based training. Such training should also include knowledge of conflicts along with suggestions of positions and profiles of women who may help facilitate the mediation. They should also be made technologically literate to ensure free flow of communication with these groups without the rest of the community identifying the established connection between these groups and organisations which have reached out to enhance the process of mediation. However, technology cannot be fully relied upon as they mostly function in adverse situations with lack of network and other facilities, and even in situations where the internet access has been blocked.

CONCLUSION

It is clear to us that women play a significant role in ensuring the peace is kept within society. This role is even more apparent in places suffering conflicts, as the initiatives taken by women across the Arab countries discussed in this paper have shown us. The techniques utilised by these women are highly unorthodox in comparison to the uniform, neutrality-based approach found in the Western school of thought. However, it seems that the unique position held by women in society has allowed for these techniques to bring out highly positive outcomes quite consistently. If anything can be taken away from this, it is that the special position of women of colour, being groups who have had to struggle to attain the position they have not only within their own society, but also in the international sphere, allows them to channel their emotions and experiences to diffuse conflicts and then utilise their skills of mediation to help attain a peaceful result. This makes it all the more essential that we make an active effort to not only bring these women into a greater position for mediations, but also help teach other women how to use these techniques to help bring about more consistent success in their mediations. In doing so, women can reclaim their position within this patriarchal society and use the very elements of society which oppress them to overcome the shackles of these obstacles to change the perception of society for the betterment of women and people as a whole.