Reasons for the Exclusion of Women from Peace Processes: The Case of Georgia

Abstract

Abstract With the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, security perception in the South Caucasus has been impacted considerably and this has highlighted the need for the international community to pay increased attention to unresolved, “frozen” conflicts. Against this background and the call for an effective and inclusive peace process in Georgia, the article focuses in particular on the inclusion of women in the Georgian peace process. By conducting document analysis and triangulating the findings with original interview data from thirty-one semi-structured interviews conducted in Tbilisi in spring 2023, the article argues that women's substantive inclusion in Georgia's peace processes continues to be limited and that the influence of women remains mostly on track II and III channels. It finds that the following reasons explain this continued exclusion: (1) elite-dominated hard power negotiation structures, (2) cultural factors, (3) the need for empowerment and linking the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) and Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) agendas, and (4) insufficient implementation of commitments made to include women under the existing policy and legal framework. Aiming to spell out the multiple reasons underpinning the exclusion, this article speaks to the importance of ensuring more effective, sustainable, and inclusive peace processes in Georgia and beyond.