The Role of Women in Peace Processes and Conflict Resolution A Comparative Case Study of Northern Ireland Roundtable Meeting Report Barış Süreçlerinde ve Çatışma Çözümünde Kadınların Rolü Kuzey İrlanda Karşılaştırmalı İnceleme Çalışması Yuvarlak Masa Toplantı Raporu Ankara 29 July | Temmuz 2017 The Role of Women in Peace Processes and Conflict Resolution A Comparative Case Study of Northern Ireland Roundtable Meeting Report Ankara 29 July 2017 3 Published by / Yayınlayan Democratic Progress Institute – Demokratik Gelişim Enstitüsü 11 Guilford Street London WC1N 1DH www.democraticprogress.org [email protected] + 44 (0) 20 7405 3835 First published / İlk Baskı, 2017 ISBN: 978-1-911205-19-7 © DPI – Democratic Progress Institute / Demokratik Gelişim Enstitüsü DPI – Democratic Progress Institute is a charity registered in England and Wales. Registered Charity No. 1037236. Registered Company No. 2922108 DPI – Demokratik Gelişim Enstitüsü İngiltere ve galler’de kayıtlı bir vakıftır. Vakıf kayıt No. 1037236. Kayıtlı Şirket No. 2922108 This publication is copyright, but may be reproduced by any method without fee or prior permission for teaching purposes, but not for resale. For copying in any other circumstances, prior written permission must be obtained from the publisher, and a fee may be payable.be obtained from the publisher, and a fee may be payable. Bu yayının telif hakları saklıdır, eğitim amacıyla telif ödenmeksizin yada önceden izin alınmaksızın çoğaltılabilir ancak yeniden satılamaz. Bu durumun dışındaki her tür kopyalama için yayıncıdan yazılı izin alınması gerekmektedir. Bu durumda yayıncılara bir ücret ödenmesi gerekebilir. 4 The Role of Women in Peace Processes and Conflict Resolution Contents Foreword ...................................................................................6 Opening Remarks Prof. Dr. Sevtap Yokuş ................................................................9 When Women are Up Against It: Looking for Opportunities to Make Progress Dr. Avila Kilmurray ..................................................................12 Women in Europe and the World - the Only Way is Up! Jane Morrice .............................................................................35 Discussion: Q&A Dr. Avila Kilmurray and Jane Morrice ......................................57 Women and Peacebuilding: Challenges & Opportunities Jane Morrice and Dr. Avila Kilmurray ......................................67 Roundtable Discussion Jane Morrice and Dr. Avila Kilmurray ......................................96 Closing Remarks Prof. Dr. Sevtap Yokuş ............................................................113 Annex: List of Participants......................................................115 DPI Aims and Objectives ......................................................224 DPI Board Members .............................................................228 DPI Council of Experts .........................................................236 5 The Role of Women in Peace Processes and Conflict Resolution Foreword This report provides a full account of discussions that took place on 29 July 2017, during DPI’s Roundtable Meeting in Ankara focused on the role women played in the Northern Ireland peace process. The aim was to provide a platform for further discussion with a diverse group of Turkish participants from across the political and cultural spectrum— including businesswomen, civil society leaders, lawyers, academics and politicians—of the Northern Irish experience of women’s participation and inclusion in peace processes and conflict resolution. The roundtable was a continuation of DPI’s work on the role of women in conflict resolution, peace building and democratic advancement. More specifically, this roundtable built on conversations held in Ankara one year previously at a meeting on ‘Incorporating and Integrating Women in Peace Processes and Conflict Resolution’, which took place on the day following the 15 July attempted coup. On that occasion, participants made the conscious decision to hold the meeting in the face of challenges to democracy as a sign of their willingness to continue working toward peace even under the most difficult circumstances. The meeting report is available on DPI’s Website. With the current challenges faced in Turkey in the aftermath of the attempted coup and the current State of Emergency, democratic platforms for constructive dialogue such as this roundtable offer an opportunity to consider comparative international experiences and practice. The roundtable allowed participants to exchange and discuss experiences of women’s contributions to conflict resolution and peace processes and to consider potential opportunities in the current context to promote women’s engagement with these processes at every level. 6 The Role of Women in Peace Processes and Conflict Resolution This activity complements DPI’s ongoing work aimed at broadening bases of national dialogue and public engagement, including among the private sector, media and broader civil society, and to continue dialogue even in difficult times. Comparative experience suggests that even during periods of setbacks and challenges, it is important that opportunities exist to prepare society for the moment when a peace process is back on track. I would like to thank our two speakers, Avila Kilmurray and Jane Morrice, and all those who participated in the programme for sharing their experiences and expertise. This activity was delivered by DPI’s team in London and Turkey. Special thanks go to Programmes Interns, Carolina Bazan and Christopher Morton for their work in helping to prepare this report. Sincerely, Kerim Yildiz CEO Democratic Progress Institute 7 The Role of Women in Peace Processes and Conflict Resolution Roundtable participants 8 The Role of Women in Peace Processes and Conflict Resolution Opening Remarks Prof. Dr. Sevtap Yokuş Moderator, Prof. Dr. Sevtap Yokuş (centre) with speakers and participants Prof. Dr. Sevtap Yokuş: Last year we gathered in Ankara for this meeting on the day which ended up being marked in our memories. On the night of 15 July 2016 many of us had arrived at a hotel just outside of Ankara. Some of us were still coming from the airport and we were together as we watched the events of the attempted coup unfold. However, even after what we experienced that night and despite the confusion and fears for the future, the next day we met and carried out our meeting. As we were arriving from the airport, we passed through where the [military] planes were departing. We did not sleep through the night of the 15th and the next morning we were able to hold the roundtable meeting. We said please send [the speakers] away to their rooms and they will sleep 9 The Role of Women in Peace Processes and Conflict Resolution properly, but they ran to us and asked, ‘what is happening around here?’ They will not ignore the problems in Turkey. We held this meeting in such an environment. So, many of us here have a historical memory of that historical night. We were all together here, especially in such a period, carrying out such an important job as women continuing to talk peace. This is such a vital topic for this country, so it is good that we are here and we are talking to our guests about their experiences, and listening to them. They have very important and valuable lessons to share. Most of you have worked with DPI and attended the meetings, but before starting, I’ll give a brief introduction about my history with DPI. I have been working with them since the beginning here in Turkey. DPI aims to broaden bases for engagement for the conflict resolution process. We are talking politically about that, but we should feed it back into our own experiences. I am from academia and my DPI work has had an effect on my PhD programme. I did my PhD in public law and I learned a lot, but outside the PhD process, I learned more through DPI and have benefited from looking directly at international experiences. DPI creates literature for the conflict resolution process. In Turkey we like literature, but there has been a deficiency of literature on this topic. DPI gathers information from political sources and visits the sites of past conflicts, which is a very important task. During last year’s visit to Colombia, we also had a valuable experience where different examples were given and different questions were asked. But what do these international experiences have to do with us? How can they help us? Every conflict has its own individual fingerprint and every solution does too. There are different contexts and different histories, but there are a lot of lessons to learn from examining the principles, and the Northern Ireland experience is one of the most important. It has 10 The Role of Women in Peace Processes and Conflict Resolution received a license in itself, one-to-one, step-by-step they found paths and took smart steps over time. Of all their efforts, for us, the most exciting subject is the work of women. We are here to listen to the women of the Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition to hear what they did. This is valuable for us. Dr. Avila Kilmurray is the first speaker. She was working inside the foundation process and was one of the founding persons of the Women’s Coalition which worked inside the negotiations of the Good Friday Agreement. These lessons are vital for us and we are very happy to listen to her again. 11 The Role of Women in Peace Processes and Conflict Resolution When Women are Up Against It: Looking for