Outcome LBN_D_4.1

The Women, Peace and Security Agenda is implemented through an enabling environment that supports women's participation in conflict prevention

During the reporting period, significant progress was made to support an enabling environment for the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda. UN Women directly implemented key parts of the NAP during the report period. One national women’s peacebuilding network was formed, and an inception meeting held to agree on its mandate and purpose. Eight local mediation networks were formed and supported to address local tensions. Initiatives they have led include setting up a mediation office in the municipality of Qana, scaling up awareness raising in schools on tolerance and co-existence, and using tools of alternative dispute resolution to address issues of tensions related to the current financial and socioeconomic crisis in the country. In addition, through UN Women’s support, in one community the mediators brokered a solution between community leaders and a fuel supplier to help facilitate the communities access to the fuel, within the broader context of Lebanon’s fuel crisis. The agreement was brokered days after tensions increased between community members over fuel shortages that resulted in violent clashes. Moreover, UN Women continued to partner with UNDP to address issues of reconciliation and transitional justice in the country. On the individual level UN Women, supported 1671 women affected by the Lebanese civil war and/or members of the families of the disappeared to access psychological wellbeing service and legal aid. At the community level, intergenerational dialogues took place across 4 communities to promote tolerance and build bridges. 143 women from different age groups and backgrounds led community-based initiatives to promote social peace. On the institutional level, UN Women worked to bring women’s narratives of the civil war into school curriculums, building from a study on gendered crimes during Lebanon’s civil war. In addition, UN Women supported Lebanese and Palestinian communities to address Lebanon’s past and seek pathways for healing. As part of this, women’s experiences during the civil war were documented and narrated to the public, and cross community dialogue sessions were structured around them. Nationally, UN Women continues to facilitate a two-track dialogue process with the most senior women with traditional and emerging political parties. This is part of long-term dialogue work and aims at developing substantive ideas and options for addressing Lebanon’s instability. Through six local women’s rights organization funded through WPHF, 1437 Women increased the level of their participation in the response and recovery from the Beirut port Explosion. The six grantees empowered women from diverse groups, including LBTIQ, members of local civil society, elderly women, community members, socio-economic vulnerable groups, sex workers, young women among others.

The Women, Peace and Security Agenda is implemented through an enabling environment that supports women's participation in conflict prevention

This outcome was achieved. During 2022, government, the UN and civil society continued to implement the NAP 1325, generating important results for Lebanon. With the NAP ending in 2023, it is estimated by the National Commission for Lebanese Women that 90% of interventions in the 1325 NAP that have been implemented or are on track (75 % implemented and 15 % on track). In achieving this, UN Women supported the NCLW to roll out NAP implementation, coordination and monitoring structures, while directly implementing elements of the NAP, including creating a national mediation platform and implementing mediation, dialogue and peacebuilding actions at the national and community level. Through UN Women support, eighteen Lebanese women peacebuilders and mediators strengthened their efforts to address conflict and promote dialogue and reconciliation at the community level – leading cross community dialogues on the past. 260 women from across Lebanon conducted more than 20 mediation and peacebuilding actions at community level on de-escalating conflict and dealing with the past. Targeted women mediators and peacebuilders report improved levels of tolerance and acceptance amongst each other, upgraded skills, and a stronger commitment to promoting peace and reconciliation in their communities. UN Women, in partnership with the Government of Switzerland, established a women’s national peacebuilding network in Lebanon - a commitment under Lebanon’s National Action Plan 2019-2023 on UNSCR 1325. The network will be launched publicly in May 2023. Through 16 local women’s rights organization funded through WPHF, more than 2000 Women increased the level of their participation in recovery and peacebuilding processes. The grantees empowered women from diverse groups, including LBTIQ, members of local civil society, elderly women, community members, socio-economic vulnerable groups, sex workers, young women among others.