Abstract
<jats:p>Prolonged conflicts have been experienced in almost half of the countries in the Great Lakes region. Despite the robust efforts of mediators and peacemakers, peace processes aimed at resolving these conflicts have not been successful. The relevance of this research stems from the UN’s introduction of a gender perspective into peacekeeping architecture over the past two decades, as well as the increasing role of women not only in peace and security, but also in mediation, negotiation and preventive diplomacy. Based on an interdisciplinary, historical and structural-functional approach, this article aims to identify the role of women as facilitators in mediation and negotiation processes in the Great Lakes region of Africa. In addition, the authors used a case study method to investigate the role of women in negotiations and mediations in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and to identify challenges to the peace process, as well as the method of analysis of the official UN documents and data, analytical reports of international organizations. The results obtained made it possible to establish that, despite possessing certain attributes that are critical for the successful outcome of peace processes, women are often sidelined from these processes. Women can participate in the entire peace process or in specific phases of negotiation and mediation. Major findings of the research are that women should be empowered by states, conflict parties and supporters to become mediators or negotiators. It is generally recommended that this empowerment should include the development of skills in mediation and negotiation, thereby facilitating effective contributions to the success of peace process outcomes. This experience can be scaled up and used in crisis management in other African states, which will make it possible to implement successfully the recommendations contained in the UNSC resolution 1325.</jats:p>