A A Qualitative Narrative of Experiences and Challenges Faced by Women-led Organizations on Peacebuilding and Conflict Resolution in Pakistan

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Peacebuilding has become a fundamental process to avoid bloodshed and accelerate the establishment of ongoing peace and tolerance. Significantly, women’s involvement is becoming more precarious in peacebuilding and conflict resolution. The main objective of this research is to explore the challenges and experiences faced by women-led peacebuilding and conflict resolution initiatives in Pakistan. A qualitative research design has been adopted, using an exploratory technique to explore the women leaders’ challenges, experiences, and effectiveness associated with the local women-led initiatives for peacebuilding and conflict resolution. A total of 20 Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) were conducted with 9 organizations, representing all four provinces of Pakistan. These included women leaders/founders, their management team, and donors. After seeking permission, interviews were recorded and transcribed for thematic analysis. The qualitative analysis revealed that these women-led initiatives were founded to serve the community and save local people, especially girls and women from both short and long-term effects of disputes, tribal conflicts, and civil wars. The same is also evident from their ongoing projects, focusing on raising the women’s unheard voices, their empowerment, and capacity building. Nevertheless, these women-led organizations and their team also face multiple barriers to engaging local women. These included ones were not limited to the lack of interest of all stakeholders, scarcity of finances to mobilize communities, issue of sustainability, lack of community support, law & order situation, patriarchal set-up, cultural norms, gender roles, power dynamics, and religious grounds. This research recommends that these women-led organizations, working for peacebuilding and conflict resolution on regional and provincial levels should be provided with necessary government and community support, both technical and financial, to enhance their effectiveness and sustainability.