The known knowns and known unknowns in data on Women, Peace and Security

What do we know about gender, women, peace and security? In the past two decades, interest in systematic data and research on gender, women, peace and security has increased substantially. This growth has helped bring traditional feminist research themes into the mainstream fold of political science and international relations, offering opportunities to analyse and answer a number of policy-relevant questions. Some policy-makers welcome this growing research: for example, to mark the 15 year anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 in 2015, a high-level review produced the report Preventing Conflict, Transforming Justice, Securing the Peace: A Global Study on UNSC Resolution 1325.1 In her 2017 annual award speech at the Georgetown University Institute for Women, Peace, and Security, Secretary Clinton referenced studies that demonstrated that when women are included in peace negotiations the resulting agreements are less likely to fail.2 Similarly, the Council on Foreign Relations (CfR) has an interactive website dedicated to women’s role in peace processes that reiterates these claims, which first originated from an influential 2012 UN Women publication on women’s participation in peace negotiations.3 These examples illustrate the growing recognition and use of systematic analyses regarding gender, women, peace and security.