By Bidemi Nelson
Not only should more women be represented in the political sphere, but there is need for them to be ambassadors of peace-based leadership. The reasons for this range from the need for more gender-responsive governance, entrenching peace building into collective thoughts and action patterns, eliminating structural and cultural violence, to expert capacity development (legal and technical) that promotes women’s engagement in conflict mediation, conflict resolution and crisis management; and the involvement of more women in the international peace process which is still predominantly managed by men. It is only when women are able to recognize that their presence in the political sphere isn’t solely for winning against gender hostilities, but also paving the path to strengthening women’s legal status and political voices towards promoting peace, that communities and institutions, locally and internationally will truly experience maximum contribution from them, as well as their upliftment within our societies.
The need for Peace-Based Leadership across the globe has increased rapidly, especially with rising tensions amongst newly emerging world powers aiming to wield more political and economic influence in the global arena in comparison with the already established Western international order.
With growing global interactions fostered by international trade of goods and services, there is an increased need to control more economic resources. These inclinations have the tendencies to result in conflict situations especially when resources are scarce, when the resource allocation process is chaotic or when existent social capital is eroded.
Peace-Based Leaderships have proven to be very helpful in situations as these because they promote more inclusive participation in governance by driving leadership capabilities focused on building networks with indigenous people and groups as well as investing and supporting international relations.
Peace-Based Leadership as the name implies is focused on promoting peace, the kind of peace that goes beyond implementing mechanisms to prevent physical violence.
The objectives of Peace-Based Leadership are mainly to ensure that all forms of violence (visible or not) are eliminated by fostering more integration within the society of members and participants.
Conflicts have always been expensive and painful especially when the decisions made to resolve them involve the use of war. Unfortunately, the choice of war comes with opportunities for crimes such as sexual violence against women and children, environmental degradation and economic exploitation, just to mention a few. These leave behind painful scars and irreparable losses.
Research posits that Peace-Based Leadership embraces responsible, dependable and accountable governance which prioritizes concern for lives and properties, as well as concern for consequences.
This line of leadership invests in public structures that engenders and sustains peace; enforces checks and balances on people in leadership positions; strategizes on peace approaches by opening all communication channels (bottom to top, top to bottom and lateral channels); supports building skills in negotiations and mediations; supports existing and potential peace structures such as civil organizations and engages in adaptive work, especially where solutions to conflicts involve wide stakeholder participation and non-routine approaches.
Peace-Based Leadership is also a platform for exploring the Kellogg-Briand Pact. The Pact also served as a legal basis for the concept of “Crime Against Peace,” which among other things discouraged the use of wars of aggression by signatory states; the same concept of non-violence promoted by Peace-Based Leadership, at both local and international levels.
The Kellogg-Briand Pact is an international agreement signed in 1928 by signatory states for the purpose of outlawing the use of war to resolve international conflicts, disputes and differences, among themselves.
It was signed after World War I by 15 state signatories including Germany, France and the United States. The pact was named after its authors: Frank B. Kellogg (the then United States Secretary of State) and Aristide Briand (the then French Foreign Minister).
The pact’s major provision of renouncing war by adopting peaceful settlements of disputes was incorporated into the United Nations Charter. While the pact has fostered peace discussions and commitments among major world powers, the pact is still not as popular as would have been expected, considering its role in the re-definition of war by its signatories.
The reason for this is not far-fetched as the Pact is considered not to have any tangible means of enforcement. However, advocating for more popularity of the Pact is not irrelevant in itself as the Pact is a conversation starter on engendering peace by both signatory and non-signatory states.
Sadly, the knowledge gap of peace agreements such as the Kellogg-Briand Pact by world nations can lead to the insidious blurring of peace responsibility roles needed to uphold the liberalism of the present international order.
The need also to involve more women in politics and peace-based leadership simultaneously cannot be over-emphasized. The present demands of the world have caused a shift in paradigm in the requirements for political leadership.
Not only should more women be represented in the political sphere, but there is need for them to be ambassadors of peace-based leadership.
The reasons for this range from the need for more gender-responsive governance, entrenching peace building into collective thoughts and action patterns, eliminating structural and cultural violence, to expert capacity development (legal and technical) that promotes women’s engagement in conflict mediation, conflict resolution and crisis management; and the involvement of more women in the international peace process which is still predominantly managed by men.
It is only when women are able to recognize that their presence in the political sphere isn’t solely for winning against gender hostilities, but also paving the path to strengthening women’s legal status and political voices towards promoting peace, that communities and institutions, locally and internationally will truly experience maximum contribution from them, as well as their upliftment within our societies.
At this point, the use of aggression as a tool of power or bargaining will be stymied, globally.
The Kellogg-Briand Pact may not take credit for many of the peace initiatives, resolutions and actions of nations with strong economies and ample military arsenal; however it still is responsible for the coming together of relevant world powers after World War 1, to outlaw international wars.
And yes, the need to raise awareness about the Pact to non-signatory states while re-evaluating its provisions is very critical as the Pact remains internationally recognized and binding on its signatories. As for the increased relevance of the Pact, I believe it lies in the hands of women leaders who advocate for peace-based leadership.
Bidemi Nelson is a public affairs commentator and the Chief Executive Officer of Shield of Innocence Initiative, based in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. She can be reached at Phone Number: +2348033656954, www.facebook.com/shieldoi, www.instagram.com/shieldoi and www.twitter.com/shieldoi1.
