‘Resilience, Community Security and Social Cohesion Through Effective Women’s Leadership’ | Knowledge Product

UN Women is mandated to contribute towards creating more cohesive communities and addressing emerging community security threats under its strategic plan 2018 – 2021, United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1325 (2000) and 2242 (2015), and UN priority agenda of sustaining peace, Agenda 2030, and the Women, Peace, and Security.

This report analyses the gendered aspects of the ethnic and religious conflict in Pakistan that can potentially lead to a breakdown of social cohesion and stability. In order to effectively understand the drivers of conflict and the factors that threaten community security and social cohesion focusing on women and young women, UN Women commissioned a research study titled: “Resilience, Community Security and Social Cohesion through Effective Women’s Leadership”. The main purpose of the study was to build an evidence base with an aim to enrich the available knowledge base on community security and potential threats. This report presents the key findings of this larger study. It is designed to be used for advocacy and awareness-raising on the role of women in strengthening community resilience and social cohesion in Pakistani society. It brings a gender lens to security issues that have plagued different regions in Pakistan; investigates women’s specific vulnerabilities in situations of community conflict and promotes the integration of women in policy and decision-making in the security sector.