Building Equity in Peacebuilding

Parindey Wellbeing and Development Foundation has successfully concluded the second cohort of the Jaari – Women Building Peace Fellowship, a pioneering initiative that places equity at the heart of peacebuilding. Over four months, 19 women peacebuilders from across Pakistan engaged in deep learning, feminist policy-making, and a transformative four-day retreat.

Redefining Peace Through Equity

Peace processes in Pakistan have historically sidelined women, particularly those from marginalized communities. Jaari challenges this exclusion by creating intentional spaces where women analyze power, patriarchy, and systemic barriers, while also generating their own frameworks for equitable peace.

“Building equity in peacebuilding means moving beyond token participation,” said the Parindey team. “It is about redistributing power, recognizing lived experiences, and creating justice-centered futures.”

Critical Dialogues: From Virtual Classrooms to Policy Labs

Between May and August 2025, fellows participated in seven virtual sessions exploring key themes:

Foundations of Equity in Peacebuilding — intersectionality, systemic barriers, and gender-responsive frameworks.

Trauma-Informed Approaches — linking healing and conflict transformation through self-care strategies.

Cross-Border Solidarity — resilience stories with Afghan women peacebuilders.

Deconstructing Power & Patriarchy — women’s roles in peace historically and today.

Inclusive Peace Processes — representation of women and sexual minorities in negotiations.

Global Lessons — local and international case studies of women-led initiatives.

Action Lab — advocacy tools, leadership strategies, and peace-tech innovations

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Feminist Policy Paper and Principles of Equity

Cohort II produced a feminist policy paper, drafting their own guiding principles of equity in peacebuilding. These included:

Inclusive: Engage meaningfully with diverse perspectives.

Historically Rooted: Learn from the past when shaping the present.

Avoid Harm: Prevent shifting inequities or creating unintended negative impacts.

Small is Powerful: Recognize collective small steps as drivers of long-term transformation.

These principles, developed collaboratively, reflect the fellows’ belief that equity must move from concept to actionable practice.

The Four-Day Retreat: Healing, Dialogue, and Vision

The program culminated in an immersive four-day retreat at Mera Maan, which became a living laboratory of equity.

Fellows began each day with healing-centered practices, circle dialogues, and storytelling to acknowledge trauma and nurture resilience.

Workshops focused on adaptive leadership, feminist negotiation, and interfaith dialogue, giving participants tools to apply equity in practice.

In a landmark moment, fellows engaged with the Women Parliamentary Caucus, presenting insights from their policy paper and bridging grassroots experiences with national policy.

Evenings were devoted to cultural exchange—poetry, music, and shared meals—strengthening solidarity across provinces, religions, and class divides.

The retreat closed with a visioning session, where fellows outlined strategies to embed equity into their ongoing community initiatives and advocacy efforts.

“This fellowship gave us the courage to turn our lived realities into strategies for justice,” shared one fellow. “Equity became more than theory—it became practice.”

Toward a More Equitable Future

Cohort II reaffirmed that equity is not an aspiration but the foundation of sustainable peace. By centering women’s voices and lived experiences, Jaari continues to disrupt systemic inequalities and build a network of feminist peacebuilders across Pakistan.