Evaluating Inclusive Peace Frameworks: The Strategic Efficacy of Grassroots Women-Led Civil Mediation Councils in Post-Accord Borderlands

Global Journal of Peace and Conflict Studies | Vol. 16, No. 3, March 2026 | pp. 19–27

DOI: 10.46882/2026/GJPCS/160301

Article Type: Original Research Paper

Title: Evaluating Inclusive Peace Frameworks: The Strategic Efficacy of Grassroots Women-Led Civil Mediation Councils in Post-Accord Borderlands

Authors: Maria Camila Gomez¹, Claire M. Dubois²

Authors’ Affiliations: ¹Department of Political Science, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia; ²Department of War Studies, King's College London, London, United Kingdom

Abstract:
While contemporary international peacebuilding models heavily emphasize the structural necessity of gender inclusivity, formal post-conflict reconstruction platforms routinely relegate women's networks to informal tracks of diplomacy. This paper evaluates the long-term structural impacts of women-led civil coalitions on the stability and institutional resilience of the peace architecture in post-conflict borderlands. Utilizing a mixed-methods research framework, we combine comprehensive archival qualitative analysis of political agreements with semi-structured interviews of 54 prominent community mediators. The empirical findings indicate that the early inclusion of grassroots women's networks was critical for integrating long-term human security indicators—such as integrated housing and victim support—into local governance frameworks. Quantitative metrics establish that localized peace monitoring councils featuring active women-led leadership configurations report a 38% lower incidence of recurring agrarian land disputes. The study demonstrates that top-down, elite-centric negotiation models fail to heal deep-seated community polarization when they exclude grassroots civil networks. We conclude that sustainable political transitions require institutionalizing binding gender quotas within all national security sector reform (SSR) committees.

Keywords: Inclusive Peace; Women Mediation; Post-Accord Borderlands; Human Security; Grassroots Councils; SSR.

Manuscript Timeline: Received: April 15, 2024; Revised: July 12, 2024; Accepted: September 18, 2024; Published: March 15, 2026

Citation: Gomez, M. C., & Dubois, C. M. (2026). Evaluating Inclusive Peace Frameworks: The Strategic Efficacy of Grassroots Women-Led Civil Mediation Councils in Post-Accord Borderlands. Global Journal of Peace and Conflict Studies, 16(3), 19–27. DOI: 10.46882/2026/GJPCS/160301

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