The human right to peace from a gender perspective: keys to a transformative understanding of contemporary international conflicts

Abstract

This article examines the evolution of the human right to peace from a structural perspective that goes beyond the mere absence of war and incorporates democratic institutions, social justice, and inclusive participation, highlighting the relevance of a gender perspective for understanding the differentiated impacts of conflicts on women, girls, and sexual and gender diversities. Drawing on a critical review of international legal frameworks and the Women, Peace and Security agenda, as well as an analysis of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the study identifies how predominant androcentric approaches render invisible specific vulnerabilities related to sexual violence, displacement, reproductive health, care work, and exclusion from peace negotiations. The findings show that liberal peace models may reproduce existing inequalities, whereas alternative approaches—such as hybrid peace and community-based strategies of women’s resilience—offer more suitable responses. Overall, the synthesis argues that the right to peace can only be consolidated through institutional and normative transformation that fully integrates a gender perspective as a prerequisite for an inclusive, just, and sustainable peace.