Decolonialism
Women
Patriarchy
Civil society/Civil society organisation
Agency
War/Armed conflict
Decolonialism (as well as decolonisation) in international cooperation, humanitarian aid and peacebuilding refers to the deconstruction and dismantling of colonial and neocolonial ideologies, which regard the way in which the Global North thinks and evaluates knowledge as superior. The aim is the redistribution of power and resources that were not only accumulated by colonial powers during the colonial era – and from which they continue to benefit and which they continue to expand to this day. Furthermore, decolonialism aims to highlight and overcome the attitudes and patterns of behaviour that became entrenched during the colonial era. From the perspective of critics of colonialism – a position we share – decolonialism encompasses both a critical perspective and a practice that challenges the enduring legacy of colonial power in knowledge, politics and peacebuilding. Decolonialism and decolonisation call for the dismantling of dominant Western structures that marginalise local, indigenous and feminist knowledge and power. Instead, decolonialism centres the voices, experiences and leadership of those most affected by violent conflict and historical oppression.
PeaceWomen Across the Globe regards decolonialism as both a critical lens and a practice that challenge the ongoing legacies of colonial power in knowledge, politics and peacebuilding. It calls for dismantling dominant Western frameworks that marginalise local, indigenous and feminist knowledge and power. Instead, decolonialism centres the voices, experiences and leadership of those most affected by violent conflict and historical oppression.
Sources: Peace Direct: Race, Power and Peacebuilding, 2022; PeaceWomen Across the Globe "Guiding principles for decolonial peacebuilding", 2025.
By “women” we mean people who identify as female, including trans, inter and cis women. In addition, we stress the need to include the voices and experiences of people who were socialised or are on occasion perceived as women, such as trans men, nonbinary and agender people.
The term “patriarchy” describes a social system in which social relationships, values, norms and patterns of behaviour are predominantly shaped by men and which favours men. Historically speaking, patriarchy describes a social order in which social status, land, property and rights are administered by fathers and passed on to their sons. Even today, patriarchal structures prevail worldwide, creating a hierarchy between the sexes. Examples of this include the gender pay gap for equal work, as well as the unpaid and undervalued care work carried out by women. Behind this lies a deeply ingrained belief: that men are superior to women and other genders. This attitude is one of the main causes of violence against women, girls and queer people.
Sources: Centre for Feminist Foreign Policy glossary ; Medica Mondiale glossary
Civil society is the area of social activity in which people come together to pursue public interests and social causes, or to help shape political and social processes. Citizens in a civil society are involved in non-governmental organisations, citizens’ initiatives and associations that operate independently of the state and the market. Civil society is of crucial importance for strengthening democracy and promoting the resilience of the community.
The term “civil society organisations” refers to all non-profit, organised groups, associations and federations within society that operate independently of government, the state and the private sector. Examples of civil society groups include universities, non-governmental organisations, voluntary organisations, organisations, movements and networks that operate in the social sphere outside the state and the private sector, environmental movements, associations of indigenous peoples, organised local communities and trade unions. They may be organised at local, national and international levels. Civil society organisations provide a wide range of services and carry out humanitarian work; they convey citizens’ concerns to governments, monitor policy and promote community participation.
Sources: UNESCO , IGI Global
Agency is the human capacity to act and to choose what actions to take to effect change. We use the term “creative agency” to describe the capacity to push against conventional boundaries of gender, question socially assigned roles for women or men and to open new possibilities for engagement. We use the term "creative agency" to highlight the innovative ways in which women (and men) act to change societal norms.
Sources: Anthony Giddens, The Constitution of Society; Cambridge Dictionary; Annika Björkdahl and Johanna Mannergren Selimovic, Gendering Agency in Transitional Justice (2015)
War is both a general term of common language, referring to a phenomenon of organised collective violence that affects the relations between states or the power relations within a society, and a legal term under international law (jus ad bellum and jus in bello). “Armed conflict” describes a state of hostilities that is not dependent on a declaration of war nor on the recognition of the existence of “war” by its parties. In other words, all wars are armed conflicts but not all armed conflicts are declared wars. According to relevant jurisprudence and the International Committee of the Red Cross, an armed conflict exists whenever there is resort to armed forces between States (“international armed conflict”). When protracted armed violence occurs between governmental authorities and organised armed groups or between such groups within a State, it is referred to as a “non-international armed conflict”. In the case of non-international armed conflicts, a certain threshold of intensity is required (isolated incidents, tensions or minor skirmishes are not enough). As a general rule, we use the term “armed conflict”. We use “war” when we want to emphasise our partners‘ views and demands and when this term is better understood by certain audiences.
(Source: International Committee of the Red Cross)