Peace, security, and international cooperation Some Asian countries have gone through a series of protracted conflicts and wars, where women have felt the effects the most. Whether as carers for families and communities, responsible for livelihoods, or auxiliary combatants, they are often at the forefront of the conflict in different ways to men. However, most of these roles and the women themselves are not recognized and are excluded from formal forums of leadership where peace is deliberated. The UN Security Council noted that between 1992 and 2019, women constituted around 13 percent of negotiators and just 6 percent of mediators, and that about seven out of 10 peace processes excluded women mediators or signatories altogether(UN Women, 2020). Given this backdrop, gender transformative communication can play an important role in recognizing women’s crucial role in bringing peace, highlighting the harmful effect of conflict on women and girls while acknowledging their active agency in ensuring their communities’ survival, promoting human rights, and fighting for peace. Women’s tacit knowledge on peace building is often unique and rooted in their everyday struggle to provide basic needs and care for their society. Their narratives and strategies are a significant part of gender transformative communication. Common pitfalls: • Formal peace, security, and international cooperation processes are male-dominated spheres while women are relegated to the margins, with the non-formal mechanisms, community-driven initiatives, and so-called victims. Thus, high-level discussions where big decisions are made can omit gender. • Inclusion of women at the negotiation table or in the peace process on the basis of their gendered sufferings instead of an equitable recognition of their particular experience and skills may perpetuate a discriminatory notion of women’s pitiful position with passive roles. • While women suffer multiple layers of conflict due to their vulnerable position in society, media coverage of peace and security issues may tend to perpetuate the image of pitiful, helpless women in photos and narratives, thus victimizing them. • Women’s insights into the issues of conflict, peace building and international relations in expert panels or consultancy forums are often minimized or undermined by emphasizing their stereotypical roles and their association with feminine issues such as children, women’s reproductive health, and households, while men receive more broader and general questions and response. • Portraying men as the dominant actors who wage the war and negotiate the peace, and as leaders in post-conflict societies, can perpetuate harmful stereotypes of men. Things to keep in mind: • Provide balanced portrayal and perspectives on peace and security affairs, taking into consideration the various actors involved in conflict or peace efforts, especially women from diverse conflict-affected areas and different warring parties where they are actively involved in responding to their communities’ needs. 18 Gender transformative communication in focus areas