Explaining changes in women’s representation in peace processes: The adoption of a gender quota in the Agreement Monitoring Committee in Mali

Dynamics of inclusion and exclusion in peace processes have in recent years received increasing attention in research and among policymakers and practitioners. Much of this attention has focused on inclusion in peace negotiations, whereas inclusion in post-agreement commissions or committee-type institutions has received limited attention despite the key role they play in peacebuilding. This article offers an in-depth exploration and process tracing of the introduction of a gender quota in the Agreement Monitoring Committee in Mali. It argues that changes in women’s representation in post-agreement committees in peace processes become possible when critical actors perform their work in the context of international gender equality norms and women’s mobilization. Based on analysis of documents and interviews with key actors involved in the peace process, it finds that critical actors use political accumulation, collaboration with women’s activists, and altering of the institutional environment to effect gender-based policy changes in peace processes.