There is a formal commitment from most agencies and groups involved in Peace Support Operations (PSO)  to incorporate an understanding of gender issues in their work.

This course will become your tool for meeting that commitment. What you will learn will allow you to enhance your own abilities and improve the overall effectiveness of any PSO in which you participate.

Within conflict-affected communities, men, women, boys and girls all experience war differently. Gender describes the social and cultural roles governing relationships between men and women, which in turn influence the impact of armed conflict on each.

Gender must be recognized as a vital component of plans and programs to avoid, mitigate and resolve conflict situations, and to build sustainable peace. To do an effective job, everyone involved in PSOs, NGOs, governments, militaries, police and humanitarian agencies must understand the gender dimension of conflict.