Across Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), women are not waiting for peace to arrive: they are actively building it. From mediating local conflicts to supporting survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, women peacebuilders are keeping communities together in some of the most fragile and polarised contexts in the Great Lakes region. Yet their work often happens with minimal protection, limited funding, and too little political recognition.

A new policy brief by Mensen met een Missie, CARE Nederland and Synergie des Femmes pour la Paix et la Réconciliation des peuples des Grands Lacs d’Afrique (SPR) brings these realities to the attention of European decision-makers. It translates the priorities of women peacebuilders into concrete recommendations for the European Union (EU), at a moment when the EU is shaping its next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2028–2034; the budget that will largely determine what EU commitments mean in practice.

The core message

The brief makes one thing crystal clear: there is no sustainable peace without women’s full participation, protection and leadership. The EU already has strong policy commitments on Women, Peace and Security (WPS), gender equality, and the prevention of sexual and gender-based violence. But unless these commitments are anchored structurally in the next MFF and EU external action instruments, women peacebuilders will continue to do vital work without the long-term backing they need.

What women peacebuilders are facing

During a WPS workshop at the EURAC conference in Brussels on 2 October 2025, women’s rights defenders and civil society leaders from Burundi and the DRC outlined the layered barriers they confront daily.

They spoke about:

• persistent sexual and gender-based violence and widespread displacement;
• weak justice systems and poor enforcement of protective laws;
• economic exclusion that blocks women’s independence and political influence;
• and deep-rooted discriminatory norms that keep women out of leadership while impunity remains normalised.

Even as insecurity grows, women’s organisations continue to operate on the frontlines — often without formal recognition, stable resources, or safe civic space. Their work is strategic for peace, yet structurally undervalued.

What needs to change: key recommendations

The policy brief sets out a focused set of recommendations for the EU. Among them:

1. Strengthen access to justice for survivors of (S)GBV, with survivor-centred legal aid and stronger law enforcement.
2. Accelerate and fund National Action Plans on UNSCR 1325 in Burundi and the DRC, including monitoring and WPS data collection.
3. Provide flexible, direct support to women-led civil society, combined with investment in women’s economic empowerment.
4. Mainstream WPS across all EU peace and security tools, including DDR/SSR programmes and CSDP missions.
5. Institutionalise regular dialogue between EU Delegations and women peacebuilders, especially grassroots networks.
6. Respond to country-specific priorities in Burundi and the DRC, from inheritance rights to special measures for women’s representation.
7. Make WPS a core, funded pillar of the next MFF, with stronger monitoring and reporting obligations.

A budget that can make (or break) women’s leadership

The next EU MFF is more than a financial framework. It is a political choice about what kind of partner the EU wants to be in fragile regions. Will it be a partner that repeats commitments, or one that invests predictably and long-term in women who are already building peace?

Women peacebuilders in the Great Lakes region are clear about what they need: protection, recognition, a real seat at decision-making tables, and sustained funding that matches the scale of their contribution. The EU has a chance to close that gap, if WPS becomes a structural priority in the new budget and external action instruments.

Click here to read the full policy brief for the complete analysis and recommendations.