Written Evidence Submitted by Professor Jagbir Jhutti-Johal OBE

Submitted to: International Development Committee

Inquiry: Women, Peace and Security

Date: 15 May 2025

 

1. About the Author – Jagbir Jhutti-Johal

I am Professor Jagbir Jhutti-Johal OBE, Professor of Sikh Studies in the Department of Theology and Religion at the University of Birmingham. With over 25 years of experience in teaching, research, and community engagement, my work focuses on Sikh theology and tradition, while also addressing the lived realities of Sikhs today. My research and public engagement explore inter and intra-community dynamics, with a strong emphasis on gender equality and representation within Sikh and wider contexts. I am actively involved in interfaith dialogue, particularly at the intersection of political and social issues, with a focus on how global challenges impact community relationships at the national level.

I have served as a Commissioner on The Commission on Religion and Belief in British Public Life (CORAB), convened by The Woolf Institute in 2013, and am regularly called upon by policymakers for Sikh perspectives in consultations. I currently sit on the UK Freedom of Religion or Belief Forum’s steering group and am a member of the OSCE/ODIHR Panel of Experts on Freedom of Religion or Belief.

In addition, I serve as a board member and trustee for several organisations, including Faiths for the Climate and the Race Equality Foundation. I am a Layperson on the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists Women’s Network, and am actively involved in interfaith and voluntary work focused on women and children’s issues.

In 2020, I co-founded the Women’s Faith Forum (WFF), a collective of six women, each from one of the major faiths, united by a shared understanding and recognition that many societal harms disproportionately impact women, particularly within faith communities, and that whilst the solutions often lie with them their voices are least heard by political leaders and policymakers. WFF provides women with a seat at the policy table.  Although our work is rooted in the UK, the issues we tackle, such as representation, social cohesion, gender inequality, and community leadership, are deeply relevant to the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda.

My advocacy work, combined with over 25 years of experience in research and policy engagement, positions me strongly to contribute informed evidence to this inquiry.

2. Executive Summary

This written evidence is submitted in response to the UK Parliament International Development Committee's inquiry into Women, Peace and Security.  It draws on my work with WFF, as well as key insights and recommendations from the Women Leading the Way conference, held at the University of Birmingham on 24th March 2025, which are directly relevant to the Committee’s inquiry:

 

1) Grassroots Women’s Leadership: Women, especially from faith and minority backgrounds, are leading efforts in peacebuilding and reconciliation but remain under-recognised and under-resourced. UK national strategies should integrate and fund this leadership.

 

2) Inclusive Policymaking: Mechanisms for co-creation of policy with diverse women must be developed, both nationally and in global diplomatic efforts.
 

3) Community-Led Models: Faith-based and community-driven reconciliation practices led by women are proving effective and should be shared nationally and internationally.
 

4) Digital Safety: The rise in online abuse presents a growing threat to women leaders. UK and international protections must be strengthened through legislation, partnerships with tech companies, and robust accountability frameworks.

 

3. Purpose of Submission

The Committee’s inquiry is examining whether the UK is effectively incorporating the principles of Women, Peace and Security (WPS) into its aid programmes, with a particular focus on the meaningful inclusion of women’s voices.

As stated:

“The Committee’s inquiry will explore how much progress the UK has made in delivering its priorities for women and girls and whether its commitments have translated into substantive outcomes. It will also consider how it can ensure that women’s voices help to shape the policies that affect them.”

While the inquiry’s scope is global, insights from the Women Leading the Way conference are relevant. The conference showcased the leadership of women from faith and minority communities in promoting social cohesion, peacebuilding, and reconciliation in the UK. Despite their vital contributions, these women often work with minimal support and without access to formal decision-making spaces or funding. These challenges are also faced by women engaged in peace and security work in other countries

 

4. Scope of Response

The Committee invited submissions on a range of questions regarding the UK's delivery of its Women, Peace and Security (WPS) commitments:

1)      The integration of WPS principles in ODA-funded programming

2)      The allocation and distribution of financial resources

3)      Progress on the UK’s 2023 WPS National Action Plan

4)      The inclusion of women’s voices, particularly from conflict-affected and marginalised communities

5)      The effectiveness of accountability mechanisms and the achievement of substantive outcomes

6)      Examples of measurable success under the WPS framework

7)      Trends in adherence to the international WPS agenda

8)      The sustainability of the UK’s efforts amidst global political shifts

This submission focuses primarily on the question:

“Are women’s voices, particularly those from conflict-affected communities and marginalised groups, sufficiently included within the UK’s approach to the WPS agenda?”

5. Background and Context

There is substantial evidence demonstrating that women are disproportionately affected by war, conflict, systemic inequality, and climate change. These crises exacerbate existing gender inequalities and expose women to increased risks, including displacement, poverty, and gender-based violence.

During conflicts, women face increased exposure to sexual violence, economic insecurity, and lack of access to healthcare.[1] Despite this, governments and international agencies frequently prioritize the needs and perspectives of men, rendering women, the most affected, invisible in decision-making processes and policy frameworks. This marginalisation persists even though women are often the first to respond in times of crisis and are among the most effective actors in peacebuilding, resilience, and community cohesion. For example, Oxfam has documented how women in conflict zones are affected the most through violence but take the lead in peacebuilding, sustaining communities and rebuilding.[2] Similarly, research from the International Rescue Committee shows that women-led groups played a vital role in the response to COVID-19 and extreme climate disasters, despite in some contexts being excluded from formal planning spaces.  Across COVID-19 response plans and recovery efforts, women and girls were insufficiently accounted for. This stems from the fact that women are often under-represented when response plans are drafted and enacted.[3]

In the context of climate change, women are also among the most affected. Women account for approximately 70% of those displaced by climate-related disasters, but “women are largely left out of decision-making processes in which strategies for coping with climate change are acted upon.”[4] This exclusion persists despite growing evidence, including from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), that gender-responsive climate action improves resilience.[5]

It is imperative that women must not only be visible in policy responses but included as equal partners in shaping the interventions that affect them and their communities, rather than passive recipients of programmes and initiatives. Their lived experiences, leadership, and local knowledge are essential for creating effective, inclusive, and sustainable solutions. International frameworks already affirm this need. For example, UN Security Council Resolution 1325 explicitly calls for women's full and equal participation in “reaffirms the important role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts, peace negotiations, peace-building, peacekeeping, humanitarian response and in post-conflict reconstruction and stresses the importance of their equal participation and full involvement in all efforts for the maintenance and promotion of peace and security.”[6]  However, in 2025 it is still evident that women are not always included.

6. Key Themes and Findings from Conference

The Women Leading the Way conference, convened women leaders from a wide range of sectors, including faith, healthcare, education, and civil society, to examine underrepresentation and invisibility of women, particularly women of faith, in decision-making processes and to showcase the significant contributions women of faith make to interfaith, peacebuilding and social cohesion initiatives across the UK.

Speakers included women representatives from grassroots and professional networks, women faith leaders, activists and senior policymakers, such as Lord Khan of Burnley, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Lords Minister for Faith, Communities and Resettlement).

Topics covered and findings:

1)      Informal yet Critical Leadership: Women of faith play central roles in community healing and reconciliation without formal authority or visibility.

2)      Barriers to Representation: Structural and cultural barriers limit women’s access to decision-making, particularly in faith and ethnic minority communities.

3)      Successful Collaboration Models: Women-led interfaith and cross-sector collaborations are already fostering social cohesion on the ground.

4)      Intergenerational and interfaith collaboration.

5)      Youth and Leadership: Young women face distinct barriers in accessing leadership development and mentorship opportunities.

6)      Online Harassment: Digital abuse presents a growing risk to women in public leadership, threatening both safety and participation.

 

A key theme emerging from the conference was the critical yet often invisible role that women of faith play in their communities. Despite their strength, creativity, and deep commitment to addressing societal challenges, much of their work remains unfunded and lacks formal recognition. These women are rarely commissioned or consulted by policymakers; instead, they act independently, motivated by a strong sense of responsibility to uphold community cohesion and support future generations. The conference emphasized there was urgent need for institutional support and greater engagement with these women in policymaking, not only to enhance the effectiveness of policies but also to foster a society where everyone feels safe, heard, and included.

 

7. Relevance to the Women, Peace and Security Inquiry

The conference illustrated that women of faith are already advancing peace, security and community cohesion through innovative, community-led responses in the UK. However, these efforts often remain siloed, unfunded, and disconnected from formal policy processes.  Both the activities, and especially the women leading them, are largely invisible to policymakers.

This invisibility is mirrored in international aid programmes. Structural changes are needed to ensure that women’s voices, particularly those of women of faith, are embedded in policymaking and programme development from the outset. This must go beyond consultation to include co-creation and robust accountability mechanisms.

8. Policy Questions and Recommendations

1. Recognition and Resourcing of Grassroots Women's Leadership

 

2. Inclusive Policy Co-Creation

 

 

 

3. Scaling Community and Faith-Based Reconciliation Models

 

4. Digital Safety and Leadership

9. Conclusion

Women, particularly those from marginalised, faith-based, and minority communities, are essential agents of peace, security, and social cohesion. Their leadership should not be peripheral to these efforts; it should be central. Yet, their contributions are frequently overlooked, under-resourced, and excluded from formal policy and decision-making processes, largely due to entrenched power dynamics and male gatekeeping. This persistent marginalisation undermines the effectiveness, inclusivity, and sustainability of development, peacebuilding, and community cohesion initiatives.

While this submission draws attention to the leadership of women of faith in the UK and their vital role in promoting social cohesion, community resilience, and conflict prevention, it also draws attention to their continued invisibility in UK policymaking, a trend reflected internationally. It draws on the conference recommendations to offer suggestions to support the meaningful inclusion of women in the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda within UK aid programmes.

 

If the UK is to deliver on its stated priorities for women and girls internationally, and ensure its commitments translate into meaningful outcomes and lasting change, it must actively engage with, recognise, fund, and integrate the work and voices of women across all its programmes. The inclusion of women must no longer be seen as optional, but as essential to achieving effective, equitable, and sustainable peace, security, and development outcomes.

 

 

 

10. Contact for Follow-Up

I would be pleased to discuss this response further.

Professor Jagbir Jhutti-Johal OBE

University of Birmingham/Women’s Faith Forum

Email: j.jhuttijohal.1@bham.ac.uk

 

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[1] UN Women, Humanitarian-action-and-disaster-risk-reduction-2020-annual-report-en.pdf (2020) [Accessed 7 May 2025].

[2] Oxfam, We Won’t Wait: As war ravages Yemen, its women strive to build peace (2017) [Accessed 7 May 2025].

[3] International Rescue Committee, 15 Million People in Need - Mostly Women - Are Currently Left Out of Gender-Based Violence Services Across 10 Countries | The IRC (2020).. See also Feminist Humanitarian Network [Accessed 7 May 2025].

[4] UN Women and CARE International, Climate woes growing for women, hit worst by displacement and migration (2020) and Women suffer the most from climate displacement | UNW WRD Knowledge Hub. See also Care Climate Change Evicted by Climate Change (2020) and UN Women How gender inequality and climate change are interconnected | UN Women – Headquarters (2025) [Accessed 13 May 2025].

[5] IPCC Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability (2022) [Accessed 7 May 2025].

[6] United Nations Security Council, United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000), S/RES/1325 (2000) | She Stands For Peace (2000) [Accessed 7 May 2025].