While much of the work of conflict resolution focuses on the government or public level, the resolution of contemporary conflict is very much a holistic process that is simultaneously conducted at the private, grassroots level. Many of the efforts under way to sustain peace in countries and regions beset by or emerging from violent conflict are undertaken by grassroots organizations formed by those whose lives are most directly and significantly affected by the conflict. A substantial proportion of these organizations are formed and staffed by women. These nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) are playing an increasingly active role in dispute resolution and postconflict reconstruction and peacebuilding. The United States Institute of Peace strives, through research, education, and training, to understand the role of nongovernmental entities in bringing about a stable peace in conflict-torn societies. Toward that end, on September 14, 1999, the Institute's Research and Studies Program convened a seminar entitled "Perspectives on Grassroots Peacebuilding: The Roles of Women in War and Peace," which drew together more than sixty representatives of the policy community, academia, and nongovernmental organizations. This report draws on presentations and comments made at the seminar and specifically examines the role of women in addressing the issues of conflict resolution and peacebuilding.

Donna Ramsey Marshall is program assistant in the Research and Studies Program of the United States Institute of Peace, with research interests in international humanitarian law, nonviolent social movements, and gender and conflict. Prior to joining the Institute, Ramsey Marshall worked at the Center for International Development and Conflict Management at the University of Maryland, College Park, where she was research assistant for the Minorities at Risk Project and project coordinator for the Armed Conflict and Intervention Project of the State Failure Task Force.