Despite the WPS agenda’s goals for including women in all aspects of security and peace-making, their participation in disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR), a crucial part of peace processes, has often been minimal or merely symbolic.

Drawing on research from the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) and the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), this article examines the history and progress on the inclusion of women in DDR — and proposes five steps towards more inclusive and gender-responsive DDR processes.