From former combatants to peacebuilders, women fulfill a wide set of roles in the effective implementation of Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) processes. Promoting gender-responsive DDR through meaningful participation of women at all stages of DDR is essential for the success and sustainability of interventions.

While women combatants usually represent a small percentage of demobilized caseloads, the implementation of DDR-related tools, notably Community Violence Reduction (CVR) projects, allows DDR components in peace operations to mobilize and empower women towards mitigating local conflict, preventing recruitment into armed groups, and building community resilience, including its capacity to absorb ex-combatants.