ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an introduction to the normative framework on women, peace and security (WPS), and how it relates to the peacebuilding architecture (PBA). It discusses to what extent the PBA has played a major role in making United Nations(UN) peacebuilding efforts more gender sensitive, and explores by offering some reflections on the status of WPS in relation to future reforms of the UN PBA. The WPS agenda has set its mark within peacebuilding, including the PBA. The UN PBA consists of the peacebuilding commission (PBC) and its supportive entities, the peacebuilding support office (PBSO) and the peacebuilding fund (PBF). These three were formally established through resolutions adopted concurrently by the UN General Assembly and Security Council in December 2005. The PBSO was established to support the PBC in its work and is located within the UN Secretariat under the executive office of the secretary-general.
