Conflicts emerge and are being resolved continuously in different contexts and on different levels, for instance, on interpersonal, intercultural and international level. No matter what type of conflict it is about, conflicts emerge and are being resolved in interaction. The people who resolve conflicts and take part in peacebuilding, have a major impact on the interaction in these situations. Despite the fact that the importance of women’s participation in peacebuilding has been discussed for decades, the number of women mediators, negotiators and peacekeepers is still minimally low, and women’s peacemaking remains often unidentified and unrecognized.

The purpose of this qualitative research was to describe and understand former or current women peacebuilders’ perceptions of the meaning of women’s role on interaction in peacebuilding. The data was collected with semi-structured interviews and ten women peacebuilders were interviewed. The backgrounds of the interviewees consisted of a variety of expert positions in the field of peacebuilding, such as diplomacy, peacekeeping, civilian crisis management, development cooperation and mediation. The data was analyzed with thematic analysis.

Based on the findings, it can be said that the role of women has a major impact on interaction in peacebuilding. Women’s active participation is meaningful, not only for the success of interaction and peacebuilding, but also because women bring different issues to the discussion and look at conflict and its resolution from a different perspective than men. Women’s participation in peacebuilding also increases the possibilities of other women identifying with experts in positions, where you normally can’t see women. In addition, women’s expertise and knowledge raise the quality of peacebuilding and make it more inclusive.

Based on the findings, it can also be said that understanding the relevance of interaction in peacebuilding is important. Even though peacebuilding is task-oriented in its nature, relational aspects, such as building trust, have a major impact on the success of interaction. The important qualities of peacebuilders rely heavily on interaction skills and communication competence, and it’s important for peacebuilders to be able to interpret, manage and lead interaction.