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On October 30, 1996 the Minister of Foreign Affairs announced the establishment of a
new Canadian Peace building Initiative as well as the creation of a new peacekeeping fund
($10 million annually). Although Canada has been an international leader in the evolvement of
the concept and practice of peacekeeping, the concept of Peace building is relatively new to
Canadians and the international community alike. As a result, many aspects of Peace building
have yet to be determined. This paper will address one essential aspect of Peace building that
has hereto been neglected; gender. In light of a number of recent experiences in Rwanda and
Guatemala, as well as the growing literature on the importance of gender in development
processes, it will be argued that women play a critical role in the reconstruction of their
countries. Moreover, given Canada's experience in peacekeeping, gender and development, and
human rights, Canada is well placed to advance an integrative model of Peace building that will
effectively respond to the needs of a reconstructing nation.