The Women Waging Commission, in its own research on the 1994 Rwandan violence, focused on gender dynamics—an aspect often overshadowed by ethnic questions in most discussions of the phenomenon. In its study, the Commission noticed that Rwanda's transitional government had established structures for female inclusion and had implemented progressive gender policies that could serve as an example to other post-conflict societies.

In April 1994, the Presidents of Rwanda and of Burundi were killed while returning from peace talks in the Democratic Republic of Tanzania, when the Rwandese plane crashed in circumstances that are still not clear. This set off a tidal wave of political and ethnic killings in Rwanda numbering in the hundreds of thousands. Its Prime Minister and cabinet ministers and peacekeepers of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda were among the first victims. Targeting mainly Tutsis and moderate Hutus, the killings were carried out largely by the armed forces, the presidential guard and the ruling party's youth militia, as confirmed subsequently by the UN Commission on Human Right's Special Rapporteur on Rwanda.

By the end of the conflict, Rwanda's population was 70 per cent female. Women then were acting as community leaders, financial providers and heads of households. The Government for National Unity (GNU)—the transitional authority formed in 1994—considered women an excluded group and understood their participation in governance to be essential for longer-term democratization and sustainable peace.

Rwandan women's resilience and contributions immediately following the genocide promoted their acceptance into the government. Today, they contribute to the country's physical reconstruction, social healing and reconciliation. This has been recognized and institutionalized by the current Government. The fact that their inclusion in government is a nationally driven force strengthens Rwanda's system even further. The systematization of women's engagement in policy-making has clear benefits: endemic problems affecting the female population have a better chance of being addressed when they occupy top-ranking posts in the Government.

Rwanda's transitional government established three initiatives to ensure the inclusion of women in decision-making posts. The first is a parallel system of women's councils and women-only elections that ensures a mandate for all election bodies. These councils are elected by women only at the grass-roots level and at each successive administrative level. The council head serves as a liaison with the general council within which she is reserved a seat.

Another initiative is a triple balloting system that ensures the election of women to a set percentage of seats at both the sector and district levels. In the September 2003 election, each voter cast three ballots at the sector level: general, woman's and youth ballot, selecting one person from each. Women can run on the general ballot, but have less guarantees of being elected since men generally still have more experience and preparation for public service. Those women who are more experienced opted to run on the general ballot to allow those who are less prepared to run on the women's ballot. Candidate Florence Kamili Kayiraba chose to run on the general ballot: "If I had passed through the women's [ballot], it would have been easy for me because the competition would have been less. There were very few women and many of them were timid and would not stand [against men for election]. … It wasn't easy but I felt it would be unfair, because I had the potential for standing in the general competition and could leave the other place for [a woman] who is a bit shy and cannot come up for the other post."

Rwanda's third programme included the establishment of the Ministry for Gender and Women in Development, as well as gender posts at all levels within Government and ministerial bodies. These ministerial positions guarantee the proposal and implementation of policies that are sensitive to the special needs of women. The new Constitution requires that they fill 30 per cent of policy-making posts in the country and, with the above-mentioned structures, guarantees their active engagement in all levels of governance and policy-making. Women in government are now perceived by Rwandans as more approachable and trustworthy politicians than their male counterparts. "It is not easy for a man to be approached, but it is easy for women … especially by fellow women. I get so many women coming up, telling me their personal problems, financial issues", said Berte Mukamusoni, Mayor of Kayiraba.

Skeptics say that the inclusion of women serves to divert attention from the absence of a more representative government, stressing that ethnic diversity is essential for the establishment of a democratic State in Rwanda. The Women Waging for Peace Commission hopes that this report will be useful for other countries undergoing post-conflict recovery. It plans to produce fifteen reports about the role of women in post-conflict situations.