European Peace Institute / News

On Thursday, April 18th, IPI together with Monash University and Griffith University are cohosting an event entitled “Policy, Promise, and Pitfalls: Women, Peace and Security in 2020.”

Remarks will begin at 3:15 pm PST / 6:15pm EST

In October 2020, the global community will mark the 20th anniversary of the adoption of UNSCR 1325, the UN Security Council’s first resolution dedicated to Women, Peace and Security (WPS). This penultimate year before the anniversary is an important time to take stock and engage with what the international community has achieved toward the WPS agenda and where further action should be taken. It is a time to be creative in assessment and analysis of the issues, institutions, and locations where WPS implementation could improve international peace and security.

The evening’s discussion will bring together the WPS community to discuss the intersection of policy and promise toward achieving the transformational potential of the WPS agenda. This includes the collective obligations of civil society, governments, and the UN.

Opening remarks:
H.E. Mr. Olof Skoog, Permanent Representative of the Mission of Sweden to the United Nations
Dr. Jacqui True, Professor of Politics & International Relations and an Australian Research Council Future Fellow, Monash University

Speakers:
Ms. Nahla Valji, Senior Gender Adviser, Executive Office of the Secretary-General
Ms. Ray Acheson, Director, Reaching Critical Will

Moderator:
Dr. Sarah Taylor, Senior Fellow, International Peace Institute

The international rule-based order has come under threat on multiple fronts. If it continues to deteriorate into an older model based on power politics, small states—by definition vulnerable in a world where only might makes right—are most at risk. This makes them natural defenders of the international order that protects them.

How can small countries serve as effective champions of the rule-based order and international law? This paper explores this question by looking at the role of small states on the UN Security Council. The council, with its five veto-wielding permanent members, is perhaps not an obvious place to look at the role of small states. Nonetheless, it presents critical opportunities, as well as difficult challenges, for small states.

This paper concludes that small states on the Security Council are well-placed to provide an important, credible voice with moral authority to remind all member states of their obligations under international law, reaffirm normative commitments to compliance, and advocate for a recommitment to a multilateral, rule-based international order. Perhaps not since the founding of the United Nations has that voice been more necessary for all to hear.

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The Secretary-General of Bahrain’s Supreme Council for Women, H.E Hala Al-Ansari, called on women and men alike to work together in achieving equal participation of women in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). “We need to carry out our responsibilities as humans, rather than separate genders,” she said, adding that women do not need to solely rely on men to empower themselves.

Addressing a large audience of women in leadership, ambassadors, government officials, dignitaries, religious leaders, and media gathered at IPI MENA on April 11, 2019, Al-Ansari emphasized the progress made by Bahraini women in policy, public and private sectors, noting that “Bahrain is ranked first in the Arab world and 47th globally according to the World Bank’s Human Capital Index, and fourth in the Gulf and 43rd globally according to the UN Human Development Report 2018.”

The event was opened by IPI MENA Policy Analyst Dalya Al-Alawi, and moderated by IPI MENA Director Mr. Nejib Friji, who noted that the work of the SCW is in line with the SDGs and IPI goals related to women’s leadership and the promotion of women at all levels of decision-making, political involvement and peacemaking.

In response to a question by Mary Justine Todd, Founder of Women’s Crisis Care International, about SCW initiatives regarding domestic and sexual violence, Al-Ansari cited progress regarding legislation and law enforcement steps and called for additional preventative measures as well as the streamlining of gender equity in all layers of society. “We must go to the root of domestic and sexual violence and change the mindset of how the genders express themselves, beginning with education, institutions and teaching the skills of peaceful relations from kindergarten to high levels of education,” she said.

Answering a question from Yemen’s Ambassador to Bahrain, Dr. Ali Hassan Al Ahmadi, on whether women’s quotas would be envisaged as a means of inclusion and advancement, Hala Al-Ansari stressed that these allocations are not always true measures of progress. She called for greater accountability in the field of women’s advancement through the implementation of evaluation mechanisms in the public and private sectors.

Responding to Fatema Al Kooheji, Chairperson of the Shura Council’s Senate for the Women and Children Committee, on the role of the media in women’s advancement and participation, Al-Ansari noted the relative progress of the media concerning women’s issues. Still, she called for further development in media’s approaches to assessment, coverage, analysis of gender equity, women’s participation in line with the SDGs. She highlighted the important role of media, adding that it is crucial to convey an accurate and constructive message. However, she noted that media should “neither draw a bleak picture nor over-exaggerate women’s achievements.”

Speaking to the media, Hala Al-Ansari vowed a partnership with IPI MENA on gender-based equal opportunities’ future projects.

On Tuesday, April 16th, IPI together with the Permanent Mission of Estonia to the UN are cohosting a policy forum event on “A Necessary Voice: Small States, International Law, and the UN Security Council.”

Remarks will begin at 10:15am PST / 1:15pm EST

The international rule-based order is facing high-risk challenges on multiple fronts. What is at stake in the weakening of this order, and what are the paths forward? Among UN member states, small countries are most at risk if the international system further deteriorates into an older model of a world order based on power politics and zero-sum games. As such, they should also be predisposed to defend the order that protects them.

In a system dominated by large powerful states, can small states serve as effective champions of the rule-based order and international law? One place to begin to answer this question is the UN Security Council, a body that presents both critical opportunities and difficult challenges for small states. Given these opportunities and challenges, what role can small states play in defending international law on the Security Council?

Panelists will discuss these questions and more. This event will launch the IPI policy report, “A Necessary Voice: Small States, International Law, and the Security Council,” produced in partnership with the Government of Estonia.

Speakers:
H.E. Mr. Sven Jürgenson, Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Estonia to the UN
H.E. Mr. Luis Homero Bermúdez Álvarez, Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Uruguay to the UN
Dr. Adam Lupel, Vice President, International Peace Institute
Dr. Lauri Mälksoo, Professor of International Law, University of Tartu (Estonia)
Dr. Kristen Boon, Associate Dean, Professor of Law, Seton Hall Law School

Moderator:
Ms. Jimena Leiva Roesch, Senior Fellow, International Peace Institute

“The two state solution I do profoundly believe is the only way,” IPI President Terje Rød-Larsen told a World Economic Forum gathering in Jordan on April 7th assessing the difficulties facing the stalled peace process in the Middle East. He added, “By force of history, it will happen, but it might take a very long time.”

Describing himself as both pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli, he said, “I think the one state solution would be a disaster for the Palestinians and a disaster for the Israelis.”

Mr. Rød-Larsen made his remarks in a panel discussion on the eve of elections in Israel in which the possibility of annexation of the West Bank and movement towards a unitary Israeli state has come up for debate.

He was speaking in response to a question from Børge Brende, President of the World Economic Forum, who asked, “Is the two state solution dead?”

Others on the panel were Saeb Erekat, member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization of the Palestinian National Assembly; Dalia Dassa Kaye, Director, Center for Middle East Public Policy, RAND Corporation USA, and Michael Herzog, International Fellow, Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Israel.

As part of his long career as a diplomat and peacemaker, Mr. Rød-Larsen served from 1999 to December 2004 as UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and Personal Representative of the Secretary-General to the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority, holding the rank of Under-Secretary-General.

Watch full event video:

On Thursday, April 11th, IPI is hosting a Global Leaders Series presentation featuring H.E. Mr. Khaled H. Alyemany, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Yemen.

Remarks will begin at 10:15am PST / 1:15pm EST

In January 1991, H.E. Mr. Khaled H. Alyemany joined the foreign service as the editor of private publications at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Department of Press and Information. He subsequently served as an expert in the Foreign Minister’s Office overseeing Yemeni-African relations and as the assistant and private secretary in the Foreign Minister’s Office overseeing Yemeni-American relations (USA, Canada, and Cuba), as well as counterterrorism.

H.E. Mr. Alyemany served in four oversees posts: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (1997- 2000); Washington DC, USA (2000-2003), where he was a political and press officer; London, UK (2005-2009), as deputy chief of mission; and New York, USA (2009-2010), as the chief negotiator during Yemen’s chairmanship of the “Group of 77.” Between 2011 and 2013, he served in Sana’a as deputy director, and then as director, of the Foreign Minister’s Office. In 2013, he returned to New York as a deputy permanent representative until he was confirmed as a permanent representative in December 2014. He served as the deputy president of the General Assembly of the United Nations in 2015, and deputy chair of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) Bureau in the United Nations from 2016 until his appointment as foreign minister in May 2018.

Speaker:
H.E. Mr. Khaled H. Alyemany, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Yemen

Moderator:
Dr. Adam Lupel, Vice President, International Peace Institute

On Tuesday, April 9th, IPI together with the Office of the President of the General Assembly, the United Nations Peacebuilding Support Office, the United Nations Population Fund, Peace Direct, and Interpeace, are cohosting a policy forum to discuss the role of young people as drivers of peace and how international actors can advance meaningful participation and inclusion of young people.

Remarks will begin at 10:15am PST / 1:15pm EST

Meaningful political, social and economic inclusion is a complex and core issue at the heart of the Youth Peace and Security agenda. The challenge, however, is what constitutes meaningful political inclusion and participation of young people, and how can this be undertaken to prevent violence and sustain peace.

Contributing to sustaining peace, and preventing the outbreak, continuation, escalation and recurrence of violence requires expansion of young people’s roles and engagement in formal and informal political processes and institutions. It demands attention to improve young people’s roles in decision-making processes that directly impact their lives, and their relationships with their communities and the state.

The Youth, Peace and Security agenda, laid out in Security Council Resolution 2250, and the Independent Progress Study on Youth Peace and Security debunks negative assumptions about youth in peace and security, underlines the capacity youth have to participate in meaningful peacebuilding and nonviolent action in their communities and countries and highlights several recommendations on how to advance inclusion broadly. As member states and the United Nations move towards implementation of the youth agenda and recommendation, it is important to reflect what work is being done by young people on the ground, how they want to work with international actors as well as what meaningful inclusion means to them and what accountability looks like in this implementation.

Welcoming remarks:
Dr. Adam Lupel, Vice President, International Peace Institute

Opening remarks:
H.E. Ms. María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, President, UN General Assembly
Mr. Dereje Wordofa, ASG and Deputy Executive Director, UNFPA

Speakers:
Mr. Moussa Tolo, President, Allô Gouvernance
Ms. Saran Keita, President, Peace and Security Network for Women, Mali
Mr. Graeme Simpson, Director, Interpeace USA
Ms. Vanessa Wyeth, Senior Political and Public Affairs Officer (Peacebuilding), Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations

Moderator:
Mr. Jake Sherman, Director of the Center for Peace Operations, International Peace Institute

Comprehensive leadership training is necessary to ensure that peace operations are effective and that senior leaders are prepared for both the daily challenges and the inevitable crises of peacekeeping. A gender perspective is of central importance to such training. However, gender considerations—from gendered conflict analysis to recognition of who is in the room when decisions are made—remain poorly understood at a practical level, including among senior mission leaders.

This issue brief discusses what it means to apply a “gender perspective” and the importance of such a perspective for senior leaders to effectively implement mission mandates. It provides an overview of existing gender-related training and preparation techniques for senior leaders, including gaps. It concludes with a series of recommendations on how trainings and approaches to senior leadership training can better reflect these considerations:

• The current status of gender training for senior leaders should be assessed.
• Facilitators of trainings should ensure that their curricula address and respond to a peacekeeping workspace dominated by men.
• Facilitators should be aware that leaders often think they do not need training.
• Trainings for senior leaders should be designed to reflect the complexity of implementing women, peace, and security obligations in a mission.
• Efforts to ensure gender parity in senior mission leadership should be strengthened.
• Gender advisers should be included as formal members of a mission’s crisis management team and play an active role in decision-making bodies.
• Facilitators should understand the gender dimensions of a given training scenario and be aware of the gender balance among participants.
• The UN should develop resources for leaders, including key documents and guidance on understanding the gender dimensions of their mission.

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On Friday, March 29th, IPI together with the University of Johannesburg are cohosting a policy forum on Nigeria and South Africa: Regional Dynamics in a Changing World. Professor Adekeye Adebajo will offer his analysis on regional challenges and opportunities following the presidential elections in Nigeria and ahead of the parliamentary elections in South Africa. Professor Sarah Lockwood will offer commentary following Professor Adebajo’s remarks.

Remarks will begin at 10:15am PST / 1:15pm EST

Nigeria and South Africa have led many conflict-management initiatives over the last twenty-five years. Both account for at least 60 percent of the economy of their respective sub-regions in West and Southern Africa. The success of political and economic integration in Africa thus rests heavily on the shoulders of these two regional powers.

Professor Adekeye Adebajo will also provide insights into the history of the two countries and the relations between them, as well as discuss further findings and reflections following the publication of his most recent book of essays entitled The Eagle and the Springbok: Essays on Nigeria and South Africa.

Dr. Adekeye Adebajo was the director of the Africa Program at the International Peace Institute in New York from 2000 to 2004 and served on UN missions in South Africa, Western Sahara, and Iraq. He was the Executive Director of the Centre for Conflict Resolution from 2004 to 2018. He is currently a Professor at the University of Johannesburg and Director of their Institute for Pan-African Thought and Conversation.

Professor Sarah Lockwood is a political scientist currently completing her PhD in African Studies and Government at Harvard University.

Speaker:
Prof. Adekeye Adebajo, Director, Institute for Pan-African Thought and Conversation, University of Johannesburg

Discussant:
Prof. Sarah J. Lockwood, Presidential Scholar, Harvard University, Senior Consultant, Menas Associates

Moderator:
Amb. John Hirsch, IPI Senior Adviser

On Thursday, March 28th, IPI is hosting a Distinguished Author Series event featuring Robert Kagan, author of The Jungle Grows Back: America and Our Imperiled World. The conversation will be moderated by IPI Senior Adviser for External Relations Warren Hoge.

Remarks will begin at 3:20pm PST / 6:20pm EST

Recent years have brought deeply disturbing developments around the globe, from declining democracy to growing geopolitical competition. American sentiment seems to be leaning increasingly toward going it alone or withdrawing in the face of such disarray. In The Jungle Grows Back, America and Our Imperiled World, Robert Kagan issues an urgent warning that such a unilateral retreat by America would be the worst possible response, one based on a fundamental misreading of the world. Contrary to those who believe that there is an “end of history”—that progress is inevitable and the relative freedom, prosperity, and general peace the world has known for the past seventy years will continue naturally—the historical norm has always been toward chaos. Should the United States continue to withdraw as a global power, Kagan argues, the anarchic international system will undermine and overwhelm the liberal world order as we know it. In short, the jungle will always grow back, if we let it.

On Wednesday, March 27th, IPI is hosting a speaker series event featuring H.E. Mr. Paul Kehoe and H.E. Mr. Inia Seruiratu on the topic of “Implementing Action for Peacekeeping: Troop Contributing Countries as key stakeholders.”

Remarks will begin at 10:15am PST / 1:15pm EST

The presentations will be followed by a moderated panel discussion, which will include H.E. Ms. Geraldine Byrne Nason, Permanent Representative of the Mission of Ireland and H.E. Mr. Satyendra Prasad, Permanent Representative of the Mission of Fiji.

H.E. Mr. Paul Kehoe was appointed Minister with Responsibility for Defence in June 2017. He previously served as the Government Chief Whip and Minister of State at the Department of the Prime Minister and the Department of Defence. Mr. Kehoe has also been a Parliamentarian for County Wexford since he was first elected to the Dáil in May 2002.

H.E. Mr. Inia Batikoto Seruiratu is a Fijian politician and member of the Parliament of Fiji for the Fiji First Party. He is the Minister for Defence and National Security of Fiji and, since January 2019, also serves as the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Keynote speakers:
H.E. Mr. Paul Kehoe, Minister for Defence of Ireland
H.E. Mr. Inia Seruiratu, Minister for Defence, National Security & Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Fiji

Moderator:
Mr. Jake Sherman, Director of the Brian Urquhart Center for Peace Operations, International Peace Institute

On Friday, March 22nd, IPI together with the Geneva Water Hub (a global center of the University of Geneva) and UNICEF are cohosting a policy forum event on Water in Armed Conflicts.

Remarks will begin at 10:15am PST / 1:15pm EST

Armed conflicts affect access to safe water in several ways: destruction of and damage to water facilities, attacks against power plants providing energy to water supply networks, and the collapse of water treatment plants and sewage systems are some of the examples. Water supply systems fail, supply lines are deliberately sabotaged, or water resources are poisoned to intimidate civilians. It takes months to repair and restore essential service infrastructure once it has been damaged. In the meantime, civilians are displaced, agricultural activities are brought to a halt, and epidemics can spread. Various organizations are increasingly bringing into the spotlight the severe consequences of armed conflicts on access to water for the civilian population.

At this policy forum, experts will present and discuss the Geneva List of Principles on the Protection of Water Infrastructure and the UNICEF Advocacy Alert to stimulate international cooperation to overcome the obstacles posed by armed conflicts to accessing water.

Opening remarks:
Hon. Kevin Rudd, Former Prime Minister, Australia, Chair of the IPI Board of Directors

Speakers:
H.E. Dr. Danilo Türk, Former President of the Republic of Slovenia, Chairman of the Global High-Level Panel on Water and Peace and Lead Political Advisor of the Geneva Water Hub
Prof. Laurence Boisson de Chazournes, Faculty of Law, University of Geneva, Full Professor, Geneva Water Hub and Member of the Global High-Level Panel on Water and Peace
Ms. Sandra Pellegrom, Head of Development, Humanitarian Affairs and Human Rights, Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the UN
Mr. Hamish Young, Chief, Humanitarian Action and Transitions Section, UNICEF

Moderator:
Dr. Adam Lupel, Vice President, International Peace Institute

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“Progress has been made thanks to these women who have never shut up, who will never shut up,” said the President of Estonia, Kersti Kaljulaid, speaking to a roundtable of 18 female diplomats at IPI. More than one year into the Secretary-General’s gender parity strategy, the ratio of female to male diplomats at the United Nations has increased. But while the number of women in multilateral leadership positions is improving, serious barriers to their full participation in this arena remain.

Progress towards gender equality and these remaining barriers were the focus of a March 11th IPI event, co-hosted with the Permanent Mission of Estonia to the UN, and entitled “Women in Diplomacy: Creating Transformative Change.”

To introduce the discussion, President Kaljulaid recalled that 15 years ago, 20 percent of Estonian heads of mission were women. This number has now increased to 40 percent. In spite of the obstacles to equality, she insisted, “we can never let go” in the battle for gender equality. She also noted that freedom of the press had allowed women to actively and publicly demand equality, in turn propelling more Estonian women into politics and high-level posts.

María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, the President of the UN General Assembly, recalled the enormous changes she had witnessed in her career. When she was appointed minister of foreign affairs of Ecuador, she said that out of 85 ambassadors, there were only three women. These women often were not permitted on missions, because they had families, she explained. The government, in response, passed ministerial codes that allowed for the promotion of women diplomats into higher positions within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, taking action to eliminate references to the physical appearance or marital status of applicants, and basing selection process exclusively on professional and academic profile.

“It is important that everything is put into writing so it stays part of cultural and institutional architecture,” she said, reflecting on a time when women with sufficient experience and training were not given opportunity because they were expected to take care of children. In 2018, the Foreign Ministry presented a written “Policy for Gender Equality” to promote gender equity in diplomacy.

Ms. Espinosa Garcés addressed a number of ways in which women are currently represented in the multilateral community. She highlighted the disparity among key figures, including that out of 21 vice presidents of the General Assembly, only one is female, and one out of six chairs of committees is a woman. She shared some of the ways she strives for gender equality in her own work, including by objecting when offered a place on panels solely made up of men, and by making sure that 60% of the UN facilitators she appoints are female.

“It’s not only about optics and form and numbers, it is about making a difference in the way we exercise leadership,” she said. “We have a lot to do to break stereotypes to share the message” that women’s participation makes a positive difference in decision-making.

Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed urged the women at the table to continue sharing their personal experiences. Drawing insights from their own careers, she said, could help support younger generations in achieving more effective solutions. “Things are changing,” she continued, “the intergenerational transition is difficult.” Exchanging strategies for catalyzing change within networks of women leaders could, she indicated, “give the next generation the tools to deal with it.”

As international civil servants, women in diplomacy have a “huge job to do from the inside out” to achieve gender parity in the workplace, said Ambassador Mohammed. And to do it, “We need to have women in decision-making roles in the Secretariat.” It is also “incredibly important that men are seen as partners and collaborators” in this process, she said. She concluded, “I think women in positions of leadership will help us get much further than we’ve ever been.”

IPI Senior Fellow Sarah Taylor moderated.

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Wednesday, March 13, 6:15pm EST
Film Screening: Women, War, and Peace II
This event will focus on two of the four films that make up the Women, War & Peace II PBS documentary film series: Wave Goodbye to Dinosaurs and A Journey of a Thousand Miles.

Watch Live Register to Attend

Thursday, March 14, 1:15pm EST
Feminist Leadership at the UN
This event will amplify perspectives on progress as well as remaining challenges to removing barriers to gender equality and feminist leadership at national, regional and global levels.

Watch Live Register to Attend

Wednesday, March 20, 1:150m EST
Mobilizing Male Allies for Women, Peace and Security
The Male Allies for Women, Peace and Security initiative will be launched in an event during the month of CSW.
Watch Live Register to Attend Further Reading

Policy Reports and Issue Briefs:

• Women’s Struggle for Citizenship: Civil Society and Constitution Making after the Arab Uprisings
• The SDGs and Prevention for Sustaining Peace: Exploring the Transformative Potential of the Goal on Gender Equality
• ICM Policy Paper: Women, Peace, and Security
• Reimagining Peacemaking: Women’s Roles in Peace Processes
• Building Peace and Development in the Sahel: Enhancing the Political Participation of Women and Youth

Global Observatory Articles:

• Women’s Issues: What Are They?
• Libya Talks Embody Missing Participation of Women in Peace Processes
• Why Women, Peace, and Security? Why Now?
• UN Peacekeeping: Where is the Gender Expertise?
• Without Prioritization of Peace and Women’s Leadership, WPS in Peril
• Five Frequently Asked Questions on the Inclusion of Women in Peace Processes
• What Does the New Women, Peace, and Security Index Measure?
• Fighting Violence Against Women in Politics: the Limits of Legal Reform
• In Tunisia’s March Toward Women’s Rights, Finish Line Is in Sight
• Tunisia’s New Protections for Women: A Legislative Revolution and Missed Opportunity
• UN Peacekeeping: Where Are All the Women?
• Gender Equality Over a Barrel: How the Gulf’s Oil Dependence Holds Back Women
• Women, Tribal Leaders Key to Rebuilding Libyan State
• Investing in Inclusion: Women, Peace, and Development in Africa
• Sexual Violence Against the Rohingya: Q&A with Razia Sultana
• Conflict, Peacebuilding, and Perspectives in Colombia: Q&A with Charo Mina-Rojas
• Women, Peace, and Politics at the UN Security Council

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On Thursday, March 14th IPI together with the International Center for the Research on Women, the Feminist U.N Campaign and Save The Children and are cohosting a policy forum to discuss Feminist Leadership at the UN.

Remarks will begin at 10:15am PST / 1:15pm EST

Secretary-General António Guterres took office in January 2017 amid unprecedented public and member state demand for feminist leadership of the United Nations. Member states coalesced in platforms advocating for such shifts in leadership, and the Feminist UN Campaign emerged from that political moment. Now, two years into the SG’s term, the 63rd Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) presents an ideal background for member states, civil society and the Executive Office of the Secretary-General to be in conversation about the current state of feminist leadership and progress advancing gender equality at the UN.

The Women, Peace and Security lens provides a useful case study for measuring progress in this regard. Despite two decades of women, peace and security policy development and commitments, women’s participation at “all levels of decision-making” lags due to structural barriers, lack of access to political arenas, and even threats to women who attempt to participate in these processes. In efforts to build and sustain peace, there remains widespread neglect of local-level women peace builders’ expertise, and formal peacemaking efforts continue to be resistant to women’s meaningful participation and rights implementation. However, member states and the UN have taken steps to address barriers to women’s leadership, such as in highlighting national-level feminist policies and launching a UN-wide gender parity strategy. The election of a new Secretary-General of the United Nations in 2016 provided an important opportunity to ensure that the United Nations implements an agenda that puts gender equality and women’s rights at the heart of everything it does.

This event will amplify perspectives on progress as well as remaining challenges to removing barriers to gender equality and feminist leadership at national, regional and global levels, including discussion with experts from member states, UN leadership, and civil society.

Opening remarks:
Dr. Adam Lupel, Vice President, International Peace Institute

Speakers:
Ms. Nahla Valji, Senior Gender Adviser, Executive Office of the Secretary-General
Ms. Lyric Thompson, Feminist UN Campaign Coordinator
Ms. Nora O’Connell, Associate Vice President, Public Policy and Advocacy, Save The Children
Member state Representative (TBC)

Moderator:
Dr. Sarah Taylor, Senior Fellow, International Peace Institute

On Wednesday, March 13th, IPI together with Peace is Loud are cohosting a screening of scenes from the PBS documentary film series “Women, War and Peace II.”

Remarks will begin at 3:15pm PST / 6:15pm EST

© Thirteen – PBS – 2019

This event will focus on two of the four films that make up the Women, War & Peace II series: Wave Goodbye to Dinosaurs and A Journey of a Thousand Miles.

Wave Goodbye to Dinosaurs places a spotlight on the all-female political party, comprised of both Catholic and Protestant women, in Northern Ireland, who earned a seat at the negotiating table for the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. Their focus on human rights, equality, and inclusion shaped the historic peace deal, which put an end to years of violent conflict and established sustainable peace.

In A Journey of a Thousand Miles, an all-female Bangladeshi peacekeeping contingent charts a path forward to international peace and security through the UN peacekeeping mission to Haiti. The film shines a light on stereotypes shattered by the Bangladeshi police unit through their contributions to building peace in a country affected by poverty and natural disaster.

Following the screening, there will be a moderated discussion featuring filmmakers and eminent women peacemakers.

Opening Remarks:
Dr. Adam Lupel, Vice President, International Peace Institute

Speakers:
Ms. Monica McWilliams, Co-Founder, Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition; Negotiator, Good Friday Agreement
Ms. Eimhear O’Neill, Documentary Film Director, Wave Goodbye to Dinosaurs
Ms. Geeta Gandbhir, Documentary Film Director, A Journey of a Thousand Miles: Peacekeepers
Ms. Nahla Valji, Senior Gender Advisor in the Executive Office in the Secretary-General of the United Nations

Moderator:
Dr. Sarah Taylor, Senior Fellow, International Peace Institute

On Wednesday, March 20th, IPI together with Our Secure Future are cohosting a policy forum to discuss the launch of Mobilizing Men as Partners for Women, Peace and Security.

Remarks will begin at 10:15am PST / 1:15pm EST

Research by UN Women and other institutions, including the 2015 Global Study on UN Security Council Resolution 1325, provides empirical evidence that peace processes involving a critical mass of empowered women are far more likely to build and achieve stable, just, and prosperous post-conflict societies than those that do not.

Speakers at this event will discuss strategies for global leaders to reinforce and amplify the importance of inclusion. They will discuss how to open doors for advocates who are advancing the women, peace and security agenda—especially grassroots activists from conflict-affected countries.

This event will focus on new efforts in this area, particularly the “Mobilizing Men as Partners for Women, Peace and Security Initiative,” which brings together global citizens—including prominent men from the defense, diplomatic, development, civil society, faith-based, and business sectors—who believe the full leadership, empowerment, and participation of women is essential to preventing and resolving deadly conflict; building stable, prosperous, and just societies; and creating a peaceful and secure future.

Welcoming remarks:
Dr. Adam Lupel, Vice President, International Peace Institute

Opening remarks:
H.E. Ms. Ana Maria Menéndez, Under-Secretary-General, Senior Adviser on Policy, United Nations
Amb. Anwarul Chowdhury, Former Senior Special Adviser to the President of the UN General Assembly

Speakers:
Amb. Donald Steinberg, Executive Director, Mobilizing Men as Partners for Women, Peace and Security
Mr. Mirsad “Miki” Jacevic, Vice Chair, Institute for Inclusive Security
Ms. Fatima Kadhim Al-Bahadly, Director, Al-Firdaws Society, Basra, Iraq
Ms. Karin Landgren, Executive Director, Security Council Report

Moderator:
Dr. Sarah Taylor, Senior Fellow, International Peace Institute

Closing remarks:
Ms. Sahana Dharmapuri, Director, Our Secure Future: Women Make the Difference, a program of One Earth Future Foundation

In recent years, the UN and its member states have promoted comprehensive approaches and integrated structures and processes to improve coherence and consistency between political peacekeeping, humanitarian, human rights, and development efforts undertaken by the UN and its partners. For POC specifically, coordination between the military, police, and civilian components of peace operations; between peace operations and UN agencies, funds, and programs; and between the UN system and other protection actors has been pursued to maximize impact in the field. Joint planning, analysis, and action at these three levels are key to leveraging different types of expertise, tools, and responses in a holistic way in order to better prevent and respond to threats to civilians.

However, while the UN’s normative and policy frameworks provide the basis for coordination and organizational arrangements have been set up to facilitate integrated efforts at these three levels, recent developments in the peace and security sphere have reinvigorated the debate over the costs and benefits of integration. Coordination for POC has proven to be increasingly difficult in non-permissive environments where, for example, peacekeepers may be perceived as party to the armed conflict or as having too close or tense a relationship with the host state or non-state actors. Integration in such contexts has led to debates around the preservation of humanitarian space, the independence of human rights advocacy, and the security of actors too closely linked to peacekeeping efforts.

This issue brief analyzes the costs, benefits, and challenges of coordinated and integrated approaches to POC in peacekeeping contexts. It considers the added value of mission-wide and system-wide coordination for POC and concerns over comprehensive coordination between peacekeeping and humanitarian actors, which have different rationales and methodologies for protection. In a context of UN reform emphasizing prevention and political strategies, it questions the political and institutional push for more comprehensive POC strategies and reflects on the associated risks. It also offers considerations for how to coordinate and integrate multi-actor efforts in order to better protect civilians.

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In a ten-day period in November 2018, more than 125 women and girls were raped, beaten, and robbed in the town of Bentiu in South Sudan. The attacks happened in broad daylight, as these women and girls were on their way to food distribution sites. Research shows that understanding this violence against women and girls in the context of the ongoing conflict means understanding the continuum of gender-based violence before, during, and after conflict. In order to build peace in South Sudan, prevention of violence against women has been found to be a large contributing factor.

On February 27th, IPI with support from CARE International, the Global Women’s Institute (GWI), and the International Rescue Committee (IRC) held a closed-door roundtable to address how South Sudan came to have some of the highest rates of violence against women and girls in the world and how it can be prevented. Experts gathered to address this topic in the lead-up to the renewal of the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in South Sudan’s (UNMISS) mandate in March.

The meeting, held under the Chatham House rule of non-attribution, was comprised of civil society leaders, member states, UN entities, and gender-based violence experts from South Sudan. Participants reflected on the key findings of two research reports that are part of the “What Works to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls” program, highlighting that conflict exacerbates all types of violence against women and girls, including intimate partner violence.

Tackling violence against women and girls is critical to achieving sustainable peace in South Sudan, as is women’s political participation. But women in South Sudan have been largely excluded from the peace process and wider political conversations. The reports also concluded that institutions that work on women’s rights during the critical post-conflict phase play a significant role in efforts to eliminate violence against women and girls and in the advancement of a more peaceful society.

Drawing on the research on violence against women and girls in South Sudan, participants made the case for women and girls to be central actors in state building and peace building efforts.

Addressing gender-based violence is difficult in all settings, but in South Sudan, survivors and service providers face heightened challenges around reporting allegations of violence that hamper the delivery of legal and psychological support and medical aid to survivors. Furthermore, in a society where gender inequality is so deeply ingrained, it can be nearly impossible to hold perpetrators to account for the crimes they have committed.

One discussant reinforced this point, saying that in conditions like those in South Sudan, we must pursue the most innovative solutions to gender-based violence emergencies. Humanitarian actors must find ways to make rapid lifesaving response possible. While a comprehensive case-management system requires resources that are currently unavailable in this context, one viable solution could be offering basic healthcare, a participating humanitarian expert suggested.

Another hurdle in preventing gender-based violence is the lack of accountability for perpetrators both by local governments and the international community. Discussants surfaced the obstacles to legal protection for the victims and the need to change laws that protect violators, including those that allow perpetrators of sexual crimes to marry their victims. This often devalues evidence of abuse and makes seeking recourse even more difficult for survivors.

Participants noted that while issues such as health and food security get more significant funding, action to curb gender-based violence does not. One recommended that humanitarian actors seek out stronger collaboration with peacekeepers in enforcing peace and security in South Sudan. Participants warned that necessary changes will require sustained long term investment and effort.

Experts noted that in conflict settings, the incidence of gender-based violence increases. One participant offered the figure that women who had experienced armed attacks and/or conflict are twice as likely to experience rape or attempted rape and intimate partner violence. Research makes it clear that in conflicts, it is women who bear a disproportionate burden, according to the report. This is, in part, because women in South Sudan are seen only as the value of their dowry and not as human, according to a South Sudanese participant. Rape is an effective weapon of war, in which women are seen as strategic targets. “They accept that they have to live with it,” she said. As to the question of justice, she responded with an emphasis on women’s involvement in all stages of negotiating and implementing the peace process and its outcomes.

Meanwhile, humanitarian organizations on the ground are striving to find the means to prevent violence and provide victims with assistance. One such measure is to alert victims when a perpetrator is released from investigative questioning or arrest. Ultimately, a participant recommended that legal protection for the victims would be necessary, as well as changing laws that protect violators.

In order to prosecute perpetrators, safe and ethical data collection is needed with responsible monitoring and calculating, said one discussant. A key point was that information sharing practices should be formalized. In the renewal of the UNMISS mandate, this would mean finding simple ways to make information-sharing practices more systematic in the field. At headquarters, this would translate into looking at mandates for management positions. A draft toolkit for donors was recommended on how to implement this into internal work. In addition, holding discussions between UN peacekeepers and humanitarian workers could improve collaboration and identify hotspots

Ultimately participants stressed the necessity for collaboration between the international community and regional actors for prevention of violence against women and girls in South Sudan. However, concluded one participant, real transformation takes place only with the consultation, participation, and expertise of women, and in addressing gender equality at every level.

IPI Senior Fellow Sarah Taylor moderated.

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Addressing a high-level audience of government officials, ambassadors, and private sector representatives as a guest speaker at the February 18th “Rendezvous Series” at Capital Club Bahrain, IPI MENA Director Nejib Friji highlighted key IPI initiatives that focus on managing risk and building resilient societies.

Mr. Friji called for further commitment for achieving regional cooperation and integration through sustainable development and peace in the MENA region. He stressed the importance of integrating universal values of diplomacy and dialogue across all sectors of society.

Pointing to the European Union’s formation following the World Wars as an example of regional integration, Mr. Friji stressed the need for a “homegrown” initiative in the Middle East and North Africa.

“We must engage regional players to find solutions to regional problems that are connected to wider global issues,” he stated. He underlined the formation of IPI’s Taskforce on Regional Cooperation and Integration in the MENA Region as a core project aiming to produce concrete, actionable ideas for cooperation.

Highlighting IPI’s mission promote peace through multilateralism, Mr. Friji referred to the Independent Commission on Multilateralism Report (ICM), an international, multi-stakeholder process organized by IPI and chaired by former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd for its role in making the United Nations more “fit for purpose.”

Mr. Friji also emphasized the value of IPI’s Water Diplomacy and Energy Security initiatives as two fundamental areas of focus within the Taskforce project.

During an interactive slide-show presenting the Global Leaders Series, Mr. Friji said, that the initiative’s aim “is to engage in debate that will nurture a constructive and dynamic exchange of views on a range of issues—peacebuilding, development and security.”

Mr. Friji pointed to an initiative running parallel to IPI’s Global Leaders Series, the Future Leaders Series, which provides a platform to actively involve and empower youth as writers and key actors in the promotion of the Culture and Education of Peace.

He also noted the recent book launch of 17 SDGs (UN Sustainable Development Goals) by 12-year old Adam Jade Kadia, the youngest peace writer in the region, which was held at IPI MENA as part of the Future Leaders Series program. The book launch convened dozens of schoolchildren to discuss their contribution to promoting the SDGs within their societies.

Concluding the interactive session, Mr. Friji urged participants to invest in human resources to build sound and resilient societies.