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The international conference Inclusive Peace: Women, Peace and Security Post 2015 was held on 14-15 April at the National Museum of Iceland in Reykjavík. The conference addressed the progress and implementation of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, and was organised by United Nations University Gender Equality Studies and Training Programme (UNU-GEST) and EDDA – Research Center at the University of Iceland, with support from the Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
The purpose of the conference was to discuss progress of the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325, and to highlight the obstacles that still limit its implementation. The opening panel of the conference was comprised of Marriët Schuurman, Ambassador NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for Women, Peace and Security, Prof. Cynthia Enloe, Clark University, Dr. Kristian Berg Harpviken, Director of Peace Research Institute in Oslo (PRIO) and Gréta Gunnarsdóttir, Ambassador for Human Rights at Icelandic Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mrs. Lilja Alfreðsdóttir, Foreign Minister of Iceland, gave the opening address.
Description
Click here for conference abstract
The conference explored three key themes. First, it examined the prevention of sexual and gender-based violence, gender awareness in conflict prevention and early warning systems. Speakers included Dr. Georgina Holmes, Research fellow at University of Reading in England, Prof. Laura Khoury, Birzeit University in Palestine and Dr. Katherine Wright, Research fellow at University of Surrey in England.
The second session focused on the participation of women in peace processes, paying special attention to mechanisms designed to increase the number of women at all levels of decision-making institutions and to strengthen partnerships with local women’s organisations. Cynthia Enloe began the session, followed by talks by Marilou McPhedran, Director at the Institute of International Women’s Rights at University of Winnipeg in the United States, Ortrun Merkle, UNU-MERIT fellow and Fatima Hossaini, independent researcher and GEST alumni.
Finally, the third session addressed women’s roles and participation in conflict transformation as setting the stage for a just and gender-sensitive foundation for peace, particularly in the realms of transitional justice and post-conflict reconstruction. Marriët Schuurman opened the session, followed by Dr. Marsha Henry, Deputy Director of LSE’s Centre for Women, Peace and Security, Dr. Rebekka Friedman, Lecturer at King’s College London, and Jessica Bombasaro-Brady, independent researcher.