Women and the Changing Landscape of Regional Mediation: A Conversation with Dr. Zarqa Parvez

The Middle East has witnessed a significant shift in the field of diplomacy and conflict mediation.

Regional actors are increasingly taking on mediation and diplomatic roles in conflicts and crises that directly affect the region, with countries including Qatar, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, Pakistan, and Oman emerging as important diplomatic actors and conveners. These developments invite us to question what a regionally driven mediation landscape means for the Women, Peace and Security agenda, as women across the region are active as peacebuilders, policymakers, diplomats, researchers, and civil society leaders yet insufficiently connected to formal mediation and diplomatic processes.

The Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security and the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies invite you to a conversation with Dr. Zarqa Parvez, Postdoctoral Fellow at Georgetown University in Qatar, to examine the changing architecture of regional mediation through a gender lens. The discussion will draw on political sociologist Dr. Parvez’s research on Gulf politics, state-society relations, identity, and women’s agency, as well as her recent analysis of regional diplomacy.