This event marked the launch of a year-long joint initiative of the United Arab Emirates Permanent Mission to the UN and the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security to advance the role of women in post-conflict reconstruction.
This panel – part of a five-part series on gender and post-conflict reconstruction – was convened on the sidelines of the UN Security Council’s annual Open Debate on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) to present new recommendations on how the UN, Member States, and other stakeholders can increase women’s meaningful participation in post-conflict political processes.
This panel was co-hosted by the Permanent Mission of Germany to the UN.
Speakers included:
Ms. Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs at the UN
H.E. Lana Nusseibeh, UAE Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN
H.E. Jürgen Schulz, German Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN
H.E. Valentine Rugwabiza, Rwandan Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN
H.E. Melanne Verveer, Executive Director of GIWPS
Ms. Olufunmilayo Balogun, Deputy Chief of Peace and Security at UN Women
Ms. Palwasha Kakar, Senior Program Officer at the United States Institute of Peace
Ms. Olena Yena, Director of the Women Lead Program at the National Democratic Institute
Participants included key international and domestic decision-makers in post-conflict situations, as well as grassroots women leaders. With diverse perspectives, they shared strategies and tactics for advancing women’s participation and identified barriers to their engagement. Ahead of the 20th anniversary of the passage of UNSCR 1325 – which reaffirms the important role of women in peacebuilding and the need to increase their role in decision-making – the conversation presented concrete policy and practice recommendations for overcoming barriers and enhancing successful strategies for more effective peacebuilding outcomes, both at headquarters and field level.