Background 

Introduced in year 2000, the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on “Women, Peace and Security” (UNSCR 1325, WPS) presents an ambitious normative framework that calls for ensuring that women and girls’ meaningful involvement in peace processes and protection from gender-specific consequences of conflict. Yet, almost 20 years after resolution 1325 was passed, practical experiences of advancing work on women, peace and security through concrete programming and engagement at country level remains uneven, at best. Oftentimes, aspects relating to women, peace and security are added in a tokenistic manner to existing projects or programmes, as ‘women’ and ‘youth’ become boxes to tick. This disconnect between the everyday expertise and practices of women and youth peacebuilders at country-level and their translation into resourced action plans and programmes represents a persistent gap.

In 2020, Denmark will develop its next 5-year national action plan for the implementation of UNSCR 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, which coincides with the 20th Anniversary of the UN 1325 framework. This provides an opportune time for providing a space for women activist and peacebuilders engaging on women, peace and security matters on the ground to share their lessons learned and good practices to strengthen the support to the WPS agenda. 

This two-hour event invites civil-society colleagues engaged with WPS issues and women activist and peacebuilders from a diverse set of contexts across the world, who engage in many facets of peacebuilding – from conflict resolution and mediation, peace negotiations and prevention of violence, governance to engaging with national action plans on UNSCR 1325 - to discuss how to strengthen civil society’s contribution to advancing the women, peace and security agenda, and develop strategies for building networks, coalitions and alliances on WPS, and influencing peace processes at different levels and peacebuilding tracks. 

Speakers 

Mavic Cabrera Balleza, Founder and CEO of the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders (GNWP), will share her extensive experience from working on the WPS agenda, including localising the 1325 agenda and supporting 1325 NAP’s processes across the world, as well as her engagement in the Young Women for Peace and Leadership (YWPL); a network of young women in five countries, leading peacebuilding efforts in local communities. 

Janet Adama Mohammed, Programme Director, West Africa, Conciliation Resources UK, will draw on her more than 15 years of work experience on governance, peace and security issues in West Africa. 

Sonam Dechen, Associate Director and co-founder of the Tibetan Centre for Conflict Resolution (TCCR), will share her reflections from her 18 years of experience conducting more than 150 conflict resolution workshops and training programmes. 

A representative from ‘Mobaderoon’, will provide insights from their extensive work to promote peace at time of conflict, notably through the Mobaderoon network, which works to engage thousands of social activists and drive a network for 52 local, Syrian organizations and around 7000 activists, who act as catalysts for change in their local societies and connected to influence the change at national level. 

Zohreh Faizi, LL.M., Chairwoman for the Afghan Lawyers’ Association in Denmark, will offer insights into the unique vantage point of translational diaspora-led organizations in relation to international collaboration for women, peace and security, based on experiences with diaspora mobilization for establishment of legal aid activities in Afghanistan.