Kathleen Kuehnast

The U.S. Institute of Peace, in collaboration with Vital Voices Global Partnership and the Royal Norwegian Embassy, explored the kinds of leadership that are most effective in societies undergoing upheaval and/or transition. Women leaders from Liberia, Pakistan, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Samoa and Mexico offered compelling accounts of their innovative leadership approaches in two sessions at USIP on June 5. These women, who have just been recognized as the 2012 honorees of the annual Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards, are leading change in their transitioning societies through civil society, political activities, and private business.

USIP’s Center for Gender and Peacebuilding, in collaboration with Kate Spade New York and Women for Women International, convened experts to explore the impact of private business and civil society partnerships on women's empowerment in the post-conflict contexts of Afghanistan, Bosnia and Rwanda.

The Embassy of Finland and USIP hosted a panel discussion titled "Women, Peace, and Security in Afghanistan: Prospects on the Way Forward." The discussion offered a timely follow-up to the International Afghanistan Conference held in Bonn in December 2011. The panelists representing the governments of Afghanistan, Finland and the United States, as well as Afghan civil society examined ways to better ensure an active role for women in the current peace processes and reconstruction efforts.

On December 6, the U.S. Institute of Peace facilitated a discussion featuring two women NGO leaders from Iraq whose USIP-supported projects enable them to promote positive participatory roles for women as peacebuilders and provide mechanisms and strategies to combat discrimination and violence against women in Iraq.

USIP, in collaboration with the Institute for Inclusive Security, USAID, and Vital Voices, hosted a discussion with Ambassador Swanee Hunt and USAID’s Deputy Administrator Donald Steinberg on lessons emerging from the Bosnia conflict with a particular focus on the best ways to ensure a direct role for women in peacebuilding efforts worldwide. In addition, film producer Abigail Disney and film director Pamela Hogan presented their PBS documentary, “I Came to Testify,” that describes how a group of 16 women from Bosnia, victims of the war’s systematic rapes, broke through political and societal silence by stepping onto the witness stand at an international tribunal.

The U.S. Institute of Peace, in collaboration with the Office of Congressman Russ Carnahan, Fork Films, and the U.S. Civil Society Working Group on the National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security, hosted a viewing of the film, “Pray the Devil Back to Hell” on September 13, 2011 at the Congressional Visitors Center Theater in Washington, DC.

For this second annual conference on conflict prevention, USIP brought together experts and policymakers to discuss challenges and opportunities for conflict prevention around the world. The goals of this conference were to spotlight the importance of prevention, discuss specific challenges facing prevention efforts, and identify priority areas for USIP's future work on conflict prevention.

The U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP), Peace Research Institute-Oslo (PRIO), and Royal Norwegian Embassy hosted a book launch and international symposium on the next decade of UNSCR 1325 on the afternoon of May 5th and all day on May 6th. The symposium further examined the issues of women and war, power and protection in the 21st century, and explored the implementation of gender-sensitive policies in defense, diplomacy, development, and the role of documentary film, media and the arts in this endeavor.

The U.S. Institute of Peace, in partnership with Partners for Democratic Change, hosted a public event on January 19th  highlighting the challenges faced by militaries in the 21st century regarding the role of women in modern armed forces and how to bring authentic gender mainstreaming into the military. Additionally, panelists discussed the role that civil society can play in security sector transformation, especially as it pertains to gender.

Sports have been used as a way to build trust, teamwork and social cohesion from the international to the neighborhood level for thousands of years.  Scholars and advocates alike assert that it can also serve to improve security, reintegrate traumatized populations, break down stereotypes and reconcile torn societies and groups in the context of violent conflict. On October 26, 2010, USIP held a symposium Tuesday addressing the impact of sports and peacebuilding.

Despite efforts by the Haitian government, the international community and local activists, women and girls are being raped in some 1,300 makeshift camps, often by armed attackers. What steps are being taken to address crime and protect against rape in Haiti? What lessons can be learned for future post-disaster humanitarian responses?

This panel discussion addressed the challenges posed by Afghan reintegration and reconciliation, particularly for Afghan women.  The panel also discussed how women may contribute to the reintegration and reconciliation process.
 

A panel of experts shared their perspectives on effective policies and faith-based initiatives to curb civilian rape of women in Eastern DRC.

This public event concludes a two-day symposium on women's approaches and work to build peace. With an emphasis on the roles of religion, meeting participants will reflect with a broader audience on their conclusions, concerns and ideas for making their work for peace more effective. A reception will follow at 5 p.m.

The launch and discussion of the new USIP Special Report "Rape in War: Motives of Militia in DRC" by Jocelyn Kelly.

The new Women in International Security (WIIS) "Progress Report on Women in Peace and Security Careers:  U.S. Executive Branch" is the first report to examine women's representation and career experiences in international security in the U.S. government sector.  A panel of USIP and WIIS experts will discuss the report's implications and the next steps to fulfilling its recommendations.

A discussion with a panel of the Vital Voices 2010 Global Leadership Award winners.  The leaders chosen this year represent diverse backgrounds and countries including Pakistan, Brazil, Kenya, Bahrain, and Afghanistan.  The panel discussed innovative and creative strategies toward peacebuilding from the grassroots level to regional initiatives.  Read a little about the panelists in the event summary.

The Other Side of Gender series addresses wartime sexual violence by taking into account male gender issues. 

What specific and unique contributions do women make throughout the security sector? How can military, police, and policy communities can enable their participation? How can troops not only protect women from sexual and other violence, but acknowledge and engage them as critical resources to fulfilling mission mandates? A panel will discuss these questions as well as potential human rights-based arguments to convince local partners of the importance of including a gender lens to security efforts.

A panel of experts will discuss how programs and policies addressing gender-based violence must take into account male gender issues.  Their expertise draws upon significant field work experience in both Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. They will consider the practitioner challenges toward understanding and engaging men and boys in finding sustainable solutions to gender-based violence in zones of conflict.

Nearly a decade ago with the adoption of Security Council Resolution 1325, the United Nations and member states made a commitment to promote the participation of women in decision-making levels in conflict resolution and peace processes, expand the role and contribution of women in UN field-based operations, and to integrate gender perspectives and training into peacekeeping.  Where are we now, what has worked, what has not worked, and why?  The panelists will address these questions on women as peacekeepers, and other policy-related questions.