Increasing Synergies to Deliver the SDGs for Women and Girls in Conflict and Fragile Settings

“Increasing synergies to deliver the SDGs for women and girls in conflict and fragile settings” hosted by the UK Mission to the UN September 25, 2019 5:00 PM

Speakers:

• Joanna Roper, CMG – UK Special Envoy for Gender Equality

• Brita Fernandez Schmidt – Senior Vice President for Europe and External Affairs, Women for Women International

• Marcy Hersh - Senior Manager for Humanitarian Advocacy, Women Deliver

• Dr. Abigail Ruane - Women, Peace and Security Programme Director, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom

• Nicole Behnam – Senior Director for Violence Prevention & Response, The International Rescue Committee

• Aisha Dennis – Program Director, Women Now for Development

On 25 September, the side event entitled,  “Increasing synergies to deliver the SDGs for women and girls in conflict-affected and fragile settings”, took place at the Mission of the United Kingdom to the United Nations. Moderated by Brita Fernandez Schmidt, Executive Director of Women for Women International, the panel focused on the key challenges to effective coordination and integration across agendas, and the impact on women and girls in fragile and conflict settings and how proven approaches to ending violence against women and girls must be worked across the triple nexus (humanitarian-development-peace and security) in order to address the intersection between gender-based violence and conflict. 

WILPF WPS Programme Director Abigail Ruane spoke on the panel about the immediate need for policy coherence between the SDGs, the WPS Agenda, and the human rights system, aligning with the principle of universality and the need to address spillover effects. “As women peacebuilders have said repeatedly, peace is not a project,” stated Dr. Ruane. "It requires listening to the women around the world, and taking action to realise their rebellious visions for systems change.” The other panelists were Marcy Hersh from Women Deliver, Nicole Behnam from the International Rescue Committee, and Aisha Dennis of Women Now for Development, Syria’s largest feminist organisation.