Women for Peace: Recognizing Women’s Role in Peacebuilding 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly side-event
“Women for Peace: Recognizing Women’s Role in Peacebuilding” hosted by Conference Room 5, United Nations Plaza on September 26, 2019 1:15 PM - 2:30 PM
Speakers:
Dr. Kathleen Kuehnast, Director of Gender Policy and Strategy, U.S. Institute of Peace
Dr. Abigail Ruane, Director of the PeaceWomenProgramme, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF)
Ms. Lynrose Jane D. Genon, Young Women for Peace and Leadership, Philippines
Ms. Marina Kumskova, UN Liaison Officer, Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC
WILPF participated in a side-event hosted by the Permanent Secretariat of the Community of Democracies and supported by the Republic of Korea to launch the publication on “Engaging Women in Sustaining Peace: A Guide to Best Practices”. This publication assesses women’s inclusion in peace processes through a global perspective, building on the 2010 UN Secretary General’s Seven-Point Action Plan on Gender Responsive Peacebuilding. The side-event was an opportunity to present the main findings of the study and hold a panel discussion on the importance of women’s meaningful participation in conflict resolution and peacebuilding, featuring women leaders from Africa, Asia and Europe.
The event opened with the Secretary General of the Community of Democracies, Mr. Thomas E. Garrett delieving the opening remarks on the importance of women’s meaningful participation in peace processes and political agreements. Mr. Jeong-sik Kang, Deputy Minister for Multilateral and Global Affairs, the Republic of Korea Ministry of Foreign fairs, delivered the welcoming remarks followed by a presentation of the Publication on “Engaging Women in Sustaining Peace: A Guide to Best Practices”. Abigail Ruane, WILPF Women, Peace, and Security Director, reminded the audience “We now know that gender equality is the number one predictor of peace, and feminist movement building is the number one predictor of policies addressing violence against women. We also know that the reason feminist movement is a critical driver for tackling violence is because feminists are bold in their rebellious vision, and relentless in pursuing gender justice.” This means that local women’s analysis and input addressing root causes of violence must be identified and amplified by those driving local peacebuilding efforts.