Women’s meaningful participation in peacemaking: Modalities and strategies across tracks
Levels of global peace declined for the fourth consecutive year, with the MENA region remaining the world’s least peaceful region. Despite many efforts, high-level peace processes in the region remain largely stalled, and women’s meaningful participation and influence in official processes limited, hampering the likelihood of reaching durable and long-lasting agreements.
Still, women in all their diversity, including young women, are vital actors working at various levels. For example, they are organizing and advocating through civil society, collecting and channelling critical information on human rights violations, and serving in official capacities as negotiators, mediators, experts and advisors.
This panel discussion is a Geneva Peace Week event that brings together leaders working to promote peace in the MENA region for a timely discussion to explore good practices on modalities and strategies to secure women’s meaningful participation in peace processes in the MENA region. The focus will be on examining innovations, trends, and challenges in the interplay between official, high-level processes and less formal peacemaking efforts.
Panellists:
- Opening remarks: Hiba Qasas, Chief, Humanitarian Action and Crisis Response Office, UN Women
- Staffan de Mistura, UN Special Envoy for Syria
- Antelak El Mutawakel, Gender Expert and Member of Yemeni Women’s Pact for Peace and Security
- Hajer Sharief, Co-founder of Together We Build It and UN Women Champion on Women, Peace and Security
- Moderated by: Thania Paffenholz, Director, Inclusive Peace and Transition Initiative
Note: All participants and speakers who do not have a valid UNOG grounds pass must register via the UNOG registration system (INDICO). New users can create an account at https://reg.unog.ch/user/register, and those with accounts can log in. They must then register for a badge to the Palais Des Nations at https://reg.unog.ch/event/25892, and will receive a single badge valid from 7 to 9 November 2018 that allows them to attend all events of Geneva Peace Week 2018 without further additional registration. Badges can be picked up from 8 a.m. on 7 November 2018 onwards at the Pregny Gate of the Palais des Nations. Participants will be required to bring a photo ID along with the INDICO confirmation of registration.