IPI Event: Peace Agreements, Power-Sharing, and Political Transitions at IPI on October 26th

UN Women and the International Peace Institute are pleased to invite you to a policy forum on the influence of women’s participation in peace processes—from negotiations to peace agreements, power-sharing arrangements, and throughout political transitions. Speakers will discuss the challenges, opportunities, and prospects for improved gender representation in ongoing peace processes in Colombia, Syria, Yemen, and elsewhere. The event will take place at IPI on Wednesday, October 26th from 1:00pm–2:45pm. A buffet lunch will be served.

Speakers:
Thania Paffenholz, Director of the Inclusive Peace and Transition Initiative, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva

Christine Bell, Professor of Constitutional Law and Assistant Principal (Global Justice), University of Edinburgh

Virginia Bouvier, Senior Advisor for Peace Processes at the United States Institute of Peace and Adjunct Professor at the School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University (Via Video)

Moderator:
Andrea Ó Súilleabháin, Senior Policy Analyst, IPI

Opening Remarks:
Purna Sen, Director of the Policy Division, UN Women

Women’s participation can have a strong positive influence on the success of peace processes and the conclusion and durability of peace agreements, as the 2015 Global Study and High-Level Review of Resolution 1325 both documented. Women’s impact on peace processes is not limited to gender equality. There is a growing need for women’s involvement in technical areas related to peace agreements, such as power-sharing, security arrangements and transitional justice.

At this event, panelists will share their contributions on the importance of women’s participation in mediation and peace processes. They will share findings that move beyond the peace table to examine when and how women are included in power-sharing arrangements and throughout long-term political transitions. For example, in cases where neither the peace agreement nor the subsequent electoral framework provided for the inclusion of women, gender representation in parliament remains unusually low.

Drawing on direct experiences advising in various peace processes, panelists will also reflect on how to broaden participation and how to influence the gatekeepers who pose obstacles to women’s inclusion.