‘Inclusive peace negotiations & the WPS agenda: lessons learned from experiences in Afghanistan and the DRC’

On the sidelines of the UN Security Council's Open Debate on Women, Peace and Security, the Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of The Netherlands, the Permanent Mission of Canada, Cordaid and WO=MEN Dutch Gender Platform cordially invite you to join the side-event ‘Inclusive peace negotiations & the WPS agenda: lessons learned from experiences in Afghanistan and the DRC’ on Wednesday 19th of October, 8.15-09.45 EDT.

 

During this interactive session we will zoom in on both the role of UN agencies, (I)NGOs and member states in enabling inclusive peace negotiations and agreements, and the role and influence of women leaders in these processes. We will assess lessons learned and recommendations with women leaders and experts involved in formal peace negotiations and community peace processes in Afghanistan and DRC: two cases of conflict that exist about as long as the founding resolution of the WPS agenda, UNSCR1325.  

 

Key guiding questions: 

• What were helpful and challenging elements of UN-led and other (inter)national interventions - both in Afghanistan and the DRC - when it comes to inclusive peace negotiations? 
• What are key lessons identified from these processes for current and future (UN-led) gender-responsive and gender-transformative peace negotiations and deals, including in Afghanistan and the DRC? 
• How to better link (inter)national peace negotiations to community peace processes, and how to come to a reappreciation of the latter?  
• What kind of support do women and youth (community) leaders need to remain meaningfully engaged in the monitoring and follow up of existing agreements? 

Speakers:

• Yoka Brandt - Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United Nations in New York 
• Clare Hutchinson – consultant Women, Peace & Security and former Secretary General’s Special Representative Women, Peace & Security NATO  
• Habiba Sarabi – former minister of Women’s Affairs in Afghanistan, deputy Afghanistan High Peace Council and former member of the Afghan Government negotiation team with Taliban (online) 
• Claudine Tsongo – founder and coordinator of Dynamique des Femmes Juristes, DRC 
• Storai Tapesh – deputy director and senior program manager of Afghan Women’s Network (AWN) and former chair and board member of the Afghan Women Social Protection Organization (AWSPO) Winnie Tshilobo – advisor Gender, Integrity and Protection at Cordaid DRC 

Moderator: 

Anne Kwakkenbos – gender expert Cordaid