Venue: Nobel Peace Center, Brynjulf Bulls Plass 1, 0250 Oslo, Norway

Date: Friday 11 January 2019
Time: 09:00 – 13:00

ICAN is delighted to join the Government of Norway this Friday (January 11) for the launch of Norway’s 2019-2022 National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (WPS)!

Together with the Government of Norway and the United Nations Populations Fund (UNDP), ICAN will host two discussion sessions showcasing the contributions made by women peacebuilders–including members of the Women’s Alliance for Security Leadership (WASL)–to the WPS agenda.

The Government of Norway, UNDP, and ICAN have been working collaboratively to support locally rooted, women-led work in a number of areas, including the prevention and countering of violent extremism (P/CVE), peacemaking, and mediation. The side event will focus on key solutions, experiences, and lessons identified by women peacebuilders and women-led organizations in their work to promote the objectives of the WPS agenda. It will also highlight opportunities for international actors to better support their work.

Women Preventing Violent Extremism: Implementing a Gendered Approach to Disengagement, Reintegration and Rehabilitation will launch the new UNDP-ICAN report Invisible Women: Gendered Dimensions of Return, Rehabilitation, and Reintegration, which applies a gender lens in order to reveal the complexities of disengagement, rehabilitation and reintegration work. The report draws on a vast base of experience and evidence gained by women-led organizations and highlights the need for holistic return, reintegration and rehabilitation interventions that can function on all levels and involve multiple sectors and stakeholders.

Women in Mediation: From War to Peace through Cross-Sectoral Collaboration and Inclusive Peacemaking will discuss current peace processes–notably in Afghanistan, Syria and Yemen–paying particular attention to the successes and challenges associated with ensuring inclusivity and gender responsiveness. In particular, the session will focus on ceasefire negotiations and gendered aspects of these processes, including enabling women’s participation with a view to giving agreements greater durability. Panelists will reflect on their lived experience and propose solutions for ending the scourge of violent extremism and building sustainable, positive peace.

Following the morning session, Sanam Naraghi Anderlini, ICAN’s Executive Director will speak at the official launch of Norway’s 2019-2022 National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (WPS). The official launch of the National Action Plan can be viewed here.