European Peace Institute / News

Comprehensive leadership training is necessary to ensure that peace operations are effective and that senior leaders are prepared for both the daily challenges and the inevitable crises of peacekeeping. A gender perspective is of central importance to such training. However, gender considerations—from gendered conflict analysis to recognition of who is in the room when decisions are made—remain poorly understood at a practical level, including among senior mission leaders.

This issue brief discusses what it means to apply a “gender perspective” and the importance of such a perspective for senior leaders to effectively implement mission mandates. It provides an overview of existing gender-related training and preparation techniques for senior leaders, including gaps. It concludes with a series of recommendations on how trainings and approaches to senior leadership training can better reflect these considerations:

• The current status of gender training for senior leaders should be assessed.
• Facilitators of trainings should ensure that their curricula address and respond to a peacekeeping workspace dominated by men.
• Facilitators should be aware that leaders often think they do not need training.
• Trainings for senior leaders should be designed to reflect the complexity of implementing women, peace, and security obligations in a mission.
• Efforts to ensure gender parity in senior mission leadership should be strengthened.
• Gender advisers should be included as formal members of a mission’s crisis management team and play an active role in decision-making bodies.
• Facilitators should understand the gender dimensions of a given training scenario and be aware of the gender balance among participants.
• The UN should develop resources for leaders, including key documents and guidance on understanding the gender dimensions of their mission.

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On Friday, March 29th, IPI together with the University of Johannesburg are cohosting a policy forum on Nigeria and South Africa: Regional Dynamics in a Changing World. Professor Adekeye Adebajo will offer his analysis on regional challenges and opportunities following the presidential elections in Nigeria and ahead of the parliamentary elections in South Africa. Professor Sarah Lockwood will offer commentary following Professor Adebajo’s remarks.

Remarks will begin at 10:15am PST / 1:15pm EST

Nigeria and South Africa have led many conflict-management initiatives over the last twenty-five years. Both account for at least 60 percent of the economy of their respective sub-regions in West and Southern Africa. The success of political and economic integration in Africa thus rests heavily on the shoulders of these two regional powers.

Professor Adekeye Adebajo will also provide insights into the history of the two countries and the relations between them, as well as discuss further findings and reflections following the publication of his most recent book of essays entitled The Eagle and the Springbok: Essays on Nigeria and South Africa.

Dr. Adekeye Adebajo was the director of the Africa Program at the International Peace Institute in New York from 2000 to 2004 and served on UN missions in South Africa, Western Sahara, and Iraq. He was the Executive Director of the Centre for Conflict Resolution from 2004 to 2018. He is currently a Professor at the University of Johannesburg and Director of their Institute for Pan-African Thought and Conversation.

Professor Sarah Lockwood is a political scientist currently completing her PhD in African Studies and Government at Harvard University.

Speaker:
Prof. Adekeye Adebajo, Director, Institute for Pan-African Thought and Conversation, University of Johannesburg

Discussant:
Prof. Sarah J. Lockwood, Presidential Scholar, Harvard University, Senior Consultant, Menas Associates

Moderator:
Amb. John Hirsch, IPI Senior Adviser

On Thursday, March 28th, IPI is hosting a Distinguished Author Series event featuring Robert Kagan, author of The Jungle Grows Back: America and Our Imperiled World. The conversation will be moderated by IPI Senior Adviser for External Relations Warren Hoge.

Remarks will begin at 3:20pm PST / 6:20pm EST

Recent years have brought deeply disturbing developments around the globe, from declining democracy to growing geopolitical competition. American sentiment seems to be leaning increasingly toward going it alone or withdrawing in the face of such disarray. In The Jungle Grows Back, America and Our Imperiled World, Robert Kagan issues an urgent warning that such a unilateral retreat by America would be the worst possible response, one based on a fundamental misreading of the world. Contrary to those who believe that there is an “end of history”—that progress is inevitable and the relative freedom, prosperity, and general peace the world has known for the past seventy years will continue naturally—the historical norm has always been toward chaos. Should the United States continue to withdraw as a global power, Kagan argues, the anarchic international system will undermine and overwhelm the liberal world order as we know it. In short, the jungle will always grow back, if we let it.

On Wednesday, March 27th, IPI is hosting a speaker series event featuring H.E. Mr. Paul Kehoe and H.E. Mr. Inia Seruiratu on the topic of “Implementing Action for Peacekeeping: Troop Contributing Countries as key stakeholders.”

Remarks will begin at 10:15am PST / 1:15pm EST

The presentations will be followed by a moderated panel discussion, which will include H.E. Ms. Geraldine Byrne Nason, Permanent Representative of the Mission of Ireland and H.E. Mr. Satyendra Prasad, Permanent Representative of the Mission of Fiji.

H.E. Mr. Paul Kehoe was appointed Minister with Responsibility for Defence in June 2017. He previously served as the Government Chief Whip and Minister of State at the Department of the Prime Minister and the Department of Defence. Mr. Kehoe has also been a Parliamentarian for County Wexford since he was first elected to the Dáil in May 2002.

H.E. Mr. Inia Batikoto Seruiratu is a Fijian politician and member of the Parliament of Fiji for the Fiji First Party. He is the Minister for Defence and National Security of Fiji and, since January 2019, also serves as the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Keynote speakers:
H.E. Mr. Paul Kehoe, Minister for Defence of Ireland
H.E. Mr. Inia Seruiratu, Minister for Defence, National Security & Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Fiji

Moderator:
Mr. Jake Sherman, Director of the Brian Urquhart Center for Peace Operations, International Peace Institute

On Friday, March 22nd, IPI together with the Geneva Water Hub (a global center of the University of Geneva) and UNICEF are cohosting a policy forum event on Water in Armed Conflicts.

Remarks will begin at 10:15am PST / 1:15pm EST

Armed conflicts affect access to safe water in several ways: destruction of and damage to water facilities, attacks against power plants providing energy to water supply networks, and the collapse of water treatment plants and sewage systems are some of the examples. Water supply systems fail, supply lines are deliberately sabotaged, or water resources are poisoned to intimidate civilians. It takes months to repair and restore essential service infrastructure once it has been damaged. In the meantime, civilians are displaced, agricultural activities are brought to a halt, and epidemics can spread. Various organizations are increasingly bringing into the spotlight the severe consequences of armed conflicts on access to water for the civilian population.

At this policy forum, experts will present and discuss the Geneva List of Principles on the Protection of Water Infrastructure and the UNICEF Advocacy Alert to stimulate international cooperation to overcome the obstacles posed by armed conflicts to accessing water.

Opening remarks:
Hon. Kevin Rudd, Former Prime Minister, Australia, Chair of the IPI Board of Directors

Speakers:
H.E. Dr. Danilo Türk, Former President of the Republic of Slovenia, Chairman of the Global High-Level Panel on Water and Peace and Lead Political Advisor of the Geneva Water Hub
Prof. Laurence Boisson de Chazournes, Faculty of Law, University of Geneva, Full Professor, Geneva Water Hub and Member of the Global High-Level Panel on Water and Peace
Ms. Sandra Pellegrom, Head of Development, Humanitarian Affairs and Human Rights, Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the UN
Mr. Hamish Young, Chief, Humanitarian Action and Transitions Section, UNICEF

Moderator:
Dr. Adam Lupel, Vice President, International Peace Institute

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“Progress has been made thanks to these women who have never shut up, who will never shut up,” said the President of Estonia, Kersti Kaljulaid, speaking to a roundtable of 18 female diplomats at IPI. More than one year into the Secretary-General’s gender parity strategy, the ratio of female to male diplomats at the United Nations has increased. But while the number of women in multilateral leadership positions is improving, serious barriers to their full participation in this arena remain.

Progress towards gender equality and these remaining barriers were the focus of a March 11th IPI event, co-hosted with the Permanent Mission of Estonia to the UN, and entitled “Women in Diplomacy: Creating Transformative Change.”

To introduce the discussion, President Kaljulaid recalled that 15 years ago, 20 percent of Estonian heads of mission were women. This number has now increased to 40 percent. In spite of the obstacles to equality, she insisted, “we can never let go” in the battle for gender equality. She also noted that freedom of the press had allowed women to actively and publicly demand equality, in turn propelling more Estonian women into politics and high-level posts.

María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, the President of the UN General Assembly, recalled the enormous changes she had witnessed in her career. When she was appointed minister of foreign affairs of Ecuador, she said that out of 85 ambassadors, there were only three women. These women often were not permitted on missions, because they had families, she explained. The government, in response, passed ministerial codes that allowed for the promotion of women diplomats into higher positions within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, taking action to eliminate references to the physical appearance or marital status of applicants, and basing selection process exclusively on professional and academic profile.

“It is important that everything is put into writing so it stays part of cultural and institutional architecture,” she said, reflecting on a time when women with sufficient experience and training were not given opportunity because they were expected to take care of children. In 2018, the Foreign Ministry presented a written “Policy for Gender Equality” to promote gender equity in diplomacy.

Ms. Espinosa Garcés addressed a number of ways in which women are currently represented in the multilateral community. She highlighted the disparity among key figures, including that out of 21 vice presidents of the General Assembly, only one is female, and one out of six chairs of committees is a woman. She shared some of the ways she strives for gender equality in her own work, including by objecting when offered a place on panels solely made up of men, and by making sure that 60% of the UN facilitators she appoints are female.

“It’s not only about optics and form and numbers, it is about making a difference in the way we exercise leadership,” she said. “We have a lot to do to break stereotypes to share the message” that women’s participation makes a positive difference in decision-making.

Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed urged the women at the table to continue sharing their personal experiences. Drawing insights from their own careers, she said, could help support younger generations in achieving more effective solutions. “Things are changing,” she continued, “the intergenerational transition is difficult.” Exchanging strategies for catalyzing change within networks of women leaders could, she indicated, “give the next generation the tools to deal with it.”

As international civil servants, women in diplomacy have a “huge job to do from the inside out” to achieve gender parity in the workplace, said Ambassador Mohammed. And to do it, “We need to have women in decision-making roles in the Secretariat.” It is also “incredibly important that men are seen as partners and collaborators” in this process, she said. She concluded, “I think women in positions of leadership will help us get much further than we’ve ever been.”

IPI Senior Fellow Sarah Taylor moderated.

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Wednesday, March 13, 6:15pm EST
Film Screening: Women, War, and Peace II
This event will focus on two of the four films that make up the Women, War & Peace II PBS documentary film series: Wave Goodbye to Dinosaurs and A Journey of a Thousand Miles.

Watch Live Register to Attend

Thursday, March 14, 1:15pm EST
Feminist Leadership at the UN
This event will amplify perspectives on progress as well as remaining challenges to removing barriers to gender equality and feminist leadership at national, regional and global levels.

Watch Live Register to Attend

Wednesday, March 20, 1:150m EST
Mobilizing Male Allies for Women, Peace and Security
The Male Allies for Women, Peace and Security initiative will be launched in an event during the month of CSW.
Watch Live Register to Attend Further Reading

Policy Reports and Issue Briefs:

• Women’s Struggle for Citizenship: Civil Society and Constitution Making after the Arab Uprisings
• The SDGs and Prevention for Sustaining Peace: Exploring the Transformative Potential of the Goal on Gender Equality
• ICM Policy Paper: Women, Peace, and Security
• Reimagining Peacemaking: Women’s Roles in Peace Processes
• Building Peace and Development in the Sahel: Enhancing the Political Participation of Women and Youth

Global Observatory Articles:

• Women’s Issues: What Are They?
• Libya Talks Embody Missing Participation of Women in Peace Processes
• Why Women, Peace, and Security? Why Now?
• UN Peacekeeping: Where is the Gender Expertise?
• Without Prioritization of Peace and Women’s Leadership, WPS in Peril
• Five Frequently Asked Questions on the Inclusion of Women in Peace Processes
• What Does the New Women, Peace, and Security Index Measure?
• Fighting Violence Against Women in Politics: the Limits of Legal Reform
• In Tunisia’s March Toward Women’s Rights, Finish Line Is in Sight
• Tunisia’s New Protections for Women: A Legislative Revolution and Missed Opportunity
• UN Peacekeeping: Where Are All the Women?
• Gender Equality Over a Barrel: How the Gulf’s Oil Dependence Holds Back Women
• Women, Tribal Leaders Key to Rebuilding Libyan State
• Investing in Inclusion: Women, Peace, and Development in Africa
• Sexual Violence Against the Rohingya: Q&A with Razia Sultana
• Conflict, Peacebuilding, and Perspectives in Colombia: Q&A with Charo Mina-Rojas
• Women, Peace, and Politics at the UN Security Council

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On Thursday, March 14th IPI together with the International Center for the Research on Women, the Feminist U.N Campaign and Save The Children and are cohosting a policy forum to discuss Feminist Leadership at the UN.

Remarks will begin at 10:15am PST / 1:15pm EST

Secretary-General António Guterres took office in January 2017 amid unprecedented public and member state demand for feminist leadership of the United Nations. Member states coalesced in platforms advocating for such shifts in leadership, and the Feminist UN Campaign emerged from that political moment. Now, two years into the SG’s term, the 63rd Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) presents an ideal background for member states, civil society and the Executive Office of the Secretary-General to be in conversation about the current state of feminist leadership and progress advancing gender equality at the UN.

The Women, Peace and Security lens provides a useful case study for measuring progress in this regard. Despite two decades of women, peace and security policy development and commitments, women’s participation at “all levels of decision-making” lags due to structural barriers, lack of access to political arenas, and even threats to women who attempt to participate in these processes. In efforts to build and sustain peace, there remains widespread neglect of local-level women peace builders’ expertise, and formal peacemaking efforts continue to be resistant to women’s meaningful participation and rights implementation. However, member states and the UN have taken steps to address barriers to women’s leadership, such as in highlighting national-level feminist policies and launching a UN-wide gender parity strategy. The election of a new Secretary-General of the United Nations in 2016 provided an important opportunity to ensure that the United Nations implements an agenda that puts gender equality and women’s rights at the heart of everything it does.

This event will amplify perspectives on progress as well as remaining challenges to removing barriers to gender equality and feminist leadership at national, regional and global levels, including discussion with experts from member states, UN leadership, and civil society.

Opening remarks:
Dr. Adam Lupel, Vice President, International Peace Institute

Speakers:
Ms. Nahla Valji, Senior Gender Adviser, Executive Office of the Secretary-General
Ms. Lyric Thompson, Feminist UN Campaign Coordinator
Ms. Nora O’Connell, Associate Vice President, Public Policy and Advocacy, Save The Children
Member state Representative (TBC)

Moderator:
Dr. Sarah Taylor, Senior Fellow, International Peace Institute

On Wednesday, March 13th, IPI together with Peace is Loud are cohosting a screening of scenes from the PBS documentary film series “Women, War and Peace II.”

Remarks will begin at 3:15pm PST / 6:15pm EST

© Thirteen – PBS – 2019

This event will focus on two of the four films that make up the Women, War & Peace II series: Wave Goodbye to Dinosaurs and A Journey of a Thousand Miles.

Wave Goodbye to Dinosaurs places a spotlight on the all-female political party, comprised of both Catholic and Protestant women, in Northern Ireland, who earned a seat at the negotiating table for the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. Their focus on human rights, equality, and inclusion shaped the historic peace deal, which put an end to years of violent conflict and established sustainable peace.

In A Journey of a Thousand Miles, an all-female Bangladeshi peacekeeping contingent charts a path forward to international peace and security through the UN peacekeeping mission to Haiti. The film shines a light on stereotypes shattered by the Bangladeshi police unit through their contributions to building peace in a country affected by poverty and natural disaster.

Following the screening, there will be a moderated discussion featuring filmmakers and eminent women peacemakers.

Opening Remarks:
Dr. Adam Lupel, Vice President, International Peace Institute

Speakers:
Ms. Monica McWilliams, Co-Founder, Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition; Negotiator, Good Friday Agreement
Ms. Eimhear O’Neill, Documentary Film Director, Wave Goodbye to Dinosaurs
Ms. Geeta Gandbhir, Documentary Film Director, A Journey of a Thousand Miles: Peacekeepers
Ms. Nahla Valji, Senior Gender Advisor in the Executive Office in the Secretary-General of the United Nations

Moderator:
Dr. Sarah Taylor, Senior Fellow, International Peace Institute

On Wednesday, March 20th, IPI together with Our Secure Future are cohosting a policy forum to discuss the launch of Mobilizing Men as Partners for Women, Peace and Security.

Remarks will begin at 10:15am PST / 1:15pm EST

Research by UN Women and other institutions, including the 2015 Global Study on UN Security Council Resolution 1325, provides empirical evidence that peace processes involving a critical mass of empowered women are far more likely to build and achieve stable, just, and prosperous post-conflict societies than those that do not.

Speakers at this event will discuss strategies for global leaders to reinforce and amplify the importance of inclusion. They will discuss how to open doors for advocates who are advancing the women, peace and security agenda—especially grassroots activists from conflict-affected countries.

This event will focus on new efforts in this area, particularly the “Mobilizing Men as Partners for Women, Peace and Security Initiative,” which brings together global citizens—including prominent men from the defense, diplomatic, development, civil society, faith-based, and business sectors—who believe the full leadership, empowerment, and participation of women is essential to preventing and resolving deadly conflict; building stable, prosperous, and just societies; and creating a peaceful and secure future.

Welcoming remarks:
Dr. Adam Lupel, Vice President, International Peace Institute

Opening remarks:
H.E. Ms. Ana Maria Menéndez, Under-Secretary-General, Senior Adviser on Policy, United Nations
Amb. Anwarul Chowdhury, Former Senior Special Adviser to the President of the UN General Assembly

Speakers:
Amb. Donald Steinberg, Executive Director, Mobilizing Men as Partners for Women, Peace and Security
Mr. Mirsad “Miki” Jacevic, Vice Chair, Institute for Inclusive Security
Ms. Fatima Kadhim Al-Bahadly, Director, Al-Firdaws Society, Basra, Iraq
Ms. Karin Landgren, Executive Director, Security Council Report

Moderator:
Dr. Sarah Taylor, Senior Fellow, International Peace Institute

Closing remarks:
Ms. Sahana Dharmapuri, Director, Our Secure Future: Women Make the Difference, a program of One Earth Future Foundation

In recent years, the UN and its member states have promoted comprehensive approaches and integrated structures and processes to improve coherence and consistency between political peacekeeping, humanitarian, human rights, and development efforts undertaken by the UN and its partners. For POC specifically, coordination between the military, police, and civilian components of peace operations; between peace operations and UN agencies, funds, and programs; and between the UN system and other protection actors has been pursued to maximize impact in the field. Joint planning, analysis, and action at these three levels are key to leveraging different types of expertise, tools, and responses in a holistic way in order to better prevent and respond to threats to civilians.

However, while the UN’s normative and policy frameworks provide the basis for coordination and organizational arrangements have been set up to facilitate integrated efforts at these three levels, recent developments in the peace and security sphere have reinvigorated the debate over the costs and benefits of integration. Coordination for POC has proven to be increasingly difficult in non-permissive environments where, for example, peacekeepers may be perceived as party to the armed conflict or as having too close or tense a relationship with the host state or non-state actors. Integration in such contexts has led to debates around the preservation of humanitarian space, the independence of human rights advocacy, and the security of actors too closely linked to peacekeeping efforts.

This issue brief analyzes the costs, benefits, and challenges of coordinated and integrated approaches to POC in peacekeeping contexts. It considers the added value of mission-wide and system-wide coordination for POC and concerns over comprehensive coordination between peacekeeping and humanitarian actors, which have different rationales and methodologies for protection. In a context of UN reform emphasizing prevention and political strategies, it questions the political and institutional push for more comprehensive POC strategies and reflects on the associated risks. It also offers considerations for how to coordinate and integrate multi-actor efforts in order to better protect civilians.

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In a ten-day period in November 2018, more than 125 women and girls were raped, beaten, and robbed in the town of Bentiu in South Sudan. The attacks happened in broad daylight, as these women and girls were on their way to food distribution sites. Research shows that understanding this violence against women and girls in the context of the ongoing conflict means understanding the continuum of gender-based violence before, during, and after conflict. In order to build peace in South Sudan, prevention of violence against women has been found to be a large contributing factor.

On February 27th, IPI with support from CARE International, the Global Women’s Institute (GWI), and the International Rescue Committee (IRC) held a closed-door roundtable to address how South Sudan came to have some of the highest rates of violence against women and girls in the world and how it can be prevented. Experts gathered to address this topic in the lead-up to the renewal of the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in South Sudan’s (UNMISS) mandate in March.

The meeting, held under the Chatham House rule of non-attribution, was comprised of civil society leaders, member states, UN entities, and gender-based violence experts from South Sudan. Participants reflected on the key findings of two research reports that are part of the “What Works to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls” program, highlighting that conflict exacerbates all types of violence against women and girls, including intimate partner violence.

Tackling violence against women and girls is critical to achieving sustainable peace in South Sudan, as is women’s political participation. But women in South Sudan have been largely excluded from the peace process and wider political conversations. The reports also concluded that institutions that work on women’s rights during the critical post-conflict phase play a significant role in efforts to eliminate violence against women and girls and in the advancement of a more peaceful society.

Drawing on the research on violence against women and girls in South Sudan, participants made the case for women and girls to be central actors in state building and peace building efforts.

Addressing gender-based violence is difficult in all settings, but in South Sudan, survivors and service providers face heightened challenges around reporting allegations of violence that hamper the delivery of legal and psychological support and medical aid to survivors. Furthermore, in a society where gender inequality is so deeply ingrained, it can be nearly impossible to hold perpetrators to account for the crimes they have committed.

One discussant reinforced this point, saying that in conditions like those in South Sudan, we must pursue the most innovative solutions to gender-based violence emergencies. Humanitarian actors must find ways to make rapid lifesaving response possible. While a comprehensive case-management system requires resources that are currently unavailable in this context, one viable solution could be offering basic healthcare, a participating humanitarian expert suggested.

Another hurdle in preventing gender-based violence is the lack of accountability for perpetrators both by local governments and the international community. Discussants surfaced the obstacles to legal protection for the victims and the need to change laws that protect violators, including those that allow perpetrators of sexual crimes to marry their victims. This often devalues evidence of abuse and makes seeking recourse even more difficult for survivors.

Participants noted that while issues such as health and food security get more significant funding, action to curb gender-based violence does not. One recommended that humanitarian actors seek out stronger collaboration with peacekeepers in enforcing peace and security in South Sudan. Participants warned that necessary changes will require sustained long term investment and effort.

Experts noted that in conflict settings, the incidence of gender-based violence increases. One participant offered the figure that women who had experienced armed attacks and/or conflict are twice as likely to experience rape or attempted rape and intimate partner violence. Research makes it clear that in conflicts, it is women who bear a disproportionate burden, according to the report. This is, in part, because women in South Sudan are seen only as the value of their dowry and not as human, according to a South Sudanese participant. Rape is an effective weapon of war, in which women are seen as strategic targets. “They accept that they have to live with it,” she said. As to the question of justice, she responded with an emphasis on women’s involvement in all stages of negotiating and implementing the peace process and its outcomes.

Meanwhile, humanitarian organizations on the ground are striving to find the means to prevent violence and provide victims with assistance. One such measure is to alert victims when a perpetrator is released from investigative questioning or arrest. Ultimately, a participant recommended that legal protection for the victims would be necessary, as well as changing laws that protect violators.

In order to prosecute perpetrators, safe and ethical data collection is needed with responsible monitoring and calculating, said one discussant. A key point was that information sharing practices should be formalized. In the renewal of the UNMISS mandate, this would mean finding simple ways to make information-sharing practices more systematic in the field. At headquarters, this would translate into looking at mandates for management positions. A draft toolkit for donors was recommended on how to implement this into internal work. In addition, holding discussions between UN peacekeepers and humanitarian workers could improve collaboration and identify hotspots

Ultimately participants stressed the necessity for collaboration between the international community and regional actors for prevention of violence against women and girls in South Sudan. However, concluded one participant, real transformation takes place only with the consultation, participation, and expertise of women, and in addressing gender equality at every level.

IPI Senior Fellow Sarah Taylor moderated.

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Addressing a high-level audience of government officials, ambassadors, and private sector representatives as a guest speaker at the February 18th “Rendezvous Series” at Capital Club Bahrain, IPI MENA Director Nejib Friji highlighted key IPI initiatives that focus on managing risk and building resilient societies.

Mr. Friji called for further commitment for achieving regional cooperation and integration through sustainable development and peace in the MENA region. He stressed the importance of integrating universal values of diplomacy and dialogue across all sectors of society.

Pointing to the European Union’s formation following the World Wars as an example of regional integration, Mr. Friji stressed the need for a “homegrown” initiative in the Middle East and North Africa.

“We must engage regional players to find solutions to regional problems that are connected to wider global issues,” he stated. He underlined the formation of IPI’s Taskforce on Regional Cooperation and Integration in the MENA Region as a core project aiming to produce concrete, actionable ideas for cooperation.

Highlighting IPI’s mission promote peace through multilateralism, Mr. Friji referred to the Independent Commission on Multilateralism Report (ICM), an international, multi-stakeholder process organized by IPI and chaired by former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd for its role in making the United Nations more “fit for purpose.”

Mr. Friji also emphasized the value of IPI’s Water Diplomacy and Energy Security initiatives as two fundamental areas of focus within the Taskforce project.

During an interactive slide-show presenting the Global Leaders Series, Mr. Friji said, that the initiative’s aim “is to engage in debate that will nurture a constructive and dynamic exchange of views on a range of issues—peacebuilding, development and security.”

Mr. Friji pointed to an initiative running parallel to IPI’s Global Leaders Series, the Future Leaders Series, which provides a platform to actively involve and empower youth as writers and key actors in the promotion of the Culture and Education of Peace.

He also noted the recent book launch of 17 SDGs (UN Sustainable Development Goals) by 12-year old Adam Jade Kadia, the youngest peace writer in the region, which was held at IPI MENA as part of the Future Leaders Series program. The book launch convened dozens of schoolchildren to discuss their contribution to promoting the SDGs within their societies.

Concluding the interactive session, Mr. Friji urged participants to invest in human resources to build sound and resilient societies.

On Friday, March 1st, IPI is hosting a discussion featuring Ambassador Md. Shahidul Haque, Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh.

Remarks will begin at 10:15am PST / 1:15pm EST

In partnership with local and international development agencies, H.E. Mr. Md. Shahidul Haque has been leading the work of the government of Bangladesh to address the needs of refugees from Myanmar and facilitate their safe, dignified, and voluntary return. Eighteen months after 700,000 people fled Myanmar’s Rakhine state, camps in Bangladesh are now hosting more than one million refugees. Myanmar and Bangladesh agreed to a procedural framework for repatriation of these refugees in November 2017, but the situation in Rakhine state has so far not allowed for safe, dignified, and voluntary returns, requiring a greater focus on resolving the crisis and considering long-term approaches.

Ambassador Haque has been serving as Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh since January 2013. Prior to assuming this post, he occupied several senior positions at the International Organization for Migration (IOM). From 2001 to 2012, he served as Director of IOM, dealing with its external and donor relations and international migration policy. He also served as Regional Representative for the Middle East from 2007 to 2009 and as Regional Representative for South Asia from 2001 to 2006. Prior to working at IOM, Ambassador Haque worked in the Bangladesh missions in London, Bangkok, and Geneva. He also served as director in various wings of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh, including as Director of the Foreign Secretary’s Office from 1996 to 1998.

Ambassador Haque served as Chair of the 9th Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) and is currently serving his second term as an elected, Independent Expert to the UN Committee on the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families (CMW). He is a member of IOM’s Migration Advisory Board and has been actively working with NGOs and civil society to promote the rights of migrants.

The event will be moderated by Dr. Adam Lupel, Vice President of IPI.

Speaker of the Council of Representatives H.E. Fawzia Zainal, IPI MENA Director Nejib Friji, IPI MENA Policy Analyst Dalya Al Alawi

IPI MENA Director Nejib Friji and H.E. Fawzia Zainal, Speaker of the Council of Representatives (Parliament) to the Kingdom of Bahrain and the first woman to be elected as Speaker, made a commitment to further uphold women’s rights and encourage their political participation across all sectors of society to achieve a culture of peace through the engagement of Parliamentarians as lawmakers.

During a February 24th meeting, both parties agreed that additional efforts are needed to encourage and support women as stipulated through the reforms put forward by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and the National Action Charter (NAC).

Stressing the importance of men working alongside women in efforts to promote gender equity, the Speaker of Parliament supported IPI MENA’s initiative to engage Parliamentarians, both in the Kingdom of Bahrain and through their counterparts in the MENA region and beyond, to assess the progress achieved in advancing women’s political participation and ways forward to build on progresses to further ensure full integration within political, economic, social, and cultural structures.

Accompanied by IPI MENA Policy Analyst Dalya Al Alawi, Mr. Friji congratulated the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Parliament for electing a woman as their Speaker, emphasizing the importance of women as active participants and positive drivers of change.

The Speaker awarded IPI MENA Director Friji the Parliament’s Shield as a token of recognition for IPI’s role in serving sustainable and world peace.

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IPI MENA Director Nejib Friji and H.E. Mohammed Adnan Mehmood, Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq to the Kingdom of Bahrain, stressed the fundamental importance of Iraq’s role in building peaceful relations to achieve regional integration in the MENA region at a February 24th meeting.

Accompanied by IPI MENA Policy Analyst Dalya Al Alawi, Mr. Friji emphasized the necessity of economic cooperation and investment in sustainable development as mechanisms to reinforce regional integration. He also underlined the need for reconciliation to change the environment of hostility to one of sustainable development and forward-looking, rights-based constructive growth to achieve durable peace.

During the meeting, both parties explored means of cooperation, including the active participation of Iraqi women in peace processes to build a resilient society, achieve long-term sustainable development, and nurture peaceful relations with MENA countries and beyond.

On Monday, February 25th, IPI together with the Government of Canada are cohosting a policy forum event on the Training for Senior Leaders in Field Operations: Gaps, Challenges and Techniques for Improvement.

Remarks will begin at 10:15am PST / 1:15pm EST

The report of the High-Level Independent Panel on Peace Operations (HIPPO) described leadership as “one of the most crucial factors in the success or failure of UN peace operations.” Yet, due to the unique and complex nature of these operations, the UN Secretariat faces a challenge finding and rapidly deploying leaders who possess the requisite mix of diplomatic and managerial skills, situational knowledge, political judgment, and stamina. Few, if any, mission leaders are fully prepared for their responsibilities upon selection, no matter how rigorous the appointment process. Senior mission leaders therefore require continuous, institutionalized, and sustained training and learning support.

In an effort to support this process, in 2016, IPI developed the Scenario-Based Training for Senior Leadership in Peace Operations project. Under that umbrella, various authors have created a series of scenarios covering issues that senior leadership will likely face during their deployment. These scenarios are based on complex crises but go beyond operational responses to challenges, aiming to support team building, leadership skills, and critical thinking by leaders.

To complement these scenarios, the project has published a policy paper on the training provided to senior leaders, gaps in the preparation of senior leaders, factors that have hindered reform, and recommendations to better prepare senior leaders for the challenges they face in contemporary missions.

Welcoming remarks:
Brig. Gen. Martin Girard, Military Advisor, Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations

Opening remarks:
Mr. Fabrizio Hochschild, Assistant Secretary General for Strategic Coordination in the Secretary General’s Executive Office, United Nations

Speakers:
Mr. Kevin S. Kennedy, lead author of IPI Paper: “Senior Leadership Training in UN Peace Operations” and Principal Officer, DPKO (ret.)
Mr. Mark Pedersen, Chief, Integrated Training Services, Department of Peace Operations, United Nations
Ms. Gabriella Seymour, Chief, Leadership Support Section, Office of the Director for Coordination and Shared Services, United Nations
Maj. Gen. Robert Gordon, CMG CBE (ret.) and Senior Mentor at the Senior Mission Leadership training Program

Moderator:
Ms. Lesley Connolly, Senior Policy Analyst, IPI

On Tuesday, February 26th, IPI is hosting the next event in its “Leading for Peace: Voices from the Field” series, featuring Mr. Parfait Serge Onanga-Anyanga, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for the Central African Republic and Head of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).He will share his experience and analysis on stabilization efforts and peace consolidation efforts in the Central African Republic. He will also share his insights and ideas regarding the Political Accord for Peace and Reconciliation in the CAR, signed in Bangui on February 6, 2019, as well as what he believes will be necessary for its sustainability.

Remarks will begin at 3:15pm PST / 6:15pm EST

Mr. Parfait Onanga-Anyanga has served as the Acting Special Representative for the Central African Republic and Head of MINUSCA since August of 2015, when he succeeded Babacar Gaye of Senegal, who served as the first Special Representative of the Secretary-General of MINUSCA. Mr. Onanga-Anyanga has extensive experience with the United Nations in conflict-affected areas, including in his role as the Coordinator of United Nations Headquarters Response to the Boko Haram crisis since January 2015, and, previously, as Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Burundi and Head of the United Nations Office in Burundi, as well as Assistant Secretary-General and System-Wide Senior Coordinator on Burundi (2012-2014).

The event will be moderated by Jake Sherman, IPI Director of the Brian Urquhart Center for Peace Operations.

In September 2018, warring parties in South Sudan signed the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS), which has resulted in several positive developments, including the establishment of transitional committees and a reduction in casualties of political violence. In spite of this, however, the UN mission (UNMISS) and humanitarian actors continue to confront impediments to complete and unhindered success. Threats against civilians continue, armed groups are clashing, and implementation of key R-ARCSS provisions is behind schedule.

In this context, the International Peace Institute (IPI), the Stimson Center, and Security Council Report organized a workshop on February 6, 2019, to discuss UNMISS’s mandate and political strategy. This workshop offered a platform for member states, UN actors, and outside experts to share their assessment of the situation in South Sudan. The discussion was intended to help the Security Council make informed decisions with respect to the strategic orientation, prioritization, and sequencing of the mission’s mandate and actions on the ground. The workshop focused on the dynamics of the current political process in South Sudan, including the challenges facing the implementation of the R-ARCSS and continuing threats to civilians, the UN mission, and humanitarian actors. Participants identified several ideas to strengthen and adapt UNMISS’s mandate to help the mission advance its political strategy and achieve the Security Council’s objectives in the coming year.

Workshop participants encouraged the Security Council to maintain the UNMISS mandate’s flexible nature and advised against making radical changes. They highlighted several opportunities to improve the mission’s mandate by refining existing tasks to ensure the mission is well-positioned to respond to changes in the operating environment. Among these, the Council should authorize the mission to provide technical support to the peace process, maintain flexible POC language and mandate the mission to facilitate voluntary returns from POC sites, and encourage continued regional engagement in South Sudan’s political process.

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Myanmar simultaneously faces multiple armed conflicts and crises, each with its own challenges. In Rakhine state, the government’s persecution of the Rohingya people has led to massive displacement, as have decades of armed conflict in Kachin and northern Shan states. Combined with chronic underdevelopment, these humanitarian crises have left people without access to adequate healthcare, leading international humanitarian actors to step in.

The public health system in Myanmar is generally poor, and government funding for health services is among the lowest in the world. There are wide discrepancies in health services between rural and urban populations and between central and peripheral states. In Rakhine, there are only nine public health workers per 10,000 people, and access to secondary and tertiary healthcare is limited. Community-based or ethnic health organizations provide primary healthcare in many areas without government facilities. In crisis-affected areas, UN agencies and international and local NGOs play an important part in providing healthcare services. However, international action can be unbalanced both regionally and medically. In many areas, health actors have focused on responding to diseases like malaria, HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis, leaving a critical gap in mental health services and clinical health responses to sexual and gender-based violence. Likewise, funding has been imbalanced, with Rakhine state receiving more funding than Kachin or northern Shan.

This paper looks at the state of healthcare in Rakhine, Kachin, and northern Shan states, the role of humanitarian actors in the provision of health services, and the trends and challenges affecting the humanitarian health response. It provides several recommendations for improving the humanitarian health response in Myanmar, including:

1. Adjust the scope of the humanitarian response;
2. Advocate for better humanitarian access;
3. Strengthen local capacities, and;
4. Address the dilemmas inherent in providing aid amid a development and human rights crisis.

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