Women, Peace and Security

On Thursday, October 28, the Netherlands Atlantic Youth organized a program titled:

Women, Peace and Security

In recent years, the importance of women in peace and security has become widely recognised in the international community. At the same time, gender equality in this domain remains an ideal far removed from reality. To boost gender equality and give young women the tools and the network to become the future key-figures in the field of peace and security, we organised a networking event on the topic ‘Women, Peace and Security’ on the 28th of October in The Hague. The goal: an interactive and inspiring event that brings together students, policy makers, members of the armed forces and civil society representatives around this topic.

During the event, we went past the question of why the presence of women in the international security domain is important. Instead, we assessed the progress that has been made on this issue. 31 October, 2021, will mark the 20th anniversary of UNSCR 1325 on Women, Peace & Security; so where do we stand now and what still needs to be done? The central question we focused on is how women can help each other on the road towards gender equality.

We were honoured to welcome Marriët Schuurman, former NATO Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Women, Peace and Security , as keynote speaker. Her speech was followed by a panel with speakers from various fields within the security domain, who shared their experiences working in the field and give professional tips to the participants.

The program was moderated by dr. Vanessa Newby

Photo: Flickr / The National Guard