In October 2000, the United Nations Security Council passed landmark Resolution 1325 on women, peace, and security, which linked women’s experiences of conflict to the international peace and security agenda, acknowledging their peacemaking roles as well as the disproportionate impact of violent conflict on women. Ten years later, the U.S. Institute of Peace co-hosted a three-day Women and War Conference focused on the varied experiences of women during wartime and how to make sustained progress toward international peace and security.

The event featured an extraordinary coalition of national and international participants, including U.N. and U.S. government officials, the international diplomatic communities, military personnel, academics, civil society leaders, and practitioners in the fields of security, development, and conflict resolution.

"Women and War" Conference (November 4, 2010)

Session 1: Women and War: Power and Protection

“Women and War: Power and Protection” focuses on why UNSCR 1325 has the capacity to help improve security around the world, and how women play a critical role as key actors in creating regional and global security. Introductions by Kathleen Kuehnast, Gender Advisor, Gender and Peacebuilding Initiative, US Institute of Peace; Jolynn Shoemaker, Executive Director, Women in International Security (WIIS); and Tara Sonenshine, Executive Vice President, US Institute of Peace. Keynote remarks by Ambassador Melanne Verveer, United States Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues, US Department of State; and The Honorable L. Tammy Duckworth, Assistant Secretary for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs, US State Department of Veterans Affairs.

Session 2:  Women at the Center of Peace: UN Security Council Resolution 1325

“Women at the Center of Peace: UNSCR 1325,” discusses why this Resolution is essential to global peacebuilding efforts, how to increase participation of women in peace processes, and protect women from sexual and gender based violence during conflict. Introductions by Tara Sonenshine, Executive Vice President, US Institute of Peace. Remarks given by Rosa Brooks, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Rule of Law and Humanitarian Policy, US Department of Defense; Ambassador Renée Jones-Bos, H.E. Ambassador of the Netherlands to the United States; Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury, Former Under Secretary-General and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, United Nations; and Margot Wallström, Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, United Nations.

Session 3:  Changing the Face of Global Security

Admiral Michael Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, keynotes the “Changing the Face of Global Security,” and discusses the US military’s current leadership and efforts to engage women, and the ways in which women’s involvement can contribute to the overall effectiveness of security operations. Introductions given by Tara Sonenshine, Executive Vice President, US Institute of Peace; and Richard H. Solomon, President, US Institute of Peace.

Session 4: Why UN Security Council Resolution 1325 Matters to Men

“Why UNSCR 1325 Matters to Men,” is a moderated dialogue with Frank Sesno, and focuses on how men can serve as important “champions” of UNSCR 1325. Speakers include Ambassador Donald Steinberg, Deputy Administrator, United States Agency for International Development; Frank Sesno, Director, School of Media and Public Affairs, The George Washington University; Ambassador Steven E. Steiner, Former Senior Advisor, Office of Global Women’s Issues, United States Department of State; Joseph Hoenen, Gender Expert, Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Afghanistan; and Jok Madut Jok, Jennings Randolph Senior Fellow, US Institute of Peace. Introductions by Chantal de Jonge Oudraat, Associate Vice President, Jennings Randolph Fellowship Program, US Institute of Peace.

Session 5:  Impacts of Media on Women, War and Peace

Not available 

​​​​​​​Session 6:  How Women are Transforming War into Peacebuilding

“How Women are Transforming War into Peacebuilding,” provides a view from women on the ground in conflict zones around the world. Introduced by Sanam Anderlini, Executive Director, International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN); moderated by John Tirman, Executive Director and Principal Research Scientist, Center for International Studies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and panelists--Cerue Garlo, Executive Director, Women NGOs Secretariat of Liberia; Safaa Adam, Secretary General, Community Development Association; Mossarat Qadeem, Executive Director, Paiman Alumni Trust; Lina Zedriga, Program Director, UN Security Council Resolution 1325 Project; Turid Smith Polfus, Research Fellow, Norwegian Centre for Human Rights; and Suraiya Kamaruzzaman, Executive Director, Flower Aceh.

Session 7:  Setting the Agenda for the Next Decade

“Setting the Agenda for the Next Decade,” focuses on priorities for action on UNSCR 1325 for the next ten years. Moderators include Chantal de Jonge Oudraat, Associate Vice President, Jennings Randolph Fellowship Program, US Institute of Peace; and Kathleen Kuehnast, Gender Advisor, Gender and Peacebuilding Initiative, US Institute of Peace. Panelists include Betty Reardon, Founding Director Emeritus, International Institute on Peace Education; Sanam Anderlini Executive Director, International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN); Carla Koppell, Director, The Institute for Inclusive Security; and Jimmie Briggs, Executive Director, Man Up Campaign.


"Trouble with the Congo" Public Event (November 5, 2010)

Session 1: The Failure of International Peacebuilding

The session revolves around Severine Autesserre’s new book, “The Trouble with the Congo: Local Violence and the Failure of International Peacebuilding.” Opening remarks and presentation by Séverine Autesserre, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Barnard College, Columbia University. Remarks by Raymond Gilpin, Associate Vice President, Sustainable Economies, Centers of Innovation, U.S. Institute of Peace; and Christine Karumba, Democratic Republic of Congo Country Director, Women for Women International. Moderated by Chantal De Jonge Oudraat, Associate Vice President, Jennings Randolph Fellowship Program, U.S. Institute of Peace,

Session 2: Sexual Violence and the Failure of Protection

The session explores the problems for peacekeepers in the DRC, and their inability to prevent local level conflict, particularly sexual and gender-based violence. Speakers include Howard Wolpe, U.S. Department of State Special Advisor for the Great Lakes Region (Ret); Diane Orentlicher, Deputy Director, Office of War Crimes, U.S. Department of State; and Major-General Patrick Cammaert, Military Advisor, United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations. Moderated by Paula Newberg, Marshall B. Coyne Director, The Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, Georgetown University.