The adversity faced by women leaders around the world makes them strong. As a representative of the Rwandan Women’s Caucus, Joy Mukanyange was able to recognize the great potential that is held in women for development purposes.
Branching out from “women’s issues” is very important for female legislators. After over 40 years of work in the British Parliament Shirley Williams offers advice to women leaders around the world.
Song Young Sun of South Korea talks about how women should become involved in military and security sectors to create peacebuilding operations.
Female policy makers in Rwanda are products of grassroots women. Aloisea Inyumba talks about how civil society can influence government for good.
Naomi Chazan, former Knesset member, describes the danger of mobilizing women at the grassroots but ignoring the need to get more women into positions of power.
Member of Parliament, Jemma Kumba, describes how women in Sudan worked to pass laws that called for equal participation of both genders. As a member of the Institute for Inclusive Security’s Women Waging Peace Network, Ms. Kumba’s expertise can be shared with and encouraged by other women peacebuilders around the world.
While determined to stay in her country of Iraq through two wars, Hanaa Edwar chose to start an organization that worked to place a fully representative democracy during and after the transition of power. She describes how this is the only way for a government to “grow up.”
Marie St. Fleur, of the Institute for Inclusive Security’s Women Waging Peace Network, offers advice to women wanting to change the world through civil society and government. She describes a program developed in Massachusetts to honor the survivors of homicide victims as well as a peace curriculum to be taught in schools across the country.
Thrust into a male-dominated job with a great amount of power, Nesreen Berwari, took a year off to learn how better to serve the people of Iraq at Harvard’s Kennedy School. She was able to take what she learned to succeed in her work through the connections she made in her studies.
Eti Livni describes how she was able to influence social issues in Israel despite opposition.
