In 1994, Rwanda lost a huge portion of its male population when the ruling Hutu government murdered 500,000 to 1 million of its citizens, including an estimated 77 percent of the Tutsi population. The genocide left an enormous void, widened by the number of Rwandans who had fled or been imprisoned — and women stepped up […]
When social norms are upended by violence—including relations between women and men—constitution reform presents an opportunity to transform power dynamics in a society. Rewriting a country’s constitution is a frequent step on the path toward peace, and is a particularly important entry point for women to address their historic marginalization and have a say in […]
With International Women’s Day approaching on March 8th, it’s fitting to take note of one of the few hopeful moments in American politics this past year: The enactment of the Women, Peace and Security Act of 2017 was a quiet bipartisan landmark, the culmination of more than two decades of relentless advocacy to involve women in decisions […]
Even as fighting rages in Eastern Ghouta, Syrians on different sides of the conflict are trying to come together to write a new constitution. The vast majority of those involved in these negotiations are men. But fresh research tells us why their chances of success will be far greater if the drafting process includes Syria’s […]
In the years after Rwanda’s genocide, how did women come to make up a large portion of the nation’s parliament? Author and activist Swanee Hunt says their women’s movement grew out of necessity. Hunt, a former ambassador and founding director of the Women and Public Policy Program at Harvard’s Kennedy School, gives her Brief but […]
Inclusive Security has released a guide to implementing U.N. Security Council Resolution 1325 through national action plans. Miki Jacevic and Olivia Holt-Ivry explain what they learned through the process. It has been 15 years since the United Nations began urging countries to adopt plans of action to apply Security Council Resolution 1325. Adopted in 2000, the resolution was a […]
Hurricanes Maria, Irma, and Harvey have devastated Puerto Rico and other parts of the Caribbean as well as the southern United States in recent weeks. But none will be the great social leveler that catastrophic storms are often thought to be. If international experience is a guide, this extreme weather will cause greater suffering for […]
If the hand-wringing of pundits has left you in despair that this country is beyond healing, learn from the women of Rwanda. Most people rightly recall that small nation in East Africa as the site of a 1994 genocide of unspeakable brutality, in which as many as one million (mostly Tutsi) died in a span […]
The Women, Peace, and Security Act—which will enhance global security by strengthening women’s participation in peace negotiations and conflict prevention—is now on the brink of becoming law! For five years, we’ve worked with some incredible people to raise awareness about the issue, advocate for legislation, and see it passed through both houses of Congress. One of those people is Allison Peters, our former […]
This week, Listen, Ladies podcast interviewed Mariam Jalabi. A businesswoman turned peace activist, Ms. Jalabi is Director of the Syrian National Coalition’s office at the United Nations in New York, the largest political opposition group of the Syrian Revolution. In the interview they discuss the current landscape of the crisis in Syria and the advocacy movement working […]
