 Good afternoon. My name is Bill Taylor. I'm the executive vice president here at the United States Institute of Peace I'm very pleased to welcome you To this building and to this event This is going to be a great opportunity for us to go through the issues That we've been looking forward to for 15 years actually for to this So this is an opportunity for us to gather in this room with some great speakers and to listen to your comments and questions As well, so this will be a participating a participatory session here today the Institute of Peace For 30 years has been looking for ways To prevent to mitigate to resolve conflict around the world and one of the ways that we've Found out we've determined. We've discovered is something that you all know is the importance of inclusivity It's important that that all people in societies are part of solutions And the Institute of Peace has been has been in the forefront of pushing those kinds of solutions Over the past six years our gender efforts have been led here by Kathleen Cunasse to is right down front Now many of you most of you in this room probably know her This has been a leadership of love by Kathleen and she has done a wonderful job and has put this together With the five Nordic embassies here I want to especially welcome and thank the five embassies for co-hosting the celebration of of 1325 of United Nations Security Council resolution 1325 We are very grateful for their support and their help on organizing and pulling this event together We have ambassadors from those from those embassies from those countries here Ambassador of Iceland gear harder. I will introduce in a moment. You will hear more from him Very shortly ambassador of Finland Kirstie Kaapwe who is here. Thank you ambassador ambassador of Denmark large good loza is Not here. Oh Is coming to the reception there you are so we'll be here. We'll be here ambassador of Sweden Björn Lirvall is Also coming to the reception And the shorted affairs of of Norway Layla, Yachtlin is here. Thank you Layla. Very good and I think in this room somewhere is the US ambassador to former US ambassador to Denmark Who? Laurie Fulton ambassador Fulton is coming. She's also coming to the reception. Is that right? Okay Earlier this year The new Swedish foreign minister Margot Walsram Was here standing right here And described her explicitly feminist foreign policy We were very pleased to hear her described to this audience and the world the kinds of things that are important for Sweden and indeed for the world in terms of A feminist foreign policy and how that can work She talked about Policies that call for the equal participation of women in promoting peace and security But also for greater efforts to protect women during and after violent conflict Building on the work of 1325 the new newly adopted sustainable development goals declare women's equality a precondition To resolving conflict and crises around the world our discussion today will further examine this principle by asking What does gender have to do with global security? Over the years the Nordic countries helping us sponsor here today Denmark Finland Iceland Norway and Sweden have institutionalized gender equality practices and policies across their countries and are now recognized as the top five ranked countries in the 2014 world economic forums global gender gap index Today we look forward to learning more from these five small but powerful Countries and explore how gender is being integrated into their own contributions to global security We invite everyone in this room or online To join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag 1325 at 15 so hashtag 1325 at 15 It is now my honor to introduce the ambassador of Iceland whom I mentioned earlier Ambassador gig Jorge is the former prime minister of Iceland and also the former president of the Nordic Council He will speak on behalf of all five Nordic countries and frame today's discussions Please join me and in back and welcoming the ambassador to the stage Thank You ambassador Taylor Minister ran dear friends Great to be here today Great of my colleague from the Nordic countries to come to the reception You're here Kirstie. I know that Let me begin by saying how how honored I am Today to to be here today as we mark the 1500 anniversary of UN security resolution 1325 on women peace and security At this milestone, it's appropriate to look back at what has been achieved as well as to take stock and plan our work for the future As many of you know the Nordic countries Consistently lead gender equality ratings or rankings Published by the World Economic Forum as well as scoring high on all human rights and development Indicators like ambassador Taylor alluded to We therefore feel that we have something to offer Through the global conversation on gender human rights and security Last year The Nordic country celebrated the 14th anniversary of their formal cooperation on gender equality within the Nordic Council of Ministers that cooperation Includes sharing best practices and research aimed at advancing gender equality in the workplace and in public life It has also been a platform for our joint struggle Against gender-based violence at home and abroad as well as prostitution and human trafficking We have worked closely with the Baltic states following their regained independence in the 90s We have also looked closely at how the challenges of climate change Globally and particularly in the vulnerable Arctic need to be addressed with gender issues in mind As an example women currently account for only 15 to 20 percent of delegation leaders in UN climate negotiation Negotiations and we should be able to do a lot better than that This year Denmark and Iceland Celebrate the hundredth anniversary of women's suffrage Norway and Finland Finland have already celebrated their centennial and Sweden will mark theirs in 2021 Now considering that it has taken the Nordic countries decades To achieve our progress on gender equality It's important to note That such progress is not automatically permanent And backsliding remains possible If we are not vigilant that is to say Equality between the sexes as regard the right to vote and to run for public office Was of course one of the most important milestones in the development towards true democracy Now turning through the global stage We see immense challenges in the realm of peace and security Today the number of refugees an internally displaced persons Is higher than at any time in the UN's history Complex internal and cross-border conflicts that are fueled by violent extremism and terrorism Have made development and humanitarian work highly challenging Women and children have been specifically targeted Through campaigns of rape, abductions and outright slavery UN women continues to track progress towards the goal of 1325 and subsequently related resolutions It has positively affected women's participation in politics Helping to sensitize A range of stakeholders to the benefits of women's political inclusion This has resulted in more gender sensitive electoral laws and more women on electoral boards and civic education teams Despite much effort towards the ambitious goal of those resolutions Women remain largely excluded from peace processes worldwide Women's participation in peace negotiations Remains with few exceptions below 10 percent of those formerly involved Even with in the UN Slow progress has been made as only 15 to 25 percent of UN field missions have in recent years been led by women The Nordic countries have for their part made an effort to mainstream gender in their peace and security work globally We have for example Deployed gender advisors to serve with UN peacekeeping and NATO stabilization forces Their role has been both internal and external They have worked to shape the organization The organizations and behavior of the security forces as well as to bring women in conflict areas into the peace process Including at the grassroots levels While the situation is grim on many fronts The findings of the UN women global study on the implementation of resolution 1325 also make it clear that and I quote Women's participation and inclusion Makes humanitarian assistance more effective Strengthens the strengthens the protection efforts of peacekeepers Contributes to the conclusion and implementation of peace talks and sustainable peace and accelerates economic recovery and a quote Therefore we can say Perhaps that the bad news is that we know we have a serious problem But the good news is that we know What a key part of the remedy is This anniversary of UNSC resolution 1325 Should therefore serve to rally and re-energize Us in the work ambitiously started 15 years ago We must remember that the resolution Is only a tool More effort is needed to increase the number of women and men Skilled in its use to shape change developments both internationally and locally I therefore very much much look forward To today's important discussion and want to thank the us institute of peace and minority colleagues for organizing today's event I'm also very pleased to introduce our keynote speaker A wonderful lady whom I used to work with in the 90s The distinguished Elizabeth Rehn Minister of State Rehn is a member of the board of directors Of the international criminal courts trust fund for victims in the Hague And an independent expert of the high level advisory group For the global review on united nation security council resolution 1325 on women peace and security A member of parliament for 16 years Madame Rehn was Finland's and the world's first female minister of defense From 1990 to 95 She also served as minister of equality affairs from 1991 to 95 In 1995 Elizabeth Rehn was appointed U1 special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the territory of former Yugoslavia A post she held for three years until 1998 When she was appointed U1 under secretary general Special representative of the secretary general in Bosnia and Herzegovina Elizabeth Rehn co-authored women war peace with ellen johnson surleaf in 2002 And also was U1 rapporteur on palestine in 2004 and the democratic republic Of the congo in 2010 So with that Elizabeth the floor is yours Excellencies ladies and gentlemen Thank you gear for these wonderful words I sometimes feel like being on my own funeral when i'm listening to this long list of what you have done And that makes it always a little bit difficult to start We have to remember that the 1325 That we very much honor today That it is even if it was pushed forward by the Nordic countries and especially by NGOs non-governmental organization Women organizations It was born in Africa It was born in Namibia in Windhoek Just before in I believe it was in March I was there at workshop When the windhoek declaration Namibia plan of action was decided upon and then taken over to To general assembly and security council and became the 1325 Perhaps a little bit watered out In un but that things happen But it is a good resolution Um It has now been debated as we just heard in at an open debate Just one and a half week ago in in the UN and It was a very active debate with more than 110 Participants asking for the floor and what was even more important that the new resolution That was strengthened in 1325 Was adopted anonymously with Everybody putting their hand up in the security council. It was a little bit unsure Before it just voting took place It's Quite true that there was the global review that was very much The Laying the ground for secretary general's own report. I had the honor to be A part of the high level advisory group who was advising and working and writing with Radhika Komaraswamy as the lead writer author of this new study and Why a new study? That is quite clear that even in these 15 years From the first adoption of 1325 the situation the conflicts have changed nature It was when we adopted then and security council adopted 1325 we thought very much about rwanda We thought about Balkans That was the situation then there was already a lot of sexual violence and all of this But now there are new elements in the empty room left by Bad leadership or no leadership at all so many of these Armed groups have taken their Place they have found their room like ISIS like Boko Haram And all the others who are brutal who are so to say changing all the What we have thought about Conflicts and that gives Also quite clear indications for the situation of of women It's Also important to remember something that we talk of course gender is men and women That's something we should remember people sometimes believe that gender is women. That's not It's the both but Something that we have to remember that when we talk about women and women's rights and women here and women there Women are not the same. We are not some kind of of Cattle or something that are all the same Even if cattle is not the same but but though We have all our own Expectations of life. We have very different situations in the world And in the societies and therefore we always must remember that everybody is an Individual with their own needs men are also not one crowd or a cattle They are also all different and and we have to to really look at this What we found out when we worked on this global Global study or global review what you want to call it that There were very big differences with the expectations Also between south and north that in the north It was very much of the demand of of being In in the participating in Position making of course sitting at the tables when peace was negotiated And More about the equality of that kind In the south It was very much a question of a democracy that is coming close to your Your own situation It was a question of land ownership of a right to own property To economic and and the life all together to make it easier But these two are not excluding each other Of course in the south if we look at africa for instance, they have achieved Equality that many countries can be envying like Rwanda for instance with More than 60 percent women in the parliament elected women in the parliament and most of the Of the african states have quarters and for parliament and they are also fulfilling it african union has They have as a rule that there must be in the commission of african union as many women as men When it was first adopted this rule some years ago the The administrations Were saying well, where are we going to find five competent women in africa? But it was there were no difficulties with this European union could take example from this to if we are talking about europe There is no rule about as many women as men So But that is of course not all There can be differences very much of the differences between those who are Have got the positions to be at the tables And to to be ministers to be in the governments and then on the grassroot level Where the the needs are really enormously big What is also something we have found out and That's very close to me As being for six years already At the international criminal court in the haig in the trans fund for victims That works with uh with the victims of these worst crimes And And that it's not enough to put the perpetrators behind bars It's very important that to talk about transformative justice Where it's not only a question of of getting the The perpetrators to stand for what they have done But also to look into the situation of the victims And also the societies afterwards to try to find a healing for them Because otherwise we can cannot Expect any kind of of peace to come It's also important to remember when this is a little bit provocative this What has Does gender have to do with it with the security that at the same time As we discussed the This global study on women peace and security There was the discussions about And a panel about peace operations And about peace building and in the panel led by former president ramos horta It was quite clear that the passages about Women peace and security were very strongly also a part of the peace operations And there we come to the fact that it's uh The peace And creating peace Is not possible without women being a part of it Because mostly women have to implement Then afterwards what has been decided And also it is By statistics and research found that those peace Agreements where women have been present Even if they are not at all Many as they should be The Peace will be more long-lasting because so many of the peace agreements they Just take some Year or sometimes only few months and then the conflict is there again But when women are at the table Things just like the justice like the situation afterwards It's easy to decide about the hardcore about building Again reconstructing Buildings bridges These physical things, but there is so much that is Psychological and important to create a new life after the peace agreement I have been to so many war zones to conflict And I think that in all of them the people who have gone through the conflict Are suffering from some kind of war trauma So it's very much a question of how you can heal people but also questions like social health And education education that is so important It's not a mantra that you have to always say it's important to to get especially the education for for girls And we also discussed that We must ask much more from united nations And the leadership Because a peace operation is not looking to any kind of gender issues If not the leader of the mission is Prepared to do something if he is just okay, of course gender. What is that? It must be something that he and she More she Then it has been Really is devoted to we had in our Advisory group A few men also very respected one of them General Patrick Kamert who has worked as the force commander in in kong for instance and he especially demanded The gender training also for those who will be the highest top Officials because otherwise it will not work One other Thing that we also talked about that the reputation of u.n is not Very good if it continues to be Be cases like central african republic and others where peace The people who are serving United nations are Doing crimes like Like this and it was we proposed in our study I'm quite sure it will never be made But it's a good proposal that there should be within Un and independent tribunal to look at cases where un personnel has been Committing crimes because it's too easy to To just get out from all of this I think that That we also have found something we nordics together Because when we cooperated a lot because I was the only one in the advisory group from the nordic countries and the people in our ministries worked so well together And there has been then the proposal that we should institute Nordic women mediators network with About five from every nordic countries So we will tighten our cooperation and look into that the nordics really have good female mediators to be be Used when it's it's necessary Now you can ask yourself that the why I was about to say why the hell is but that's not appropriate But why is she Old woman Still engaged with all of this. She should be absolutely now finally Just leaving leaving the scene for somebody else but when I With all my different tours that was when ellen johnson surlyf and I Just collected material for our our report women war and peace Uh, then I was in Sierra Leone I met it was as a matter of fact Fatou ben sorda Who took me who now is the the special? Representative for for sexual violence in war and conflict who took me in Sierra Leone In free town to a place where young girls who had been uh just Bush wives They had been kidnapped as 10 12 year old Who had come back again? But nobody would like to have them in their home villages. They were absolutely Out from the society So the only possibility for them was to earn their money by selling their self And but they had some kind of community discourse of 20 of them with good Good signs on their walls. It was a terrible place where they Had just the bed and nothing more on some as a concrete Bottom and they had like be proud of yourself Demand condom was one of these These things and then some others that they were some kind of union who took some of them had children So somebody was Just looking after the children but then I asked them that that What are your dreams because all young girls have dreams and I have a lot of grandchildren many girls also great grandchildren and I was about to to start to cry when I listened to them because what they wanted of life was to to get Education to go to school to get a profession a real one not like this selling yourself and then perhaps to find and to get a good job And find a handsome young man to marry Get a beautiful home and lovely children and then these but how could we dream about this? We are just doomed to to sell ourselves for one dollar each time And die in AIDS and then I decided that if I can do even as much I will do that so that no Girls are without future. Thank you Hello, I'm Kathleen keenis and I would like to invite our panelists to the stage And while they are joining us I'd like to introduce you to ambassador don steinberg who has The honors this afternoon of moderating this very interesting panel Don is president and CEO of world learning an international nonprofit organization that provides Exchange and development programs in more than 60 countries You may know him as the former deputy administrator at us aid and also The us ambassador to angola and I could go on it would take maybe part of the afternoon Please i'm going to turn it over to don and thank you all for joining us today Thank you. It is a pleasure to moderate this panel with such a distinguished group Kathleen the one thing that she could have said in addition is my ties with this institution Which are very strong. I was a randoff jennings fellow here In 2005 and had the honor of traveling around the world and living in refugee camps in kosovo in columbia in sudan in Sri lanka and in that time it consolidated in my mind the suffering of women in Conflict situations and how we don't even address their needs in post-conflict situations But I will say I think the real reason that I was invited to moderate this panel is that the pin number on my atm card Is 1325 And it actually is I have I actually mentioned that on a panel that was broadcast by c-span one day And then about two weeks later. I lost my atm card And i'm talking with the company and they say does anyone know your pin number? And I had to acknowledge that a few people who don't sleep at night Probably saw that panel I've participated in a number of panels here where we've had officials And civil society leaders from developing countries and conflict situations Talk about 1325 and I think that this panel is very special in that It is the view From the advocates These are the leaders in pushing 1325 As an international agenda From the north and so I think we're going to get a unique view Here of some very dedicated people We've got the subject of Global security what does gender have to do with it? And I think we all know The countries around the world that are peaceful and prosperous and involve women In the leadership of their country and in peace processes Do not tend to traffic in drugs or people or weapons They don't send off large numbers of refugees across borders or oceans They don't tend to harbor pirates or terrorists They don't transmit pandemic diseases And they don't require international boots on the ground And so as we think about this issue Let's keep that in the back of our mind that women have everything to do with global security I wanted to begin We're going to do this in alphabetical order And we're going to begin with Brigadier Argersoff And he has already authorized me to butcher the pronunciation of his name Which I have just done. Thank you The Brigadier is the chief at the regional command south in Denmark Where he oversees the strategic and operational planning of the danish defense He has also had the opportunity to serve in leadership positions in afghanistan and bosnia Kosovo Pakistan india and one would wonder who he upset at the ministry to have him assigned to all of those conflict situations All of them all of them And so, uh, can you talk about When you first thought of this as a Key issue in the implementation of peace processes And perhaps in particular in afghanistan. Sure. Can I stand up? It works better for me being a middleman And I can easily see people in their eyes and see that all the girls are having the cell phones doing a lot of things They shouldn't be doing all we're talking up here. Anyway, that coming from an old man I worked in afghanistan as the first time we're actually started focusing on using women To counter what I was there to counter. So I was enough to Count the corruption in the world's most corrupt country I was also combating Drugs that part of the drug production that actually funded the uncertainty groups And as if that wasn't enough I actually took on Working the gender issue in that context because That was also a big issue in a country that really suppresses women What does gender have to do with all that? About 50 plus and if you add up the synergies 80 to 85 percent As the ambassador said Women they don't like to see their sons and daughters to be killed in a conflict They don't want to see their husbands or their kids become drug addicts and they don't instigate violence usually So that is a good point of working out from and that's why slowly I started to figure it out in afghanistan We weren't actually getting any progress counting corruption Car sign is government. They didn't care as long as we paid. They were happy. They took the money and did what they did Then somebody came to me. I had a small team of civil society outreach and one of these very Efficient girls came to me and said why don't we reach out to Women why don't we try to integrate women in what we do? Sir, you can travel all over afghanistan. You got all the assets you need All you have to ask is to get one or two women on board every flight we go and it will start spreading out the good word Let's get these civil society women together and spread out the good story that women can actually make a difference So I started doing this and did it for almost a year And when I had to hand over to my successor said this is very important for you drugs is one thing Corruption in other thing, but if you do not handle these women and make sure they're safe and they can do what we started out for them to do They will die unfortunately Didn't have the same feeling about women as I did So it all collapsed and a lot of these women that I work with I have the flat got killed and Lost quite a bit of their nerve, but some of them are still out there fighting Because gender has got everything to do With stabilizing even as case study as bad as afghanistan Everything is bad. You'll find in afghanistan child abuse women abuse corruption drug production And it's a disease that has to be stopped And the only way I can think of have been working it for 15 months is using women to make a difference It's not because I've started 30 and 25 before I went to afghanistan Because it was an idea that was sewn into my head and it grew And it still grows and I think it's the only way we can do something for change I can work with the dinosaurs That is the administration in afghanistan But I like little mermals to grow up and take over And there the women come in to make a big difference They understand what I'm talking about They understand the the concept of peace because they're the ones being abused every day They're the ones who have their money stolen because their husband is a drug addict Or because the taliban and other uncertainty groups come in and rape them Or because their husband has been dealing with the wrong guys and they have to pay The debts using the kids or the wife So they understand the situation and they understand there is a way out of it I truly love to hear what you said. You pinpointed most of my experiences from basnia, russia, india, pakistan Women are always at the abusive end. They've been abused by almost everybody and they're the weak So we say that they are so strong that they stood up against these taliban They stood up against the administration of karsai and they started fighting And a lot of them died in doing so but they still keep on fighting because they understand it's a way forward If they want a better society education They have to stand up just like I do for you I travel a lot and wherever I went I saw women young women older women Wanted to do something to get an education even though they were sitting in a shabby room with old books They were trying to get an education trying to learn english to understand the law and how society works Get women to work with their media Get women to work with the rule of law make them sit in during the sessions when there's a court of law set And make sure that they actually follow the protocol It's a difficult thing in afghanistan where most of the judges They can't read they never read the law, but still they're the judges They need somebody to pressure them To monitor them make sure it actually follows the rule of law as it is laid out in afghanistan Now I travel a lot Meeting a lot of commanders in the field and I especially want to quote one of them And I said during a meeting sir. I know you're fighting a battle But if you want to win this war and you really want to win the battle You have to encounter counter corruption Counter drug that finances the insurgency and you have to work with the women And you know what it said to me I don't have time for this shit. I got a water fight get out So these are my colleagues So we have to go to the top A fish rots from the head so the chinese say But if you do not get the head to stop rotting and start working with us And understand this important issue You're not going to move forward. That's why 1325 is so important. Thank you So brigadier, I want to give you a heads up on the question that's going to come after this panel, which is How do you in that process ensure that the voices of the women themselves Are reflected in the policies you adopt and how do you ensure that they have safety and security as they put forward their views So if you could cogitate on that for a moment I also wanted to introduce captain björsson She is an army officer working in the swedish armed forces headquarters She's now the gender advisor to the chief of operations at the joint forces command And the question that I'd like you to address is how do you at the operational level within a ministry That may not really take this all that seriously Because they do have wars to fight. How do you actually operationalize this? and I would like to start with this question what does gender have to do with it and The latest resolutions and the recommendation of the global study Now gives us gives me tools to to re-energize the the women peace and security agenda and Take even more steps to move from the from words to action And I think that the message of the global study was very clear Women's leadership and participation contribute to the conclusion of peace talks It leads to more sustainable peace agreements It strengthens the military mandate and improves the peace operations possibilities to deliver security to both men and women on an equal basis And it helps counter violent violent extremism so Basically, no further agree arguments are needed, but one of the most Underutilized tools that we have for successfully building peace is the meaningful inclusion of women and Since it has been mentioned Sweden has a feminist government and it has declared that gender equality is one of their top priorities and The swedish government has made a clear commitment to promoting gender equality in all policymaking A feminist government works to combat Inhibitive gender roles and structures and to let gender equality have a formative impact on policy choices And priorities and in the allocation of resources And the overarching objectives of sweden's gender equality policy is that women and men are to have the same power To shape society and their own lives However, coming from a military organization I would like to highlight a few things when it comes to why gender equality is important for the swedish armed forces And To start with I would say that the legitimacy of the armed forces is partly based on how well we as an organization represent Society and since gender equality and women's participation in equal rights To shape society and their own lives is an important question for most swedes It is essential that we the armed forces reflect these values in the in our forces and Since we need a Wide spectrum of capacities We we need to view the whole population as a basis for recruitment We need both men and women And lastly our capability to understand and assess the different security needs and concerns of different groups Will increase our operational effectiveness In our in other words our ability to to deliver security based on the different needs of women men boys and girls Should I go into detail on your question? Yeah My task at the headquarters Is to support the commander chief of operations in Analyzing When we are planning operations, what different impacts needs concerns women men boys and girls have and What is What is important to know here is that I am only supporting him in this He is responsible and then he also leads and Evaluates evaluates all operations national and international and in this we need to to Implement and also follow up so we can improve Yeah, so the question that I'm going to pose for you is I assume you two have dinosaurs in the Ministry and how do you persuade them? Short of ordering them to take action Which may or may not work How do you persuade them that this is part of their mission and part of achieving their goal? So i'm pleased to now introduce, uh, carlo copel who was the uh first senior coordinator for Women's empowerment and gender equality at us a id And a long history of engagement in this issue previous to that She is now the chief strategy officer at a id And I think the success of incorporating gender into What has happened at that agency is the reason that she is Now an honorary member of the nordic community participating in this panel Carla in terms of Addressing this challenge at us a id and with larger within the u.s. government The united states only signed on to 1325 in the commitment to do a national action plan 10 years after it started Uh, what have been the successes you've seen Since you arrived at us a id and even before that and what are the unfulfilled requirements moving ahead Thanks, I first of all my favorite honorary designation is as an honorary nordic and And I would be remiss if I didn't say that You sir were my partner in driving this forward in us a id whatever progress we've made Was born of your leadership. Um, so thank you for that It's actually a perfect moment for us to reflect a bit because um as ambassador steinberg said Five years ago is when Secretary then secretary clinton committed to making a national action plan and I was lucky enough to have been brought into the administration to actually Create that plan and in partnership with others including don and and It's rare that you're advocating for something outside of government and then you're brought in to be able to make it a reality And that was a great honor that was bestowed on me and now Three years after the actual creation of our plan. We are doing our first stock taking exercise And looking at three years of the plan on the 15th anniversary to say where do we go from here? And I think that what we've found is first of all that there was in some ways pent up desire for Us to us the u.s. Government to take more action around women peace and security When we started on this road, there was very little in the way of investment around the agenda within us a id And dare say across the government and when we have complete We're just completing our three-year assessment. We see now that there's over 350 million dollars Being dedicated to the agenda within within a id Much of that new investments spurred by small seed money But really by people who were committed and believed that this agenda was important When we look at what that money is translated to We know that tens of thousands of women are now engaged in peace processes around the world Many of those are not the visible headline peace processes That you see in the news every day But their local level conflicts where women are playing an absolutely fundamental role In preventing the outbreak of violence in mediating among different parties in Ensuring that we prevent the outbreak of that violence and that we are treating those who are injured We know that in addition to those over 50,000 women around the world that We're doing work in over 40 countries around this agenda And we know that we're treating millions of survivors of gender-based violence That however paints a very rosy picture and it's a if you're looking in relative terms from Where we were three years ago to today We've made a lot of progress and I would um and I when I go out to visit Colleagues in the field. Uh, for example, I was recently in kenya And spoke to a gentleman who was working on the third generation of a peace building program that he's been involved with through those three generations He said, you know each iteration of this project. We've done more to engage Women and to address women's needs and I said well, why why do you do that? And he said well the project works better And and it's that kind of realization that we want to cultivate and we want to raise awareness of That said I would be remiss if I didn't say that there also are really really important gaps and Things that we know we need to strive to do better around Going forward So we we know for example that when you look at the numbers of mediators that are women We're falling behind and when you look at mediators at a glow at the big global conflicts that you hear about were even further behind We know that certain issues in our national action plan. We didn't really confront Issues we we didn't deal with non-state actors to the extent that those non-state actors now Loom incredibly large within the international community We know that certain threats like the threat of climate change and how that interacts with Issues related to the women peace and security agenda are places We have gaps in our national action plan and therefore we have gaps In the work that we're doing we know that while we've done enormous work around Both trying to prevent and treat gender-based violence That new threats are emerging that actually gender-based violence has become I think more prevalent not just more reported but more prevalent in certain circumstances And we have a lot of work to do to To meet that need and even in terms of the implementation of our work where we're trying to work with women Across countries and particularly countries where there's a lot of violence It's very difficult for us to reach them to help empower them to work with them and build their capacity So I would say we've made a lot of progress And part of that progress is Knowing what we didn't know and where there are gaps we need to fill And we have a lot to learn from the countries represented on the stage because a lot of them have been Engaged in work around this agenda for much longer than we have and so I really look forward to the broader conversation of where we go from here Thank you I'm going to ask you to address the the challenges of institutionalizing this Because we've seen some real progress We saw we had a secretary of state who woke up in the morning every morning and said what can I do for women's empowerment around the world 14 months from now we may not And how can we ensure that this agenda Stays firm that we don't lose the progress we've made for example in afghanistan or other places on the women's agenda Uh nice easy question Ambassador nilander is the norwegian special envoy to columbia He has a remarkable background in terms of serving as a A judge in the district court, you know if norway A lawyer in the private sector. He's a real estate and communications technology expert What haven't you done in your life? It's pretty amazing And he is now overseeing on behalf of of norway What promises to be one of the singular achievements in peacemaking in our time ending A civil war that has lasted literally literally a half a century And if you read the newspapers there is success every single day in this agenda And so what i'd like you to reflect on is how did gender Enter into the process What special considerations do you have to incorporate women? And how to make sure that they are still involved as we move to the implementation process of any peace agreement you reach Again a very easy question Thank you very much That's a very kind reading of the columbian peace process We don't have successes Every day or every week or every every month, but it's true that it is advancing positively And it's moving in the right direction Um norway has been a facilitator in the columbian peace process since its start in 2012 So this is a peace process which is going on between the columbian government and The left-wing guerrilla the fark e p And the armed conflict in columbia of course has lasted for more than five Decades it has had serious humanitarian consequences with terrible suffering for the local population And these peace talks these are not the first peace talks in columbia between the government and the fark, but they really provide the best opportunity to Reunite a society torn apart by conflict The peace process is now in its final stage Both parties have said that they want to reach a Final peace agreement before the 23rd of march 2016 We are taking them on their words. They are motivated. They have said this publicly So this is a peace process which is really entering its final stage As we've heard previously today Fifteen years after the adoption of security council resolution 1325 women are still severely underrepresented in official peace processes Inclusion of women in peace processes is of course not only the right thing to do from An equality perspective It's also the intelligent thing to do When you include women you have Better Peace accords You increase the possibilities of reaching a negotiated solution You have as we've heard Better chance of having that peace agreement being implemented And as we all also have heard earlier today You increase the chances of having a peace agreement that will That will be implemented and respected over time At the very start of the confidential peace talks in columbia There were women present in each of the two Delegations these were Secret peace talks that was going on in havanna in the first part of 2012. There were women in in both delegations very positive The framework agreement that the two parties managed to hammer out Took them about six months Does not have any reference to the gender issue or 1325 And during the peace process We have seen clearly that both parties have showed an increasing awareness of the gender perspective And a growing Realization of the importance that it has for the legitimacy of the peace process When we speak to What should I say reluctant parties in peace processes not necessarily the columbian The first reaction you sometimes get is denial one. Why is this important? And then they might get to the understanding that this is important because other people thinks it It is important Women's group thinks it is important the international community think this is important. So we need to Put some effort into this issue That's positive in itself And then the last stage I would say is when the parties understand that this is important Not only because it's right, but because it works it really works and it produces a better end result So one reason for the for the Understanding of the two parties in the columbian peace process of the importance of gender issues Is the mobilization of women in columbia and The big majority of civil society organizations in columbia are led by women Um, so this was an important, uh, uh factor um in 2013 a Summit was organized on the initiative of these women's groups um And 500 women from all over columbia took part and They did this to promote the participation of women in Peace building and importantly to provide Inputs to the peace process that was going on in Havana cuba at that time So pressure from civil society has been very important Um, but the parties have also themselves recognized that Uh inclusion of women is important for the legitimacy of the process Uh, both within columbia and internationally and increasing increasingly they have understood that Inclusion and putting the gender issue on the table is important for the end result um In mid mid last year, uh, the parties established a gender commission um Which is working alongside with the peace table in columbia um basically to Make sure that the peace accords includes the voices of women and to review the previously negotiated texts and to Make sure that the gender perspective was taken into into consideration And that this is really historic. This is the first time in any peace process where such a Gender commission has been created and where Both parties are represented in the in the commission So this is uh Historic it's exceptional. It's the first time And this gender commission Did invite several delegations of columbian women to columbia um to havana And this direct participation of victims And women women not only as victims, but women as victims, but also as peace builders It has had a very important impact on the table Where the women have shared their experience of how the armed conflict has affected them and where they have also brought concrete proposals to the peace table and these women these Delegations that were traveling from columbia to havana cuba to meet with the delegations. They not only meet with the gender commission They met with the heads of delegations and this is important that the heads of delegations the leaders of the two sides uh show their commitment to This issue And it really showed that the heads of delegations Take this issue seriously The mandate for a truth commission which was agreed in june of last year Is one concrete result of The gender commission and the focus on gender issues And the mandate of that truth commission states that a gender perspective should be fully integrated into the work of the commission And there will be I think this this is also a first time Established a special working group within the truth commission That will make sure that The gender issue is taken care of of throughout the work of the truth commission, which was probably Last for between three and five years with the agreement on the establishment of a special jurisdiction for peace Just a couple of weeks back Um It was made clear by both parties that there would be no amnesties for And no and no impunities no amnesties and no impunities for sexual violence The colombians with this special jurisdictions are On their way to establishing their own mechanism for transitional justice It will be a transformative mechanism Transformative justice as Elizabeth was mentioning in her intervention It will not only deal with the past, but it will also focus on the future transforming The colombian society for the future And in this way, they are seeking Not they are seeking to prevent history from repeating itself And to put an end to mass violations of human rights including sexual crimes. So this is a huge step forward for colombia and I think for The colombian peace process and for international human rights and international criminal Thank you. That's excellent summary. I I did want to ask I recently wrote an article proposing that the international community Refuse to support any peace process That doesn't have 30 percent women's participation Not just because it's the right thing to do but because we don't want to waste our resources Supporting a peace process that will not succeed almost by definition It sounds like you have moved beyond just participation to effective participation Because quotas we all know are not enough you can have people in the room, but unless they're empowered So I'd like to in the second round you to address how did you Or the colombians or anybody empowered these women to play the role that You're indicating they are Now I'd like to ask elizabeth to To comment on anything. She's just heard. I have Tremendous respect for for elizabeth We were serving on the civil society advisory group to bankey moon together And she was the voice of reason The voice of practicality on the ground and yes, she was grandmother lee towards the rest of us But in addition if you have not read Women war and peace from 2002 Please do it is fresh. I read it Over the last week in preparation for this panel again It not only focuses on the big issues But it presents case studies of how War can affect health issues education issues housing Displacement it is a living breathing document and you deserve great credit for that Thank you, don't it's It has always been good to work with you and you are kind and nice That's not everybody in the world That you can say that about just a few comments Excellent presentation so interesting. I when I listen to to to Fleming and and to Anna. I thought of these that it's very important to point out to That we must Make sure that we have much more women as officers in the peacekeeping forces and also In the police civilian police Serving outside because women have Though other possibilities to meet with women in Many of the conflict areas where it's not easy for men to to just reach them And Anna you said about this new study global study and I'm very pleased that I had a little finger with that too because even if it's not As handy as ellens and mine was but these almost 400 pages 400 I really recommend that you have it as some kind of information Because it's really a good it's a good study and Thank you for also admitting it carla. I am so pleased to welcome you in this nordic family Uh, you were there in the nordic family already when they had the preparations And we should have a video conference together, but something with the techniques were broken So we didn't get the touch with with your side of this But you said something very important. You said many important things, but this with the work Continuing where it's not the flashing news that you are just on the front page that we have to I'm quite disturbed by the fact I was yesterday talking at the panel about the date on peace accords 20 years ago soon and when When they are new We have rwanda. We had bosnia Where as the flashing new news then it was afghanistan and iraq and and Arab spring and now syria and then we forget and we leave Those they are not in our attention anymore The others who absolutely need to be also looked at and like with the datum I am sometimes thinking that if 1325 would have existed then It could have perhaps been helpful for the women of srebrenica And then my congratulations to my nordic brother to norway for this colombia Peace peace negotiations and your Efforts in that because you know that in the global study we have pages about this because that is really Showing that women are needed in the peace negotiations and they can make a difference So it's really fine Let the floor to others. Thank you So if we could just take a couple of minutes and address the issue that I raised or if you don't want to address that issue Anything else that you want to comment on Sure. Um, the first thing you asked for was, um, how do you ensure the security of these people? It's easy when you're there when you're on the ground when you get troops in the area. It's easy But as long as you move away from the area These people get attacked not by taliban or hakani or any others They get attacked by their families So really there is no way you can actually assure their 100 security So all you can do is hope for the best and when you're there Apply a little bit of conditionality when these people stay alive. We will continue to fund you And surprisingly they stay alive I know it's not very nice to say this way, but there's a saying. I think it's american word money talks and bs walks And and that's the only language I've learned that people in russia In basnia in kosovo In pakistan in afghanistan understand conditionality if you apply conditionality it works We had a big issue with the female officers being integrated in the afghan army and the police They were being sexually abused. They were being harassed. They were giving shitty food and shitty quarters And uh, my dear colleagues from norway were actually funding a great part of that program So as for the first time conditionality was applied to the afghans You will not get these 50 million dollars unless these conditions are improved. And you know what? it worked But when we tried to do that with other governments and other programs It never really succeeded never took off the ground But conditionality is one way to assure the things actually do take place and happen It's always a pleasure to work with females because they're so dedicated And I really want to do and make a difference And they do I don't know what drives them But it's not money because I did never bring any money around to anything I only brought sweet talk motivating And they ate it all and they actually went out there and did the job I'm sorry to say many of the words I worked with are dead Elizabeth said we need more female officers in the police and the army. It's true But it cannot save them all we had female police officers We had female officers on the ground in helment training police and military And even when I was there they got killed Not by Taliban and not by local thugs But by their cousins and brothers because they didn't want them to be a part Of a working society. They should be back in their houses Tending the kids and locked up So there's no way you can guarantee it, but we try our best and even we train these Excellent females Excellent police officers. They're really good at their job But it's so much against the culture The religious belief in helment That the families will not allow them to do a good honest job But still they keep on coming and we do whatever we can to protect them But if I'm not there with my gun all the time, I can't do that Captain, there's a new disney movie that's about to come out about what would have happened if the Meteor that hit the united state the hit the world and killed all the dinosaurs had missed I sometimes think that it missed a number of the ministries of defense around the world How do you deal with that challenge of people who just don't get it? Yeah How do you combat dinosaurs? That's a good question I would like to to Go back to Maybe 10 11 years ago, there were some Very clever people at the headquarters and because we had By then we were working with gender equality within the HR in the personnel staff But then they realized okay in order to to really Make this work to to to To integrate and to have any success basically we need to get into the core business of the armed forces, which is operations And thanks to some strong individuals and leadership because leadership is crucial And they managed to get a gender advisor into the chief of operations staff So I would say You need leadership It's it's the one thing because you can be the best gender advisor in the world But if if you're a commander does not allow you to work. It doesn't matter You have no results so There were some some strong leaders and strong individuals and That's where it all started and With With strong leaders you you can also make Gender mainstreaming work. Basically each individual has to do gender in his or her daily work because We have one gender advisor We have appointed gender focal points and so on but In order to really get things done everybody needs to to work with this and Do what they can in their in their positions, so to say and for that to to really Succeed We need the commander to to put this as a priority. He needs to say this is important Uh, I prioritize this and we will work with this and then This is how we go about Thank you Carly it's not as fun to institutionalize something as to Invent it but it's equally important Yeah, I think um in some ways it's more important, but uh the It can be fun because when you hear about people from around a big global organization coming back and saying how they're doing things differently or how they have greater receptivity you feel a real sense of reward. I think that there are two Key components that will We hope make this stick one is the institutional frame. We were fortunate in putting forward a national action plan In conjunction with a new gender policy a new counter trafficking in persons policy A new program for children in adversity A new gender-based violence national strategy those building blocks because they were complementary and synergistic Are self-reinforcing What we've done subsequently to that to creating that frame is put money behind it create operational and talent related incentives put it in performance evaluations for The folks who are working around the world Embedded it in our regulations for operations embedded in contracts that extend out for five seven years into the future and we're Trying to build the skills and train our workforce So that they know how to move the agenda forward while we create a learning environment that says This made a difference in in place x and now we're going to refine the approach And use it in this other location So that we get better and better at doing this and so that the results from those investments are evident And quantifiable and demonstrate that the commitment to this agenda is creating a virtuous cycle So that's one key set of components that I think helps make it stick on the other side and and perhaps as important or or more important and I think As evidenced by the discussions around the colombian peace process Is that we really need to elevate the voices of women on the ground as an intimate part of The conversations and the work that we do around this because at the end of the day they're the ones that are going to help hold us all accountable And sustain the commitment to this agenda Whether it's for women's voices and peace processes or whether it's for dealing with women's priorities and needs before during and after those processes and that's about Honing their advocacy capacity But more importantly than honing anything they do because they're already doing tremendous work In every conflict environment you can imagine around the world It's about helping increase their visibility. It's about elevating their networks It's about linking them to those in positions of authority and helping them get into positions of authority Because at the end of the day, they're the ones that are going to make change that sticks and our job is to facilitate that process One of the quotes that I've heard quite frequently at AID is nothing about them without them And I think that typifies what you're saying Ambassador, how do you make sure women are actually effective in peace negotiations post-conflict reconstruction? Well, I I think it wasn't really a question of empowering in this particular case Empowering the women in the two peace delegations in Havana. They were Pretty powerful at the outset And they were supported by The focus from columbian women's organizations The voices on the ground And we along with the rest of you have of course supported Women's organizations civil society in columbia and other conflict countries over years. So that's one very important aspect The other thing we did to raise awareness was to help Bring in experts on these issues to Havana to the parties both to the FARC and to the government and to the table itself That helped raise the awareness representatives of the Of the United Nations SRSG on violence and sexual conflict for example traveled to to Havana and spoke to the parties that helped raise awareness We have a Special focus on this issue in Oslo in our columbia team Hilda Salvesen who's present here today is Focusing particularly on this issue travels to Havana each round talks to the parties helps to maintain Helps to secure to maintain this this issue on the on the agenda um, so I think those are the couple of examples of how we have worked to to to Not to empower the women at the table, but to help Put right put this agenda on the table and raise awareness on this issue also among the other other delegates For the two delegations Well, thank you and thank you for the reminder that use even of the word empowerment is really paternalistic and so Thanks for catching me on that one We've got about 25 minutes for some questions And we're going to take them in groups of three And if we don't have people coming to the mics, I'm going to pick out people to Speak so Please make your way Please just raise your hand Okay, we've got Vivian down here One of the great advocates for this agenda in the world Thank you Please go ahead Thank you very much My name is Vivian Lowry Derek And I have this little NGO the bridges institute, but I'm Absolutely committed To 1325 and women's equality I want to thank you each and every one for these extraordinary presentations My question is About women in the military you've talked about the importance of the support of senior leadership My question goes to the rank and file soldiers Wondering is it important that They believe In the integration of women that it's important for them and it's in their best interest in their self interest to see a military that is More competent and that that that includes absolutely everyone and if this is the case Then are there any special strategies that you have used? Are there incentives that you can give to Rank and file so that they see the importance ultimately of gender integration. Thank you very question Please Thank you My name is Eva Coladner. I work with global fund for women We for the last 30 years have funded grassroots women-led organizations on the ground around the world And we work to advocate and raise the voices of women activists and women's movements around the world So thank you Carla particularly for Raising the issue of involving women in civil society in peace processes But I wonder if each of you could speak a little bit further About how you involve women's rights activists on the ground in every country you've mentioned Afghanistan, Bosnia, Colombia There are incredible activists in the women's rights communities and women's human rights defenders Who should be at all of these tables and I'd love to hear just a little bit more in depth about how you actively Bring those extremely strong as you've just said already empowered women, but into those Places where they can participate more actively in driving peace processes. Thanks. That's great. Thank you Up there and then You'll be part of the second round My name is Faith Bradley Study public policy have a PhD in public policy, but I'm curious to know Why have an officer in some region? Can be because of their deaths like in Afghanistan But similar country that is close to it like Pakistan or maybe UAE or georgia They were able to implement it. So my question is Were is there is a way to kind of like implement similar Model of these country in two country that resists woman Working in these fields So we have questions about integration of women into the armed forces Whether there are good models out there to do that. How do you persuade the grunts? That it's important and then on the flip side. How do you involve women activists in their own countries and ensure that their voices are heard so Who would like to please according to the Danish national action plan relating to 1325 It is said specifically that the police and the military should integrate a lot more people Of the opposite gender than mine into the armed forces and the police forces. It is a strict goal The army has for a long time have a goal to increase. It's a little bit difficult in the army I don't know why maybe because it's a harsh work. You break your nails and stuff like that It initially starts out. Well, we get recruiting a lot of young women I mean really a lot, but after these initial three to six months they tend to disappear It's a little bit easier in the air force and the navy Maybe because of the nature of the work. I don't know but that's the way it's been like We've been having women in my army since 1972, but we never really Got above the seven percent in the army But when we deploy We use females in our combat troops. There are no limitations to what they can do And let me tell you a good a good story We have what we call the lifeguard. These are a tall man taller than me usually They were deployed to Afghanistan, but one of their nco's the sergeant was about 156 centimeters high and she was the leader of these tall men The reason why I remember it because they they forgot to order a fry glass fur So I had to make a special order for that But this little girl was actually fighting in the in the helmet in the green zone with these big guys And she was doing a tremendous job So they can do it and has been proven over and over again. They can do it But I still don't get it It's very difficult to get female to stay in the army and specifically to become officers When they do we make very good use of them I mean they have been driving our prts our female projects in simic All over Afghanistan the same with the police But the number of females is still too low to actually move all over the place And if I take this, I like to use the paintbrush if I take a paintbrush and take out the world map And take it from Nigeria across northern Africa across across middle east and way into asia There you'll find issues where we need women to get in contact with other women And if we do not have the women we will not have the same dialogue We will not get off the ground once we are off the ground We can start working and talking to the females no problems as long as you don't get too close So we definitely need to get off the ground and get more females So we can deploy them into our missions And we've been working this problem This task for many many years And we're still working it and we are being pushed and whipped all the time But you can bring a horse to the thrower, but you cannot force it to drink Maybe our incentives are not good enough. I don't know but the nature of the work is maybe in the army what Keeps a lot of young women away. I don't know We try in a way and When we succeed we have very good results And what was the other question? That's fine. Okay, we can have it if people address By the way for americans 156 centimeters and five foot one I just just did the math so Elizabeth Just a few words about the national election plans That is a way to really find a way for for those women groups and If it's working well and there of course you have to press your Your governments that they should create this because when they are ideal They are a creation of a cooperation with NGOs Different groups and different ministries administration and Sitting together looking at what should really be the outcome of a national action plan I know that you have done in United States when we have talked about that Others are already in the third version updating so that they are fulfilling the new demands But when it's ideal then it should also be looked into That are the different ministries fulfilling their obligations Is this working? But that's something you can start with to to be in the club Say Yes, I would like to address the first question and For for the swedish armed forces. It is important That all throughout all ranks that they have understanding and that they Comply with this it's it's based on our legislation. You're not to discriminate anybody on their gender sexual orientation religious affiliation and so on And those values are reflected Within the armed forces and it's also strengthened in our code of conduct. So it's absolutely very important And because if you don't Adhert to that you you're not welcome in the armed forces basically And I would also like to address what the Brigadier said I do not agree that Broken nails would be the reason for women not to stay I would say that there are Structures Norms I don't know identities it's it's things that we are working on this very hard I mean It's we still have challenges with just basic things like material personal equipment and so on but I don't believe this is the Biggest obstacle it's it's something that you can't see basically we we are we're struggling with these patriarchal norms if you say and Yeah, I'll stop there. Yeah So Let me push back just a little bit as well in response to Vivian's question because in the u.s. Military we found incorporation of african-americans To be a lot easier than anyone expected in the military as opposed to society We have seen movement on the lgbt community now And you know, we all thought that don't ask don't tell was for for the rest of All time and now we're seeing you know openly serving generals in the military I think there is something about The gender component however that's been slower And I don't really get it so maybe you can Reflect on that either of you. I'll just make a I thought come to my mind actually in one of the Issues that we're trying and struggling to get female to stay in the military Now we have a listen to what our Norwegian friend has been doing for years when you get conscripts or Initial soldiers joining the army Usually they were segregated men's component women's compartments. Now they are joined together So they sleep in the same room Whether it's going to work or not. I don't know but so far we've got very positive feedbacks on that so I've been in units where we've been trying to actually Nourish and trying to do whatever it takes to keep women in when I was young I actually had more than 50 women in my first unit and I kept them Throughout my tenure, but it takes a lot of effort To adapt to a lot of issues and as you said, there are dinosaurs in the chain of command who don't like women in the military for sure there are and Before they understand it before they get it and it goes all the way to the top I'm not sure we're gonna get to those 10 15 percent in the army that we're supposed to And did you want to pick up again or No, I think what you're saying is is very important about because we we we have done that throughout We have we used to have conscription and it ended in 2010, but military service was open for women since 1984 and all positions since 1989 and they have always been Serving together with the men It's I think it's important for to be integrated in in in the group because if you're one woman in a Rifle company, you don't want to live somewhere else You want to be with your group, right? Yeah I just want to add one thing to to this conversation. I was working with the norwegian force commanders in liberia and president Ellen johnson surly fit set a target for recruitment of women into the new armed forces and they weren't meeting the target and we sat down and there was a tremendous commitment by the norwegians to try to move this forward And we said well they said well people aren't showing up to recruitment and then we realized that Women weren't showing up. Well, actually they were showing up They were just being cut in law in front of by men in line So they never got to the front of the line so they set up different days for recruiting and then they set up different tables for recruiting and so they Got a few more women, but then women who had been disadvantaged in education didn't meet the high school Diploma requirements so the women were being cut out there. So then they set up a Graduate equivalency diploma program for the women and they tried to educate them And they found that that got a few more women in but they that was a look down on the ged Was looked down on relative to a degree so not that many women were coming And then they finally started to see a few more women coming and they realized they had no policies for women No maternity leave. No illness policies. No uniforms for women. No restrooms for women. No housing for women And you peel back the onion and you realize that it's a lot more difficult and there are many more issues embedded So I say that just to say there can be all kinds of things that you don't think of initially That impede progress towards this agenda. The other one I was going to answer was a civil society question So I really appreciate the question and I and I think it's incredibly important I don't think there's a one-size-fits-all answer I think it really depends on What it is you're trying to bring women into The approach will vary in cases like formal negotiations. You simply need to have a mediator or a convener who is If not ordering then really insisting in continuing to ask the question and write kinds of questions and and encouraging that to take place Because you can have agitation and advocacy by 500 women on the grassroots But if nobody's listening or responding you're not going to get that responsiveness For us you can convene groups on on the ground and you have to make sure once again that you're Putting your converse that you're advertising in the right ways You're holding meetings at times when women are available You're holding sessions in places that women feel comfortable going to and then you'll start to get those women's groups If you're talking about how you contract with women There's a real need to build the capacity of women's organizations to do the accounting and the proposal writing Because what we find is often the women's organizations are very powerful But they lack some of that back office capacity because they're either less funded or they're smaller and more nascent organizations So depending on your approach the needs will vary And I think the more that you think about where there are those gaps Whether it's networks then mandate that 50 percent of anybody invited to A party and important gatherings and conferences are women and you start to construct those networks And then they start to be invited regularly and by tailoring your tactics you get a lot more progress And carlo truly knows of what she speaks. She was the executive director for Women Waging Peace and Inclusive Security, which has set up a global network of women's peace builders courageous group of people Ambassador you get I think the last comment if you want it But just one quick comment regarding civil society and how to involve women's organizations in in peace processes I agree that someone sort of needs to pick up on the interest and the activism on the ground Someone needs to come in and finance national gatherings Someone needs to come in and fly people to the where the parties are etc. So someone needs to do that. That's Absolutely true True I I tend to find Many times that at least In my experience that we we focus a lot on on the procedural issues when we talk about gender issues and we often we forgot that there is a substantive part to this as well and for example in the columbian peace process we talk about Women's participation in different mechanisms at the table recounting heads etc etc And we tend to forget that this is about the substantive issue And we tend to forget that the point of all this is to not to count heads or include women in some mechanism in some process the point is to Make a better end result have a better process in in To get a better end result and to To transform society make a better better society and a more Equal society and that's really the substantive part of this. So We need to I think we need to continue counting heads, but sometimes the counting of heads sort of takes the headlines and I think Yeah, that's probably counterproductive once in a while I apologize to the last Questioner We're gonna have to end here. I did want to ask if anybody had one last sentence that they need to say Please One of the questions I usually get when we do this kind of sessions is What's the use? How do we get off the ground? and How we get off this ground is better being better prepared than we have been When we deploy to missions, we don't focus on anything else, but the military mission There's a whole variety of organizations international organizations non-government organizations un world bank you name it If we do not set up Sort of the code of conduct And try to coordinate what we're going to do when we get into a mission We waste a lot of ammunition we waste a lot of Good good efforts because everybody's trying to do what is good for everybody Instead of competing. Why don't we share? I mean if we are shared in iraq if we shared in afghanistan We would have got a lot lot longer than we have so far So what i'm trying to tell my superiors all the way up into the nature chain is Get started set up these organizations so we can coordinate it on beforehand So next time we have to do a mission somewhere We know exactly what we want to do to combat the corruption And how we're going to integrate women into the peace process and how we're going to build a society and institutions Simultaneously as we fight the war so we don't have to find out and figure out what to do once the enemy is beaten This is the lesson strand from all the missions i've been to And still we haven't lifted it off the ground yet There's a lot of fighting going on between organizations in the field But if we can just sit down and talk together as we would like the two components in a war to do We will get a lot further in the future. Thank you Elizabeth you've got the last word That's nice I want to remind you all that when we talk about women's participation It is not the limitation to gender issues Women's issues it is a capacity women as well as men In economy in security in whatever building roads So that don't just push us only to Think about the gender women issues when we participate. Thank you So i'd like to Invite Kathleen here and just a couple of sentences if i could Picking up on on elizabeth's point Kathleen has really been in the forefront of involving men in this agenda as well and it is important to Bring along the partners the advocates And to to welcome The supporters i often feel i'm part of the men's auxiliary of women's waging peace i also Am abusing her time and i've got to be careful because she was my editor For a chapter in women and war and if you read Elizabeth's book you also have to read this book because it's a great compendium about Power and protection in the 21st century for women Please Thank you so much don and this distinguished panel and i'm going to ask all of you to hold your applause for a minute Because there are a few others that i want to thank here As you well know that something like this kind of event can't go on without Special people at the embassies and so i just want to say thank you rena, anki, elinger, Siegbjorn, and helena for even my abuse of how i pronounce your names But it has been a great joy to work with you and for your teams and volunteers To our usip staff who connected all the moving parts and to our own daniel robertson Who has kept all the moving parts working together, which is no small feat with five embassies And thank you all i want to take a special moment to thank the swedish and finnish embassy Who are now welcome you to a reception to follow This is a wonderful opportunity to get to know one another Please walk out of here with at least two or three more contacts And finally i want to recognize two of our usip grantees who are joining us today from iraq Who are working on an emergency national action plan on women peace and security Please welcome them during the reception susan aref and lisa hido Again, thank you all for joining us today and celebrating This event Oh, and i see my colleague up here ambassador steve steiner part of the men peace and security And i want to thank our own bill taylor for his dedication to this effort Please join me in thanking all of these people and especially The reception you'll find is up that direction the reception is in the international women's common