Women and Armed Violence: Peace and Gender Equality

Gender equality is a prerequisite for reducing the global burden of violence and achieving peaceful and inclusive societies. 20 years after the Beijing Declaration and the Platform for action, advancing the role of women in the reduction and prevention of violence – in conflict and non-conflict settings – continues to be a priority for discussion in both academic and practitioner circles.

In collaboration with TERRE DES FEMMES Switzerland and the Graduate Institute’s Programme on Gender and Global Change (PGGC), the Small Arms Survey is glad to invite you to attend a public panel discussion featuring Ms. Irene Morada Santiago, from the Philippines, on 1 June 2015.

A former Nobel Peace Prize nominee and recipient of the 2013 N-Peace Award, Ms. Santiago has had a long career fighting for the inclusion of women in conflict prevention and mediation. Most notably in 1995, she served as Secretary General of the successful NGO World Conference on Women in Beijing. From 2001 - 2004 she was part of the delegation of the Philippines during the peace negotiations with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). In this role she was one of the few women who were included and actively participated in formal peace negotiations.

Opening Notes:

• Ambassador Alexandre Fasel, Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the United Nations Office and other International Organizations in Geneva

Ms. Santiago will then talk about her extensive experience with a panel of experts, including:

• Patricia Schulz, Expert on the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) Committee
• Rahel Kunz, Lecturer at the University of Lausanne and Research Associate at the Graduate Institute's Programme on Gender and Global Change (PGGC)
• Mihaela Racovita, Associate Researcher, Small Arms Survey

Moderator:

• Luigi De Martino, Coordinator of the Secretariat of the Geneva Declaration on Armed Violence and Development