Expanding Participation of Women in Peace Processes

The Peacebuilding & Development Institute is offering an exciting and dynamic course called Expanding Participation of Women in Peace Processes as a part of our Summer Professional Training Program in June at American University in Washington, DC. We are so excited about this course! The instructors are brilliant and have a wealth of experience working with women in conflict and post-conflict environments. Practitioners, professionals, students, and scholars will have the opportunity to network and share experiences with one another in an interactive setting while they build their skills sets, resumes, and research contacts.

*Some Details:

Dates: June 9 - 13, 2008 9:00am - 5:00pm

Location: American University, Washington, DC
Instructors: Miki Jacevic & Evelyn Thornton

Take a look at the Course Description: This course will introduce participants to "inclusive security," a framework for creating sustainable peace and security. Given changes in the nature of modern conflicts, conflict resolution and transformation efforts require increased participation of all stakeholders, particularly women. Through interactive role plays, small group work, case study analysis and use of visual media, participants will explore the critical role and specific contributions of women in peace processes. Specifically, the course will provide participants with concrete skills to engage women in several key components of peacebuilding including negotiations, disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) structures, and transitional justice mechanisms.

*Who will participate in the Women in Peace Processes course?
Some of the brilliant potential participants include:
Samia, Program Coordinator, Sudanese Organization for Development and Eradication of Povery, Sudan
Naeem, Water Sanitation Officer, Pakistan
Elie, Administrative Officer, MONUC (United Nations Organization Mission to the DR Congo)
Diane, Policy Analyst and Gender Focal Point, United Nations Development Programme - Democratic Governance Group, Belgium
Rabindra, President, Human Rights and Peace Foundation, Nepal
Jebbah, Women and Gender Desk, Liberia Democracy Watch

plus two dozen more practitioners and SIS students!

*About the Instructors:
Mirsad “Miki” Jacevic is deputy director for partnerships and consultations at the Initiative for Inclusive Security. He has worked with the organization since its inception in 1999, originally serving as the liaison between members of Women Waging Peace, a network of women peacemakers from conflict areas around the world. In his current capacity, he oversees Inclusive Security’s partnerships with various policy institutions, as well as strategic consultations with leaders from conflict areas around the globe to help them remain focused on promoting women’s inclusion in all stages of the peace process. He has led efforts to include mechanisms in international policy to ensure that women are able to participate in efforts to prevent and resolve conflicts and have a role in post-conflict reconstruction. Inclusive Security encourages the implementation of these international commitments by brokering relationships between policy shapers and an extensive network of women peace builders, thus broadening the base of support for the vital role women play in promoting security.
Mr. Jacevic is a human rights activist and peace program specialist from Sarajevo, Bosnia Herzegovina. During the war, he was involved in numerous projects to ease the suffering of youth and the elderly. Prior to joining The Initiative for Inclusive Security, he directed the Emerging Leaders Project at the State of the World Forum and managed child-soldiers reintegration efforts at Search for Common Ground. He holds a Master of Science degree in Conflict Analysis and Resolution and teaches in the Conflict Transformation Across Cultures Program at the School for International Training in Brattleboro. Mr. Jacevic is married to Guatemalan human rights activist Eva Morales, and they live with their two children in the Washington, DC area.

Evelyn Thornton is the policy officer and administration manager for The Initiative for Inclusive Security, a program of Hunt Alternatives Fund. The Initiative advocates for the full participation of all stakeholders, particularly women, in formal and informal peace processes around the world. Her work at Inclusive Security has focused extensively on conflict resolution efforts in Sudan. Evelyn co-facilitated a trip to Darfur to assess the Darfur Peace Agreement with Refugees International in 2006 and has since participated in several missions to Khartoum to consult with and train women leaders. She also manages the Initiative’s strategic partnerships, resource allocation, strategic planning, and performance monitoring.

Prior to joining the Initiative, Evelyn served as a program associate for the Foundation for Universal Responsibility for His Holiness The Dalai Lama in New Delhi, India where she worked closely with its flagship program, Women In Security, Conflict Management, and Peace.Evelyn received her B.A. in International Studies from Virginia Tech and is pursuing a M.A. in conflict resolution at Georgetown University. She has traveled, lived, and worked in South America, Europe, and South Asia, and published writings about her experiences.

For more information about the Peacebuilding & Development Institute, the Summer Professional Training Program, or the Expanding Participation of Women in Peace Processes course, please visit http://www.american.edu/sis/peacebuilding.htm or contact PDI at pcrinst@american.edu.