Posts tagged ‘United States Institute of Peace’
#DTDW: Power Lunch
I’m such a conference geek – I’m glowing with delight over the amazing, enlightening lunch I just had with Ambassador Steve Steiner, conference panelist Kathleen Kuehnast of USIP, USAID human trafficking expert Katherine Blakeslee, and development maven Patty Marcus, just back from Iraq.
“Training Women Facilitators in Iraq”
The U.S. Institute of Peace continues its focus on women as peacebuilders with a new training program for Iraqi women:
“In the most conflict-ridden areas of Iraq, USIP’s Network of Iraqi Facilitators (NIF) has provided conflict management training, facilitated dialogue between conflicting groups, and solved local problems, contributing significantly to efforts to bring peace and stability to Iraq. As part of the Academy’s ongoing NIF training, senior program officer Maria Jessop, Ayse Kadayifci-Orellana (from USIP’s Religion and Peacemaking Center), and Khitam Alkhaghani from the Baghdad Office traveled to Erbil in May to conduct an Advanced Dialogue Facilitation Workshop for 17 women of the NIF. The workshop’s goal was to strengthen their ability to facilitate dialogue on sensitive topics involving gender, sectarianism, and identity-based tensions between women in order to achieve greater unity and cooperation. USIP will continue supporting the NIF women as they convene dialogues of their own. ”
Read more about the Network of Iraqi Facilitators program: http://www.usip.org/node/4604
“Climate Change Adaptation and Conflict in Nigeria”
This post from sister blog SHEenergy highlights a new publication from the U.S. Institute of Peace:
“A new Special Report from USIP examines the linkages between climate change, violence, and poverty in Nigeria… The report’s conclusions have particularly important implications for women, who, according to this article, constitute 70% of Nigeria’s poor.”
Read more: http://sheenergy.wordpress.com/2011/06/12/climate-change-adaptation-and-conflict-in-nigeria/
New Publication: “Women in Religious Peacebuilding”
A new publication from tbe United States Institute of Peace draws attention to women’s roles in religious efforts at building peace. According to the authors, women tend to be marginalized in formal religious conventions, but this marginalization has “freed women from institutional constraints, and behind the scenes, they have worked creatively to build peace. In addition, pathbreaking women have attained some formal recognition in religious institutions and have used it to bolster peacebuilding work.”
A key finding: “Women involved in peacebuilding tend to gravitate to efforts that entail sustained interfaith and intrafaith relationship building, approaching peace work from a holistic perspective that highlights the community. Women’s abilities to reach across lines of difference in tense environments, lead nonviolent protests, and mobilize communities, as well as their engagement with the theological aspects of gender roles in peace, holds the promise to change discourse and preconceptions about how religious organizations can be involved in peacebuilding work.”
Read more: http://www.usip.org/publications/women-in-religious-peacebuilding
Coming Soon: LIVE Coverage of TEDWomen, Dec. 7-8
The first TEDWomen conference will be held in Washington, D.C., December 7-8! According to the TED website, “the first-ever TEDWomen will invite both women and men to explore in depth: Who are the women leading change? What ideas are they championing? How are women reshaping the future?” The event will be hosted by Pat Mitchell, President and CEO of The Paley Center, and features the famous TED sessions, as well as an exclusive curator’s tour of the National Museum of Women in the Arts and a gala at the brand-new United States Institute of Peace headquarters. I’ll provide updates and highlights throughout the conference – stay tuned!
For more info on TEDWomen: Reshaping the future