Meeting with women activists from across the Middle East, North Africa and Asia, The Lotus Flower was honoured to take part in the latest Women in Conflict Fellowship 1325 in Edinburgh.
The seven-day fellowship, which aims to involve more women in global peace processes, is led by Beyond Borders Scotland and promotes greater cultural exchange between nations.
During December’s event, The Lotus Flower founder Taban Shoresh joined a host of other women from conflict-afflicted countries to learn more about conflict resolution, mediation, reconciliation and constitution-building. Many of these learnings will be instrumental in shaping future Lotus Flower projects that fall under the charity’s peace-building pillar.
The fellowship included a visit to Scottish Parliament, where meetings were held with Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland and leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), as well as former Northern Ireland politician Monica McWilliams and Mark Muller Stuart QC, founder of Beyond Borders Scotland.
Based around the principles of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, the fellowship “reaffirms the role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflict, peace negotiations, peace-building, peacekeeping, humanitarian response and in post-conflict reconstruction, and stresses the importance of their equal participation in all efforts for the promotion of peace and security.”
With an emphasis on inclusivity and sustainable conflict resolution, each of the female fellows come from diverse backgrounds, working in gender equality, women’s empowerment, humanitarian assistance, international and human rights law, politics, medicine, education and psychology.