We attend Women, Peace & Security conference in the Hague with Cordaid

Our CEO Taban and Regional Director Vian were delighted to join a delegation of women human rights activists for a conference on Women, Peace & Security (WPS) in The Hague recently.

They were part of an advocacy group led by our long-term partners Cordaid through its ‘Women Voices First’ programme.

During the week-long event, Taban and Vian contributed to some useful sessions with other women and youth delegates from civil society, women-led organisations and NGOs, Dutch parliamentarians and policy decision-maker, all committed to advancing the WPS agenda.

Talking points included the intersections between poverty, women’s socio-economic empowerment, post-conflict recovery and peacebuilding efforts in fragile countries, and we were able to provide our unique on-the-ground perspectives and emphasise the importance of partnerships for locally-led development.

With political and regional conflicts continuing in Iraq, civil society and women rights organisations like ours face considerable challenges in advancing peace and security efforts and human rights work.  

The aim of the conference was for key stakeholders to be able to discuss current geopolitical and security matters, while exploring the implications on civic participation.

Women Voices First is funded under the British National Action Plan 1325 and the Conflict Stability and Security Fund (CSSF), and is implemented by Cordaid, in collaboration with organisations such as the Lotus Flower. Its primary objective is to enhance the representation of women in peacebuilding and governance processes across Iraq and Kurdistan, with an emphasis on localised support.

We’re so pleased to be at the forefront of these crucial discussions…