Why Women, Peace and Security?
From the beginning we have been painfully aware of the implications of exclusion for violence and its prevention, on development and its access, for human rights and our failure to uphold them with a strong and even hand. While not all of those excluded persons are women, the gendered implications of such discrimination remain profound.
This includes implications for the security sector, which is much broader in scope than military and policing. Through our WPS investments, we have sought to affirm security in its broadest contexts as well as to ensure that diverse women have a place at every table where peace and security policy is being discussed. While our collective successes under this heading remain incomplete, we have been pleased to collaborate with women’s groups over time including WILPF/Reaching Critical Will and Women in International Security.
We have also invested heavily in bringing young women from around the world to New York to participate in important UN events where they can make their own decisions regarding prospects for policies which can positively impact the communities of their greatest concern. For us, WPS was never an afterthought but a portal through which we could contribute to women’s leadership potential and the development and sustainability of women-led NGOs.