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LKI was honoured to have Hon. Mobina S.B. Jaffer, Canadian Senator for the province of British Columbia, speak at a foreign policy round table on ‘Women, Peacebuilding and Resolution 1325.’

The discussion was chaired by Dr. Radhika Coomaraswamy, former UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women, and the lead author of the Global Study on UNSC Resolution 1325.

Senator Jaffer emphasised that greater female representation in peace processes is essential to ensuring sustainable peace, and shared her experiences  – both sobering and encouraging –  as Canada’s Special Envoy for Peace in Sudan. Dr. Coomaraswamy’s remarks highlighted important issues of women’s participation in peace processes, the prevention of sexual violence, and adapting Resolution 1325 to the changing dynamics of conflict.

The foreign policy round table was attended by experts in the field of women’s rights, representatives of international organisations including International Alert, UNESCO and the United Nations Population Fund, and governmental bodies such as the Office of National Unity and Reconciliation and the Secretariat for Coordinating Mechanisms on Reconciliation.

The participants discussed increasing leadership roles for women, securing evidence-based data on incidences of sexual and gender-based violence, promoting information on reconciliation across the country, and addressing the needs of women who are most vulnerable and under-represented in Sri Lanka.

Many thanks to the High Commission of Canada in Sri Lanka for their assistance in facilitating this enlightening discussion.

 

Photos: Fluke, by Ruvin de Silva