The Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs at AUB has the pleasure to announce a new regional hub that aims to promote the “Women, Peace and Security” (WPS) agenda in the region. Through this hub, the Issam Fares Institute seeks to reaffirm its role as a platform for dialogue and a hub for academics, practitioners, and activists to exchange and complement their efforts in advancing new concepts in public policy.
Since the adoption of the landmark UN Security Council Resolution 1325 in October 2000, actors including governments, policy experts, and members of the civil society have pushed for the implementation of the WPS agenda in MENA. Their efforts contributed in raising the voices of women and highlighted the significance of their role in achieving sustainable peace. The Institute has been taking a leading role in recent years through its work on regional geopolitics, refugee crises, and the role of women in policy-making in the Arab world. As such, and on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of SCR 1325, this new hub will offer an opportunity for a longer-term engagement on WPS that aligns with IFI’s vision in becoming a regional hub for expertise on WPS in the MENA region.
In this context IFI started a new project entitled “Democratizing the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda” with the support of UN Women Regional Office for Arab States. This project will be a step towards endorsing a consorted effort to introduce research and innovative ideas from the MENA region and to tackle regional and global challenges addressed in the WPS Agenda.