Women, Peace and Security/NAPs

Latest News

Exchanging ideas to close the gender gap in South and South-East Asia

NEWS
March 7, 2024

Participants from across South and South-East Asia attended the Regional Workshop on Gender-Responsive Community-Oriented Policing

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First all-women crew complete NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control Force sortie

NEWS
February 19, 2024

The Women’s Initiative Team organised the mission to champion equality and inclusion

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NATO International Military Staff Office of the Gender Advisor holds fourth regional Deep Dive session

NEWS
February 6, 2024

The session discussed the Balkans and the Gender Perspective

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Foreign ministers of Indonesia and Japan discuss progress toward the WPS agenda

NEWS
January 22, 2024

The Peacebuilding Program of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation host the event "Why do we need women's perspectives? Female Foreign Ministers of Japan and Indonesia Talk"

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Women-led US ministerial delegation commits to UN gender goals

NEWS
December 13, 2023

US pledges to participate in a women's body armour pilot programme and to increased funding for women police peacekeeping training

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First Azerbaijani woman peacekeeper deployed

NEWS
December 6, 2023

Major Latifa Rustamova is being deployed as a military observer with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan

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Indonesian Peacekeeper to Receive 2023 United Nations Woman Police Officer of the Year Award

NEWS
November 15, 2023

At 27-years-old, Police First Sergeant Renita Rismayanti is the youngest recipient of the award

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Promoting Women in Law Enforcement in the Asia-Pacific

NEWS
November 13, 2023

Women are often excluded from specialised and continuous training programmes

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United States and Romania Host Fifth Capital-Level Meeting of the Women, Peace, and Security Focal Points Network

NEWS
June 8, 2023

The United States and Romania co-chair the fifth Capital-Level Meeting of the WPS-FPN in Washington, D.C. from June 6-8

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Ghanaian peacekeeper named UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year

NEWS
May 26, 2023

Captain Cecilia Erzuah named UN Military Gender Advocate of 2023 after improving community engagement and spreading awareness of GBV, first reported by UN News

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Latin American and Caribbean partners meet in Washington for WPS workshop

NEWS
May 3, 2023

A group of 63 civilian and military representatives met at the Perry Center on April 12, 2023 to discuss WPS policy-making, first reported in Dialogos Americas.

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New UK Women Peace and Security National Action Plan for 2023-2027

NEWS
March 19, 2023

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International Day of the Girl Child 2022

NEWS
October 11, 2022

Security Women celebrates female security role models on the United Nations Day of the Girl Child.

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UN Woman Police Officer of the Year 2022

NEWS
September 1, 2022

Chief Warrant Officer Alizeta Kabore Kinda of Burkina Faso has become the 12th recipient of the United Nations Award for Woman Police Officer of the Year. She is the first member of the Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) to be awarded this honour.

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Parliamentary Bill will ensure improved accountability of progress on UK’s Women Peace and Security (WPS) National Action Plan (NAP)

NEWS
August 24, 2022

A private member’s Bill, requiring annual accountability by the UK government for progress on the WPS NAP, is to be put before the UK Parliament’s House of Lords in September.

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Saudi Arabia allows women to join Border Guards

NEWS
March 31, 2022

Women in Saudi Arabia are to be allowed to join the country’s Border Guards as part of the Interior Ministry’s plan to increase the number of women in government and private sector roles.

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Removing Barriers for Women in Law Enforcement in Canada

NEWS
March 26, 2022

Superintendent Kara Triance is the first female Officer in Charge at the Kelowna Royal Canadian Mounted Police Detachment. SecurityWomen supports women like Kara and the work they do for gender diversity.

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Two Women’s Experience of UK Policing

NEWS
March 24, 2022

Sisters Torie Harrison and Georgie Watts both serve as police officers in Northamptonshire. SecurityWomen hopes that female role models like these sisters will encourage more women and girls to make a career in policing.

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Conflict in Ukraine

NEWS
March 21, 2022

The EU and North American Civil Society Women’s Alliance Caucus Statement on Ukraine: At a time when the world is facing manifold challenges including rapid climate change, health pandemics, conflict, violence against women and girls, is it not time for humanity to shake off the lethargy that prevents substantive positive change and declare it is time to stop?

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More than 100 new police officers set to join Staffordshire’s police force in coming year

NEWS
February 10, 2022

Staffordshire police force's recent recruits will include more women and people from ethnic minority backgrounds than ever before.

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UN Lebanon mission pioneers gender-sensitive peacekeeping

NEWS
February 10, 2022

The Interim Force in Lebanon will become the first peacekeeping mission to invest in gender-sensitive housing and improved working conditions.

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Women, Power and Peacebuilding: Assessing the Women Peace and Security Agenda

NEWS
July 31, 2021

In a recent interview Sanam Naraghi Anderlini, founder and CEO of the International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN) and director of the Centre for Women, Peace and Security at the London School of Economics discusses what has been accomplished by the Women Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda thus far and what more needs to be done.

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Empowering Women in Peace Operations Remains Top Priority, Says UN Peacekeeping Chief

NEWS
March 26, 2021

Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, spoke at a side event focusing on “Women Leaders in the Military”, part of the 65th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).

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Understanding Relevance of Women, Peace & Security in Arms Control & Disarmament

NEWS
December 9, 2020

What does the Women, Peace and Security Agenda have to do with arms control and disarmament?

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Namibia Launches the International Women Peace Centre

NEWS
December 2, 2020

The Government of the Republic of Namibia has repeatedly affirmed its commitments towards sustainable peace.

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Progress Toward Gender Balance in Peacekeeping in 'Peril,' Committee Told

NEWS
October 28, 2020

The United Nations' goal of getting more women to serve in peacekeeping missions in conflict zones is at risk now because of the global pandemic and an erratic approach to gender equality taken by countries before the pandemic hit, a Canadian diplomat said this week.

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Femwise-Africa Key Player in African Union's Silence the Guns Agenda

NEWS
July 29, 2019

July 29, 2019: Last week, nine precedent-setting, traditionally male-led chiefdoms in Cameroon’s North allowed women to begin presenting women’s matters to chiefs. The women can also now represent themselves, taking over from the men who did it for them.African women’s inclusion in peace processes has come about through years of efforts culminating in Femwise-Africa, a Network of African Women in Conflict Prevention and Mediation which was established and situated under the umbrella of the AU’s Panel of the Wise in July 2017. Femwise-Africa is working to help implement an ambitious Silence the Guns by 2020 agenda.

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ASPI Examines Australia's Approach to Women, Peace, and Security

NEWS
July 8, 2019

July 7, 2019: The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) has recently published a series of reports examining Australia's approach to providing roles for women in sectors affecting peace and security.

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Justin Trudeau Introduces Elsie Initiative on Women in Peace Operations

NEWS
November 22, 2017

November 22, 2017: On November 15, Justin Trudeau announced that Canada will launch the Elsie Initiative on Women in Peace Operations. Canada will work with the UN and interested member states to develop innovative approaches to overcome the barriers to women’s meaningful participation in peace operations. Canada will pilot these approaches with a small number of countries that share Canada’s ambition.

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Shaheen's Women, Peace, and Security Act Signed into Law

NEWS
October 17, 2017

On October 6, Senator Jeanne Shaheen’s (D-NH) bipartisan bill, the Women, Peace and Security Act, was signed into law by President Donald Trump. The bill bolsters the role of women in peace negotiations and conflict resolution around the world. Senator Shaheen, the only woman on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, reintroduced the bill earlier this year with Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV).

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Lack of Women in Peace-Building Processes

NEWS
June 28, 2017

January 15, 2017: Seventeen years after the United Nations passed Resolution 1325, calling for an increased role for women in...

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Saluting Women who make Peace’, WAND (Women’s Action for New Directions), 18th August 2015

NEWS
June 28, 2017

Wendy Sherman, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs in the US Government, was applauded by WAND for her part...

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Women speak out for Peace

NEWS
June 28, 2017

The International Day of Peace is on 21st September.

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Syrian Women Come Together to Fight Oppression

NEWS
June 28, 2017

October 6, 2016: The Committee of Diplomacy of Kongreya Star—a confederation of women’s organizations in Rojava, Syria...

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Concern about the Future of Gender Equality in Foreign Policy

NEWS
June 28, 2017

December 5, 2016: Independent peace and conflict studies research institution PRIO in Oslo, Norway expressed concern...

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Conferences Discuss Women's Beneficial Role in Peace and Security

NEWS
June 28, 2017

December 21, 2016: Inclusive Security's December newsletter reports on various conferences highlighting the added value of...

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UK Reports Progress on its National Action Plan for Women, Peace and Security

NEWS
June 28, 2017

December 14, 2016: The UK Department for International Development reports on progress made over the past year in delivering...

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From Global Promise to National Action

NEWS
June 28, 2017

December 21, 2016: Since 2010, conflict and displacement have increased around the globe. Today’s wars increasingly...

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NATO Takes Action Against Conflict-Related Sexual and Gender-Based Violence

NEWS
June 28, 2017

November 6, 2016: NATO’s Military Guidelines on the Prevention of, and Response to, Conflict-Related Sexual and Gender-Based...

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News Archive

The 30 × 30 initiative: Seeking to improve public safety and transform departments by advancing women in policing

NEWS
March 18, 2024

A US grassroots coalition of police leaders, researchers, police professional organizations, and policymakers

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Women’s Central Role in Transforming the French Police

NEWS
March 7, 2024

Women account for 29.4% of police officers in France

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Exchanging ideas to close the gender gap in South and South-East Asia

NEWS
March 7, 2024

Participants from across South and South-East Asia attended the Regional Workshop on Gender-Responsive Community-Oriented Policing

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South Sudan UN Peacekeeping Mission holds human rights and GBV workshop

NEWS
March 1, 2024

Teachers, women’s representatives, and the South Sudan National Police Service participated

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Liberia Names First Female Defence Minister

NEWS
February 26, 2024

Brigadier-General Geraldine George appointed shortly after women's protests

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First all-women crew complete NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control Force sortie

NEWS
February 19, 2024

The Women’s Initiative Team organised the mission to champion equality and inclusion

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Women in forensics receive training under Papua New Guinea-Australian Policing Partnership

NEWS
February 14, 2024

Detective Senior Constable Hakaiwa and Constable Koma undergo Scenes of Crime Officer training

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South Wales Police celebrate International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2024

NEWS
February 12, 2024

An opportunity to celebrate women working in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) to keep South Wales safe

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Singaporean Project: Her Police Story

NEWS
February 7, 2024

Sisters, Mums and Ma'ams

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NATO International Military Staff Office of the Gender Advisor holds fourth regional Deep Dive session

NEWS
February 6, 2024

The session discussed the Balkans and the Gender Perspective

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Women peacekeepers help dismantle patriarchal stereotypes in local communities

NEWS
January 29, 2024

Women peacekeepers in Africa help to break down traditional gender barriers, and motivate and empower local women to take on non-traditional roles monopolised by men in the security sector

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Foreign ministers of Indonesia and Japan discuss progress toward the WPS agenda

NEWS
January 22, 2024

The Peacebuilding Program of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation host the event "Why do we need women's perspectives? Female Foreign Ministers of Japan and Indonesia Talk"

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Mentorship initiative empowers women in policing in The Gambia

NEWS
January 22, 2024

Mentor-mentee scheme between The Gambia and UK builds exchanges and addresses gender disparities within the police sectors

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Review of Latest Research in Women, Peace & Security. Final Quarter 2023, October - December

NEWS
January 17, 2024

SecurityWomen reviews the latest quarter of research and new publications related to women in the security sector. Final Quarter 2023.

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South African women’s group trains police to respond to gender-based violence

NEWS
January 17, 2024

Sixty-six officers graduate from GBV survivor-centric training modules

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Ukraine certifies second sample of women's body armour

NEWS
January 15, 2024

Temp-3000 designs adjustable sets of body armour that fit the anatomical features of each women soldier

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Report shows AI has a negative influence on UN peacekeeping

NEWS
January 11, 2024

AI-powered disinformation has already begun to endanger UN peace and humanitarian operations

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Women-led US ministerial delegation commits to UN gender goals

NEWS
December 13, 2023

US pledges to participate in a women's body armour pilot programme and to increased funding for women police peacekeeping training

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First Azerbaijani woman peacekeeper deployed

NEWS
December 6, 2023

Major Latifa Rustamova is being deployed as a military observer with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan

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Ghana Armed Forces reaches 19% female deployment in peacekeeping operations

NEWS
November 21, 2023

Ghana has now exceeded the United Nations' 9% target

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Indonesian Peacekeeper to Receive 2023 United Nations Woman Police Officer of the Year Award

NEWS
November 15, 2023

At 27-years-old, Police First Sergeant Renita Rismayanti is the youngest recipient of the award

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Promoting Women in Law Enforcement in the Asia-Pacific

NEWS
November 13, 2023

Women are often excluded from specialised and continuous training programmes

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South Africa's first female submarine navigator dies at sea

NEWS
November 13, 2023

Lieutenant Commander Gillian Malouw was one of three to die at sea

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Nigerian army reaches 27.9% female participation in peace operations

NEWS
November 13, 2023

This is 10% above the United Nations-set benchmark

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Senate approves first woman to lead US Navy

NEWS
November 3, 2023

Admiral Lisa Franchetti has been approved by the US Senate to lead the US Navy. She is the first woman to head a Pentagon military service branch and will join the Joint Chiefs of Staff which comprise the United States most senior military officers.

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Review of Latest Research in Women, Peace & Security. Third Quarter 2023, June-October

NEWS
November 1, 2023

SecurityWomen reviews the latest quarter of research and new publications related to women in the security sector. Third Quarter 2023.

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Ghanaian Woman Peacekeeper wins UN’s 2023 Military Gender Advocate award

NEWS
October 15, 2023

Captain Cecilia Erzuah, commander of a Ghanaian engagement platoon with the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei, in Sudan, has been awarded the UN’s prestigious 2023 Military Gender Advocate of the Year award.

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When survival depends upon a correct fitting uniform

NEWS
October 10, 2023

Women now make up 20% of Ukraine’s total force deployed against the Russians, but until recently they had to put up with wearing uniforms designed to fit men.

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Army reports on suicide of young female soldier who suffered relentless sexual harassment.

NEWS
October 9, 2023

UK army's internal investigation finds a young woman soldier took her own life largely because of the relentless harassment she experienced from her boss.

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UN Spotlights Women in Policing on International Day of Police Cooperation

NEWS
September 12, 2023

The United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force on Policing has highlighted the importance of women in policing in respect of the first International Day of Police Cooperation on 7th September.

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Female soldiers in US army face rampant sexism and harassment

NEWS
August 25, 2023

Survey confirms female soldiers who take part in special combat operations face sexism and harassment from male colleagues

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Number of Kenyan women police officers almost halves between 2018 and 2023

NEWS
August 14, 2023

The number of women officers in the Kenya Police Service dropped from 14,042 in 2018 to 7,457 in 2023

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WIIS Brussels recommends 10 gender-sensitive policies to improve women's representation in security and counterterrorism sectors

NEWS
August 14, 2023

Global average number of women serving in the military increases by 1.2%, number of women police officers decreases by 1.3%

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Report shows women are under-represented in Ugandan Police Forces

NEWS
July 4, 2023

Report shows that 18.3% of Ugandan police are women

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First woman New York Police Chief steps down amidst rumours of other appointees in the department undermining her authority

NEWS
June 19, 2023

After 18 months as New York police chief, Keechant Sewell resigns suddenly

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United States and Romania Host Fifth Capital-Level Meeting of the Women, Peace, and Security Focal Points Network

NEWS
June 8, 2023

The United States and Romania co-chair the fifth Capital-Level Meeting of the WPS-FPN in Washington, D.C. from June 6-8

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India to train ASEAN women in United Nations Peacekeeping operations

NEWS
May 31, 2023

India will conduct two initiatives for women personnel from South East Asia, first reported by The Hindu

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Ghanaian peacekeeper named UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year

NEWS
May 26, 2023

Captain Cecilia Erzuah named UN Military Gender Advocate of 2023 after improving community engagement and spreading awareness of GBV, first reported by UN News

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WPS Achievements in Contingent Owned Equipment Manual Negotiations

NEWS
May 12, 2023

Revisions to the UN Contingent Owned Equipment Manual, bringing it closer to WPS goals

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Taiwan’s first female Reservists start training

NEWS
May 12, 2023

For the first time, volunteer female reservists in the Taiwanese Army receive the same training as their male counterparts

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SecurityWomen at Consultations for UN Summit

NEWS
May 3, 2023

Over two weeks in February, representatives from SecurityWomen were pleased to participate in United Nations consultations for the Summit of the Future.

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UN celebrates 75-year anniversary of peacekeeping

NEWS
May 3, 2023

UN marks the 75th anniversary of peacekeeping with 'Peace Begins with Me' photo exhibit at the General Assembly Visitor's Lobby at the UN Headquarters in New York, first reported by UN News

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Latin American and Caribbean partners meet in Washington for WPS workshop

NEWS
May 3, 2023

A group of 63 civilian and military representatives met at the Perry Center on April 12, 2023 to discuss WPS policy-making, first reported in Dialogos Americas.

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New report launched on state of inclusion of women in cybersecurity

NEWS
April 5, 2023

Women In CyberSecurity recently launched a study to better understand the experiences of women working in cyber security. The study pinpoints barriers that prevent women from being recruited, hired, retained and promoted in the sector at the same rate as men.

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ELSIE Initiative Call for Proposals

NEWS
April 5, 2023

On Thursday (30th March) representatives from around the world met in New York to launch a new call for proposals to fund projects, assessments and schemes to support the greater inclusion of women in peacekeeping operations. The Elsie Initiative Fund (EIF) has awarded over 17 million dollars' worth of funding to support the increased representation of women in security services since its creation in 2019.

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New UK Women Peace and Security National Action Plan for 2023-2027

NEWS
March 19, 2023

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Ensuring Gender Mainstreaming in Small Arms Control - webinar 8 March 2023

NEWS
March 7, 2023

This year's International Women's Day sees UNODA and IANSA combine to put on a webinar to launch UNODA's "Training Manual on Mainstreaming Gender in Small Arms Control". The manual is intended to guide the integration of gender dimensions into national small arms projects, programmes, and policies.

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African women leaders launch equality drive

NEWS
February 18, 2023

Almost 400 women leaders from 15 African countries participated in last week’s three day conference organised by the UN.

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New grant to Zambia to boost women peacekeepers

NEWS
February 12, 2023

Zambia’s police force will receive a grant of nearly $1 million to boost women’s participation in UN peace operations.

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81 year old Kenyan woman trains others in self-defence

NEWS
February 7, 2023

Beatrice Nyariara, 81, lives in Korogocho, one of Nairobi’s most dangerous slums, notorious for rapes and gang killings.

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UK to host UNPOL’s Women’s Command course in March 2023

NEWS
February 7, 2023

UK is to host the United Nations Police (UNPOL) Women’s Command Development course at Canterbury Christ Church University in March 2023.

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SecurityWomen recognised for its work by the UN

NEWS
January 24, 2023

In December 2022, SecurityWomen was given special consultative status with the UN system by ECOSOC, the main UN agency that consults with civil society.

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Record 40 per cent of chief constables are now women amid anti-misogyny drive

NEWS
January 17, 2023

19 of the 49 chief constable posts in England and Wales are held by women, nearly five times the number in 2019 when there were only four.

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Female commander appointed in wake of submarine bullying accusations

NEWS
January 13, 2023

Commodore Sharon Malkin has been appointed commander of HMS Naval Base at Clyde following allegations of bullying and sexual abuse in submarines at the base.

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SecurityWomen participates in UNODC symposium on crime in East Africa region

NEWS
January 10, 2023

SecurityWomen participated in a regional symposium organised by the UN’s Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), held in Nairobi on 15-16 December 2022.

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Sexually assaulted Japanese female soldier obtains apology from military chiefs

NEWS
December 8, 2022

Rina Gonoi, ex-member of Japan’s Self Defence Force, finally received a formal apology in September from Japan’s military after speaking out about how she was sexually assaulted by drunken male officers during her training last year.

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Death of Sandhurst cadet will lead to transformation of toxic culture

NEWS
December 8, 2022

UK Army leaders have promised to transform the toxic culture which led to the death of cadet officer, Olivia Perks in February 2019.

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Women in UN Police play critical role in fostering community trust and protecting most vulnerable groups.

NEWS
November 21, 2022

Female UN police officers play a vital role in fostering trust with local communities and protecting the most vulnerable groups, including women and children.

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Women referees at World Cup 2022 for first time in over ninety years

NEWS
November 21, 2022

Making history at the World Cup 2022 will be three women referees, the first time in 92 years of the competition that women have been allowed to officiate at its matches.

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Launch of Training Manual on Gender-Responsive Small Arms Control

NEWS
November 18, 2022

UNODA recently hosted a virtual event entitled ‘Gender-responsive Small Arms Control: Lessons from National Implementation."

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Gaza companies hire female security guards

NEWS
November 2, 2022

More women in Gaza are taking up jobs normally reserved for men. Now, institutions such as banks and shopping malls are requesting female staff to meet changing security needs.

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First female soldier passes gruelling test to join UK parachute regiment

NEWS
October 23, 2022

Private Addy Carter has made history by passing the UK Army’s gruelling course to become a member of the Parachute Regiment.

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Ministry of Defence brings in programme to tackle abuse of women in UK’s armed forces

NEWS
October 21, 2022

This week marked the anniversary of the recommendations made by Rt. Hon. Sarah Atherton MP in her report ‘Protecting Those Who Protect Us: Women in the Armed Forces from Recruitment to Civilian Life’. A year on, the MOD reported that they have acted on her recommendations to tackle unacceptable sexual behaviour and improve the experience for women in the UK’s armed forces.

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Guide for a Safer World Online for Women

NEWS
October 20, 2022

Here is a guide to help women stay safe online.

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International Day of the Girl Child 2022

NEWS
October 11, 2022

Security Women celebrates female security role models on the United Nations Day of the Girl Child.

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Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police join Operation Soteria Bluestone

NEWS
October 7, 2022

Hampshire joins UK policing's research operation for improving police response to rape and sexual offences, bringing the total number of participating constabularies to 18.

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Bringing more women into nuclear organisations

NEWS
September 28, 2022

Increasing the number of women making a career in nuclear organisations was a key topic at this week’s 66th conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

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2022 International Day of Peace seeks an End to Racism

NEWS
September 22, 2022

This week saw observation of the International Day of Peace. Established in 1981 by the United Nations, 21st September is devoted to commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace both within and among all nations and peoples.

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UAE hosts Conference on Women, Peace and Security to boost empowerment of women in military and security sector

NEWS
September 9, 2022

An international conference on Women Peace and Security is being hosted by UAE with the aim of advancing the WPS Agenda and empowering women in the military and security sector.

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Ghana Gets Grant To Increase Women Peacekeepers

NEWS
September 8, 2022

Ghana has secured funding to increase the number of military women in their peacekeeping missions including command positions

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UN condemns sexual violence and urges justice for survivors

NEWS
September 8, 2022

UN General Assembly recently adopted a resolution condemning all forms of sexual and gender-based violence and urging all countries to provide victims and survivors with access to justice, reparations and assistance.

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War brings Ukraine’s women new roles and new dangers

NEWS
September 6, 2022

On 24 August, Ukraine celebrated its 31st year of independence from Russia. Sadly, it also marked six-months since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine territory in February.

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Liberia’s women peacekeepers honoured in South Sudan

NEWS
September 6, 2022

UN Police officers Elfreda Dennice Steward, Rachel Briggs, and Alfreda Tozay were three women among the nine Liberian officers .....

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UN Woman Police Officer of the Year 2022

NEWS
September 1, 2022

Chief Warrant Officer Alizeta Kabore Kinda of Burkina Faso has become the 12th recipient of the United Nations Award for Woman Police Officer of the Year. She is the first member of the Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) to be awarded this honour.

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Parliamentary Bill will ensure improved accountability of progress on UK’s Women Peace and Security (WPS) National Action Plan (NAP)

NEWS
August 24, 2022

A private member’s Bill, requiring annual accountability by the UK government for progress on the WPS NAP, is to be put before the UK Parliament’s House of Lords in September.

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76 Years Later: Congressional Honours for 102-year-old Black Veterans of WWII

NEWS
August 4, 2022

Private Romay Davis, 102, has been awarded the US Congress' highest honour for civilians 76 years after her deployment to Europe during the Second World War.

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Ukraine's Sharpshooting Women

NEWS
August 4, 2022

Talented Ukrainian sportswomen have turned their skills to the protection of their homeland, reports ZDF

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Mongolia celebrates 20 years of peacekeeping missions

NEWS
July 22, 2022

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Mongolia’s deployment with UN Peacekeeping missions. To celebrate this achievement Mongolia held its first-ever international conference in support of UN Resolution 1325, 'Women, Peace and Security'

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Francophone Support for Women in Military Peacekeeping

NEWS
June 28, 2022

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Abusive and Sexist Virginity Testing Abolished

NEWS
June 2, 2022

Human Rights Watch reports that the Indonesian armed forces have finally ended the damaging practice of virginity testing on female recruits.

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Gender violence in Pakistan: women fighting back

NEWS
May 26, 2022

Hundreds if not thousands of women are murdered, kidnapped and assaulted each year in Pakistan. A 2018 survey estimated 1 in 3 women experienced domestic violence, but conviction rates are extremely low. It is being described by some in Pakistan as a ‘gender violence epidemic.’ Now Pakistani women are demanding action to address the vast scale of violence.

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WPS seminar in Chile aims to make Armed Forces More Ready, More Resilient, and More Effective

NEWS
May 21, 2022

A Women Peace and Security seminar organised by the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) and the Chilean Joint Peacekeeping Operations Center (CECOPAC) was recently held in Santiago, Chile. Participants discussed how gender integration in the armed and security forces in the fields of education, recruitment and promotion, could be improved.

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NATO’S DEEP DIVE INTO CO-OPERATIVE SECURITY AND GENDER

NEWS
May 21, 2022

NATO’s International Military Staff (IMS) hosted their third “Deep Dive” session on 9 May, this time focusing on the importance of integrating a gender perspective in co-operative security plans. This included looking at how a gender dimension is important to strengthening security and projecting stability through partnerships and dialogue.

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Blue on Blue – Investigating Sexual Abuse of Peacekeepers

NEWS
April 26, 2022

SecurityWomen welcomes new research published by the InternationalPeace Institute (IPI) looking into the sexual abuse of peacekeepers by those with whom they work along side. It is important to set an international standard of safety and security for serving peacekeepers that will encourage more women to take up careers in these roles.

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The British Army still has a long way to go towards eliminating sexual harassment of all service personnel

NEWS
April 26, 2022

Reflecting on the results of a recent government survey looking into the experiences and perceptions of sexual harassment in the armed forces.

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Saudi Arabia allows women to join Border Guards

NEWS
March 31, 2022

Women in Saudi Arabia are to be allowed to join the country’s Border Guards as part of the Interior Ministry’s plan to increase the number of women in government and private sector roles.

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Removing Barriers for Women in Law Enforcement in Canada

NEWS
March 26, 2022

Superintendent Kara Triance is the first female Officer in Charge at the Kelowna Royal Canadian Mounted Police Detachment. SecurityWomen supports women like Kara and the work they do for gender diversity.

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Two Women’s Experience of UK Policing

NEWS
March 24, 2022

Sisters Torie Harrison and Georgie Watts both serve as police officers in Northamptonshire. SecurityWomen hopes that female role models like these sisters will encourage more women and girls to make a career in policing.

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Conflict in Ukraine

NEWS
March 21, 2022

The EU and North American Civil Society Women’s Alliance Caucus Statement on Ukraine: At a time when the world is facing manifold challenges including rapid climate change, health pandemics, conflict, violence against women and girls, is it not time for humanity to shake off the lethargy that prevents substantive positive change and declare it is time to stop?

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Ukrainian women to be conscripted as the country faces Russian forces

NEWS
February 16, 2022

Ukraine’s MoD has expanded the pool of Ukrainian women who are required to register for possible military conscription in the event of a major war.

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NATO supports women and girls in science for peace and security

NEWS
February 15, 2022

For the 7th International Day of Women and Girls in Science, NATO published the stories of three of the women they have supported through their careers under NATO’s Science for Peace and Security Programme.

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More than 100 new police officers set to join Staffordshire’s police force in coming year

NEWS
February 10, 2022

Staffordshire police force's recent recruits will include more women and people from ethnic minority backgrounds than ever before.

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UN Lebanon mission pioneers gender-sensitive peacekeeping

NEWS
February 10, 2022

The Interim Force in Lebanon will become the first peacekeeping mission to invest in gender-sensitive housing and improved working conditions.

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Celebrating 50 years of women in the South African Police Service

NEWS
February 4, 2022

As a celebration of National Police Day in South Africa, female police officers in Ekurhuleni were reaffirmed.

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Demand for Cybersecurity Talent Sets Salaries Soaring in U.S. and Canada

NEWS
January 6, 2022

Female Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) are out earning their male counterparts.

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Keechant Sewell to Become First Woman to Lead New York City Police Department

NEWS
December 19, 2021

Keechant Sewell will become New York City’s first female police commissioner, taking over the nation’s largest police force at a critical moment.

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SecurityWomen addresses the President of the UN General Assembly

NEWS
December 11, 2021

In an ever more volatile, dangerous world, how can women have a greater role in security sector institutions to enable a better security for every person in society?

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UK Government commits to recruiting more women to the armed forces but leaves rape and sexual abuse cases in the hands of military courts.

NEWS
December 8, 2021

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U.S. Lawmakers Reach Deal to Overhaul How Military Handles Sexual Assault Cases

NEWS
December 8, 2021

U.S. military commanders’ powers would be clipped after years of complaints about unfairness and retaliation.

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The U.S. Military’s Broken Culture Around Sexual Violence and Suicide

NEWS
December 1, 2021

A recent New York Times column examines the U.S. military’s high rate of suicides and its possible connection with deficiencies in prevention of and response to sexual assault.

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The 30 × 30 initiative: Seeking to improve public safety and transform departments by advancing women in policing

NEWS
March 18, 2024

A US grassroots coalition of police leaders, researchers, police professional organizations, and policymakers

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Women’s Central Role in Transforming the French Police

NEWS
March 7, 2024

Women account for 29.4% of police officers in France

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Exchanging ideas to close the gender gap in South and South-East Asia

NEWS
March 7, 2024

Participants from across South and South-East Asia attended the Regional Workshop on Gender-Responsive Community-Oriented Policing

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Women in forensics receive training under Papua New Guinea-Australian Policing Partnership

NEWS
February 14, 2024

Detective Senior Constable Hakaiwa and Constable Koma undergo Scenes of Crime Officer training

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South Wales Police celebrate International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2024

NEWS
February 12, 2024

An opportunity to celebrate women working in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) to keep South Wales safe

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Singaporean Project: Her Police Story

NEWS
February 7, 2024

Sisters, Mums and Ma'ams

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Mentorship initiative empowers women in policing in The Gambia

NEWS
January 22, 2024

Mentor-mentee scheme between The Gambia and UK builds exchanges and addresses gender disparities within the police sectors

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South African women’s group trains police to respond to gender-based violence

NEWS
January 17, 2024

Sixty-six officers graduate from GBV survivor-centric training modules

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Indonesian Peacekeeper to Receive 2023 United Nations Woman Police Officer of the Year Award

NEWS
November 15, 2023

At 27-years-old, Police First Sergeant Renita Rismayanti is the youngest recipient of the award

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Promoting Women in Law Enforcement in the Asia-Pacific

NEWS
November 13, 2023

Women are often excluded from specialised and continuous training programmes

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Number of Kenyan women police officers almost halves between 2018 and 2023

NEWS
August 14, 2023

The number of women officers in the Kenya Police Service dropped from 14,042 in 2018 to 7,457 in 2023

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WIIS Brussels recommends 10 gender-sensitive policies to improve women's representation in security and counterterrorism sectors

NEWS
August 14, 2023

Global average number of women serving in the military increases by 1.2%, number of women police officers decreases by 1.3%

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First woman New York Police Chief steps down amidst rumours of other appointees in the department undermining her authority

NEWS
June 19, 2023

After 18 months as New York police chief, Keechant Sewell resigns suddenly

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ELSIE Initiative Call for Proposals

NEWS
April 5, 2023

On Thursday (30th March) representatives from around the world met in New York to launch a new call for proposals to fund projects, assessments and schemes to support the greater inclusion of women in peacekeeping operations. The Elsie Initiative Fund (EIF) has awarded over 17 million dollars' worth of funding to support the increased representation of women in security services since its creation in 2019.

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New grant to Zambia to boost women peacekeepers

NEWS
February 12, 2023

Zambia’s police force will receive a grant of nearly $1 million to boost women’s participation in UN peace operations.

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UK to host UNPOL’s Women’s Command course in March 2023

NEWS
February 7, 2023

UK is to host the United Nations Police (UNPOL) Women’s Command Development course at Canterbury Christ Church University in March 2023.

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Record 40 per cent of chief constables are now women amid anti-misogyny drive

NEWS
January 17, 2023

19 of the 49 chief constable posts in England and Wales are held by women, nearly five times the number in 2019 when there were only four.

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SecurityWomen participates in UNODC symposium on crime in East Africa region

NEWS
January 10, 2023

SecurityWomen participated in a regional symposium organised by the UN’s Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), held in Nairobi on 15-16 December 2022.

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Women in UN Police play critical role in fostering community trust and protecting most vulnerable groups.

NEWS
November 21, 2022

Female UN police officers play a vital role in fostering trust with local communities and protecting the most vulnerable groups, including women and children.

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UN Woman Police Officer of the Year 2022

NEWS
September 1, 2022

Chief Warrant Officer Alizeta Kabore Kinda of Burkina Faso has become the 12th recipient of the United Nations Award for Woman Police Officer of the Year. She is the first member of the Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) to be awarded this honour.

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Gender violence in Pakistan: women fighting back

NEWS
May 26, 2022

Hundreds if not thousands of women are murdered, kidnapped and assaulted each year in Pakistan. A 2018 survey estimated 1 in 3 women experienced domestic violence, but conviction rates are extremely low. It is being described by some in Pakistan as a ‘gender violence epidemic.’ Now Pakistani women are demanding action to address the vast scale of violence.

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Removing Barriers for Women in Law Enforcement in Canada

NEWS
March 26, 2022

Superintendent Kara Triance is the first female Officer in Charge at the Kelowna Royal Canadian Mounted Police Detachment. SecurityWomen supports women like Kara and the work they do for gender diversity.

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Two Women’s Experience of UK Policing

NEWS
March 24, 2022

Sisters Torie Harrison and Georgie Watts both serve as police officers in Northamptonshire. SecurityWomen hopes that female role models like these sisters will encourage more women and girls to make a career in policing.

Read News Item

More than 100 new police officers set to join Staffordshire’s police force in coming year

NEWS
February 10, 2022

Staffordshire police force's recent recruits will include more women and people from ethnic minority backgrounds than ever before.

Read News Item

Celebrating 50 years of women in the South African Police Service

NEWS
February 4, 2022

As a celebration of National Police Day in South Africa, female police officers in Ekurhuleni were reaffirmed.

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Keechant Sewell to Become First Woman to Lead New York City Police Department

NEWS
December 19, 2021

Keechant Sewell will become New York City’s first female police commissioner, taking over the nation’s largest police force at a critical moment.

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UK Government commits to recruiting more women to the armed forces but leaves rape and sexual abuse cases in the hands of military courts.

NEWS
December 8, 2021

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UK POLICE NEED TO REBUILD BOND OF TRUST WITH WOMEN

NEWS
October 4, 2021

“A precious bond of trust has been damaged” said Met Police Commissioner, Cressida Dick, following the sentencing of Sarah Everard’s murderer to whole life imprisonment.

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Would Having More Female Officers Improve Policing?

NEWS
June 24, 2021

A Washington Post study suggests that, on average, women are less likely to unnecessarily search cars or people.

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UN Women Launches A New Global Police Handbook

NEWS
February 8, 2021

Today, UN Women, in partnership with the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC) and the International Association of Women Police (IAWP) launched a new Handbook on Gender-Responsive Police Services for Women and Girls Subject to Violence.

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New Zealand Introduces Hijabs Into Official Police Uniform

NEWS
November 28, 2020

New Zealand’s national police service has added a “specially designed hijab” to its official uniform in an effort to match the demographics of the community, reduce crime and allow Muslim officers to serve while appropriately meeting their personal needs.

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Standing up for Vulnerable South Sudanese: UN Woman Police Officer of the Year

NEWS
November 1, 2020

Chief Inspector Doreen Malambo, Gender Adviser at the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), has won 2020 UN Woman Police Officer of the Year Award, in honour of her work supporting vulnerable groups, such as women, girls, children, and people with disabilities.

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For Women in Afghan Security Forces, A Daily Battle

NEWS
September 6, 2020

Among Afghani police forces, which have been the focus of diversification efforts for years, women still make up only 2.8 percent of employees — and that is the highest level in 18 years. It is not because qualified, willing women are lacking. It is because to join the police is to endure abuse and degradation.

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Women Can’t Fix Policing If They Don’t Want The Job

NEWS
August 26, 2020

At a time where discussions on police reform are taking place all across the country, some have posited the solution of more women in law enforcement.

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'Hire more women' has been touted as a quick fix to police brutality since Rodney King. Here's why empty calls for equality fail.

NEWS
August 4, 2020

Gender discrimination laws don't stop women from being tokenized and harassed.

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The U.S. Needs Sweeping Police Reform. Let’s Start With Women.

NEWS
June 11, 2020

Less than 48 hours after the debut of a documentary about the Minneapolis Police Department, a male police officer knelt on the neck of an unarmed black man as three other male police officers either knelt on his back and legs or stood by watching. Nearly nine minutes later, George Floyd was dead. Most media reports mention the races of the four police officers—two white, two Asian. Few, if any, mention their gender.

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Black Lives Matter

NEWS
June 8, 2020

SecurityWomen condemns police brutality in any form in any country and systemic racism that leads to deaths of black people.

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Directory of Female Experts within CAR Defence and Security Forces to Boost Women Leadership

NEWS
May 14, 2020

Women in uniform in the Central African Republic are counting on a newly launched Defence Forces Official Directory of Female Experts to help push for better representation of women in decision-making positions. The document, produced with MINUSCA support, was handed over to Prime Minister Firmin Ngrebada at a ceremony held in Bangui on 11 March 2020, just three days after the celebration of International Women’s Day.

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Spain Appoints Its First Ever Female Police Chief

NEWS
January 23, 2020

Spain recently appointed a woman to head the country's oldest police force, the Guardia Civil, for the first time in the agency's 175-year history. The interior ministry said in a statement it had appointed Maria Gamez, formerly the central government representative in the southern province of Malaga, as the "first woman" at the helm of the 80,000-strong Guardia Civil force.

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Meet South Africa’s First Black Female Police Pilot, Refilwe Ledwaba

NEWS
January 22, 2020

“I never thought aviation or becoming a pilot was a viable career choice for me as I have never seen anyone that looks like me following that career,” that is a quote from Refilwe Ledwaba, South African Police Service’s first female pilot.

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UN Female Police Officer of the Year, Major Seynabou Diouf of Senegal

NEWS
November 5, 2019

November 5, 2019:Major Seynabou Diouf of the Senegal National Police has been selected as the 2019 United Nations Female Police Officer of the Year.

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Can American Police Close the Gender Gap?

NEWS
August 6, 2019

August 6, 2019: Erica Hicks left a comfortable job to fulfill her dream of becoming a New Jersey police officer.“I want to give back to my community,” she says. “I want to protect and serve.”But thanks to a new fitness test imposed by a little-known state commission, the odds for her success have considerably decreased. In just one year, since the rule created by the New Jersey Police Training Commission was enacted, New Jersey almost tripled the rate of women failing police academy physical tests.

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Rwandan Female Police Officers Scaling Heights Of Policing Career

NEWS
May 30, 2019

May 30, 2019: In March 2019, the United Nations expressed its gratitude to a Rwandan Police Officer, Assistant Commissioner of Police, (ACP) Teddy Ruyenzi, for her outstanding role in UN peacekeeping. ACP Ruyenzi, who is among the top most senior police officers at the rank of ACP, leads a trail-blazing force of 160-strong all-female Formed Police Unit (FPU) in the Republic of South Sudan under the United Nations Mission in Southern Sudan (UNMISS).

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Cressida Dick: The Toughest Parts of my Job as Metropolitan Police Commissioner

NEWS
March 2, 2019

March 1, 2019: A century after women first joined the Met, the London force’s first female Commissioner, Cressida Dick, discusses why she loves the job.

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In Pakistan, Female Police Officers Are Rare. This One Quelled A Militant Attack

NEWS
January 1, 2019

December 31, 2018: Suhai Aziz Talpur was training to be a police officer, she was ordered to jump off a cliff during an endurance test. She recalls staring seven feet down to the ground. "I said no, I won't jump and break my leg."So her supervisor pushed her.Talpur landed unscathed. Later, her supervisor told her, "The fear is here." Talpur taps her head. "So fight it from here.

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London's Metropolitan Police Celebrates 100 Years of Female Police Officers

NEWS
November 25, 2018

November 25, 2018: As the Met celebrates 100 years of female police officers on the streets of London, its first female commissioner, Cressida Dick, has launched the force’s first recruitment drive aimed at women, in an attempt to reach gender parity in the rank and file. There are now 8,000 women in the Met – 27% of the total number of staff.

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Ambassador Sonto Kudjoe On The Modern Day Defence And Security Threats Challenging Africa

NEWS
November 20, 2018

November 20, 2018: South African entrepreneur and technocrat Sonto Kudjoe, who is a former Director General of South Africa’s State Security Agency (SSA) and Ambassador to Egypt from 2006-2010, has a unique understanding of the modern-day defense and security threats challenging the African continent. In a recent interview in Forbes magazine, Ambassador Kudjoe stated that a major challenge for African and global defense is that by its very nature, the defense and security industry has always been and still in many cases remains, male-dominated. Nevertheless, she has been encouraged by signs that women are beginning to increase their numbers in this sector.

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India's All-Female Police Stations Improve Women's Safety

NEWS
November 18, 2018

November 18, 2018: Female police officers in India are changing the way violence against women is reported. Opening all-woman police stations (WPS) increased crime reportage by a significant 22% in the world’s most dangerous country for women, according to a June 2018 study. This is because women are more comfortable approaching these stations.

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U.K. Police Study Finds Gender Equality Training Ineffective

NEWS
November 8, 2018

November 8, 2018: Many leaders opt for diversity training to counter stereotypes and old-school beliefs that can make it difficult for women to reach their full potential. In the U.K., police were concerned. They had investigated diversity in their large force and discovered that when female officers and staff reflected on their time being pregnant, only 39 percent felt supported by their managers.

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First Woman to Lead Cambridge University’s Private Police Force

NEWS
September 28, 2018

September 28, 2018: In April, BRITAIN’S first female bomb disposal expert became the first woman to lead Cambridge university’s private police force.

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Women May Improve Police Forces' Cohesion

NEWS
August 21, 2018

When the United Nations and other international players rebuild war-torn countries, they frequently require that women have greater representation in the country’s security forces. But critics of these gender-equity reforms often suggest that women harm the cohesion of the police force.

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Rebels With a Cause

NEWS
July 28, 2018

July 28, 2018: A woman is raped every 13 minutes in India. As the situation reaches desperate proportions, one police commissioner thinks there might be an answer. In the city of Jaipur, Rajasthan, a new, all-female police squad, mounted on motorbikes, aims to keep women safe on the streets.

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2018 International Association of Women Police International Scholarship Recipient Selected

NEWS
June 13, 2018

June 13, 2018: Chair Cindy Shain and members of the IAWP International Scholarship Committee is proud to announce the recipient of the 2018 IAWP International Scholarship, Chief Superintendent Kerry Smith, from the Leicestershire Police in the United Kingdom.

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South African Police Service to Empower and Develop Female Police Officers

NEWS
June 13, 2018

June 13, 2018:A task team was established on Friday to draft a five-year strategy to empower and develop female police officers at all levels in the South African Police Service (SAPS).

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U.S. Female Cops: Fighting for Respect in a ‘Boys Club’ Culture

NEWS
May 15, 2018

May 14, 2018: A barbed comment by a soon-to-retire Illinois State Police lieutenant gave Cara Rabe-Hemp both the title and the theme of her new book. Observing that the lieutenant, who had joined the force in the 1980s, was just completing a 25-year career in the policing, Rabe-Hemp asked her, “Do you think anything has slowed you down?” “Policing is a boys’ club,” came the quick reply, “And if you haven’t noticed, I’m not a boy.”

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Head of the Reykjavík Police Department in Iceland Says Women Key to Better Policing

NEWS
February 26, 2018

February 26, 2018: Sigríður Björk Guðjónsdóttir, head of the Reykjavík Police Department in Iceland, discusses her fight against gender discrimination in the police force where she says there are not enough women on the field or in managerial positions, in an interview with euronews reporter Valérie Gauriat.

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Female Foundation Course a Milestone for Afghan Special Police

NEWS
February 23, 2018

February 23, 2018: The Afghan General Command of Police Special Units began a special police course designed specifically for female Afghan police officers, the Female Foundation Course at the Special Police Training Center in Kabul, Afghanistan, Feb. 17, 2018.

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Inclusive Police Forces Effective in Fighting Terrorism

NEWS
January 24, 2018

January 24, 2018: Research shows that police can be more effective at preventing terrorism than military forces due to their permanent presence in local communities. To strengthen trust between police and communities, police forces must be representative of the populations they are tasked with protecting. In particular, greater representation of women is needed. Currently, women represent only one percent of Pakistan’s police forces. This gap in the Pakistani security sector remains a challenge to efforts to stabilize the country against terrorist threats.

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Female Police Officers, a Growing Asset in U.S.

NEWS
December 30, 2017

December 30, 2017: The sight of a woman in a police uniform is no longer the novelty it once was. For good and valid reasons, police forces have embraced the notion that a diverse workforce strengthens their ability to police the communities they serve.That is encouraging, but as a survey by the Associated Press discloses, woman lead only five of the nation’s 50 biggest police departments. A 2013 survey counted 169 female chiefs out of 1,500 departments.

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Delhi Police to Set up All-Female Motorbike Squad to Tackle Crime Against Women

NEWS
November 29, 2017

November 28, 2017: Delhi’s police force has created an all-female motorcycle squad in an attempt to tackle rising crime against women, particularly in the city’s narrow alleyways. The patrol, called Raftaar (Speed), will deploy specially trained female officers on 600 motorbikes from December. They will carry guns, body cameras, pepper spray and stun guns, patrolling crowded, cramped areas of the city in pairs.

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Indian Army to Induct 800 Women Into Military Police

NEWS
September 15, 2017

A day after Nirmala Sitharaman took over as the country’s first full-time female defence minister, the army on Friday announced that it is giving finishing touches to a proposal for inducting women into the military police.... 

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Police Officers Who Become Mothers Face Barriers

NEWS
June 28, 2017

May 8, 2017: After having to repeatedly prove they are as good as their male counterparts, female police officers face a whole new...

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Bringing women on equal footing with men in Kosovo Police

NEWS
June 28, 2017

March 3, 2017: Established in partnership with UN Women in Kosovo, the Association of Women in the Kosovo Police trains...

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Cressida Dick Named First Female Head of U.K.'s Metropolitan Police

NEWS
June 28, 2017

February 28, 2017: Cressida Dick is to become the first ­female head of the Metropolitan police, completing a remarkable...

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Women police officers in Pakistan – making a more peaceful world

NEWS
June 28, 2017

February 13, 2017: the US State Department is planning to spend more than $8 million in 2017 to increase the number...

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23 Women Police Officers Get Training Under Australia Awards Program

NEWS
June 28, 2017

February 7, 2017: 23 Pakistani women completed leadership and countering gender-based violence training conducted...

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Female Police Defuse Tension in Beirut

NEWS
June 28, 2017

February 7, 2017: When Mardig Boghossian was elected in May 2016 as the mayor of Burj Hammoud, a north-east district of Beirut...

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Growing Number of Women Leading U.S. Police Departments

NEWS
June 28, 2017

February 7, 2017: Female police officers tend to use wits over brawn to deescalate potentially violent situations, experts say...

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U.K Police Work to Change Image of "Male, Pale, and Stale"

NEWS
June 28, 2017

January 20, 2017: Police Now, a program which focuses in particular on the recruitment of women and minorities...

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More Women Becoming Chief of Police

NEWS
June 28, 2017

January 15, 2017: Op-ed columnist Peter Funt discusses the rise in women selected to head police departments in the U.S.

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Women in peace operations: the unsung champions of human rights

NEWS
June 28, 2017

Today, South Africa celebrates Human Rights Day, commemorating the 1960 shooting of police upon peaceful protestors...

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First woman in senior police role

NEWS
June 28, 2017

Nobesuthu Princess Masiye has been promoted to the position of Divisional Commissioner of Visible Policing within the South...

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Women in Police Force Mitigate Gender Based Violence in Nepal

NEWS
June 28, 2017

Peacebuilding and conflict prevention NGO, Saferworld published a report of research findings into the gendered nature...

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Police in Myanmar Trained to Deal with Gender-Based Violence

NEWS
June 28, 2017

September 27, 2016: Police in Myanmar are being trained to recognize signs of domestic violence and to understand the...

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‘Policewoman barred from beach by king’ report by Ian Sparks in the UK newspaper Metro, 29th July 2015

NEWS
June 28, 2017

King Salman from Saudi Arabia, on holiday on the French Riviera, did not wish to have women present in his security team...

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Liberia Names First Female Defence Minister

NEWS
February 26, 2024

Brigadier-General Geraldine George appointed shortly after women's protests

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First all-women crew complete NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control Force sortie

NEWS
February 19, 2024

The Women’s Initiative Team organised the mission to champion equality and inclusion

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NATO International Military Staff Office of the Gender Advisor holds fourth regional Deep Dive session

NEWS
February 6, 2024

The session discussed the Balkans and the Gender Perspective

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Ukraine certifies second sample of women's body armour

NEWS
January 15, 2024

Temp-3000 designs adjustable sets of body armour that fit the anatomical features of each women soldier

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Ghana Armed Forces reaches 19% female deployment in peacekeeping operations

NEWS
November 21, 2023

Ghana has now exceeded the United Nations' 9% target

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Promoting Women in Law Enforcement in the Asia-Pacific

NEWS
November 13, 2023

Women are often excluded from specialised and continuous training programmes

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South Africa's first female submarine navigator dies at sea

NEWS
November 13, 2023

Lieutenant Commander Gillian Malouw was one of three to die at sea

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Nigerian army reaches 27.9% female participation in peace operations

NEWS
November 13, 2023

This is 10% above the United Nations-set benchmark

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Senate approves first woman to lead US Navy

NEWS
November 3, 2023

Admiral Lisa Franchetti has been approved by the US Senate to lead the US Navy. She is the first woman to head a Pentagon military service branch and will join the Joint Chiefs of Staff which comprise the United States most senior military officers.

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When survival depends upon a correct fitting uniform

NEWS
October 10, 2023

Women now make up 20% of Ukraine’s total force deployed against the Russians, but until recently they had to put up with wearing uniforms designed to fit men.

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Army reports on suicide of young female soldier who suffered relentless sexual harassment.

NEWS
October 9, 2023

UK army's internal investigation finds a young woman soldier took her own life largely because of the relentless harassment she experienced from her boss.

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Female soldiers in US army face rampant sexism and harassment

NEWS
August 25, 2023

Survey confirms female soldiers who take part in special combat operations face sexism and harassment from male colleagues

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WIIS Brussels recommends 10 gender-sensitive policies to improve women's representation in security and counterterrorism sectors

NEWS
August 14, 2023

Global average number of women serving in the military increases by 1.2%, number of women police officers decreases by 1.3%

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Latin American and Caribbean partners meet in Washington for WPS workshop

NEWS
May 3, 2023

A group of 63 civilian and military representatives met at the Perry Center on April 12, 2023 to discuss WPS policy-making, first reported in Dialogos Americas.

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ELSIE Initiative Call for Proposals

NEWS
April 5, 2023

On Thursday (30th March) representatives from around the world met in New York to launch a new call for proposals to fund projects, assessments and schemes to support the greater inclusion of women in peacekeeping operations. The Elsie Initiative Fund (EIF) has awarded over 17 million dollars' worth of funding to support the increased representation of women in security services since its creation in 2019.

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Female commander appointed in wake of submarine bullying accusations

NEWS
January 13, 2023

Commodore Sharon Malkin has been appointed commander of HMS Naval Base at Clyde following allegations of bullying and sexual abuse in submarines at the base.

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Sexually assaulted Japanese female soldier obtains apology from military chiefs

NEWS
December 8, 2022

Rina Gonoi, ex-member of Japan’s Self Defence Force, finally received a formal apology in September from Japan’s military after speaking out about how she was sexually assaulted by drunken male officers during her training last year.

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Death of Sandhurst cadet will lead to transformation of toxic culture

NEWS
December 8, 2022

UK Army leaders have promised to transform the toxic culture which led to the death of cadet officer, Olivia Perks in February 2019.

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First female soldier passes gruelling test to join UK parachute regiment

NEWS
October 23, 2022

Private Addy Carter has made history by passing the UK Army’s gruelling course to become a member of the Parachute Regiment.

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Ministry of Defence brings in programme to tackle abuse of women in UK’s armed forces

NEWS
October 21, 2022

This week marked the anniversary of the recommendations made by Rt. Hon. Sarah Atherton MP in her report ‘Protecting Those Who Protect Us: Women in the Armed Forces from Recruitment to Civilian Life’. A year on, the MOD reported that they have acted on her recommendations to tackle unacceptable sexual behaviour and improve the experience for women in the UK’s armed forces.

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War brings Ukraine’s women new roles and new dangers

NEWS
September 6, 2022

On 24 August, Ukraine celebrated its 31st year of independence from Russia. Sadly, it also marked six-months since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine territory in February.

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76 Years Later: Congressional Honours for 102-year-old Black Veterans of WWII

NEWS
August 4, 2022

Private Romay Davis, 102, has been awarded the US Congress' highest honour for civilians 76 years after her deployment to Europe during the Second World War.

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Ukraine's Sharpshooting Women

NEWS
August 4, 2022

Talented Ukrainian sportswomen have turned their skills to the protection of their homeland, reports ZDF

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Francophone Support for Women in Military Peacekeeping

NEWS
June 28, 2022

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Abusive and Sexist Virginity Testing Abolished

NEWS
June 2, 2022

Human Rights Watch reports that the Indonesian armed forces have finally ended the damaging practice of virginity testing on female recruits.

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WPS seminar in Chile aims to make Armed Forces More Ready, More Resilient, and More Effective

NEWS
May 21, 2022

A Women Peace and Security seminar organised by the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) and the Chilean Joint Peacekeeping Operations Center (CECOPAC) was recently held in Santiago, Chile. Participants discussed how gender integration in the armed and security forces in the fields of education, recruitment and promotion, could be improved.

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NATO’S DEEP DIVE INTO CO-OPERATIVE SECURITY AND GENDER

NEWS
May 21, 2022

NATO’s International Military Staff (IMS) hosted their third “Deep Dive” session on 9 May, this time focusing on the importance of integrating a gender perspective in co-operative security plans. This included looking at how a gender dimension is important to strengthening security and projecting stability through partnerships and dialogue.

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The British Army still has a long way to go towards eliminating sexual harassment of all service personnel

NEWS
April 26, 2022

Reflecting on the results of a recent government survey looking into the experiences and perceptions of sexual harassment in the armed forces.

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Saudi Arabia allows women to join Border Guards

NEWS
March 31, 2022

Women in Saudi Arabia are to be allowed to join the country’s Border Guards as part of the Interior Ministry’s plan to increase the number of women in government and private sector roles.

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Ukrainian women to be conscripted as the country faces Russian forces

NEWS
February 16, 2022

Ukraine’s MoD has expanded the pool of Ukrainian women who are required to register for possible military conscription in the event of a major war.

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NATO supports women and girls in science for peace and security

NEWS
February 15, 2022

For the 7th International Day of Women and Girls in Science, NATO published the stories of three of the women they have supported through their careers under NATO’s Science for Peace and Security Programme.

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UN Lebanon mission pioneers gender-sensitive peacekeeping

NEWS
February 10, 2022

The Interim Force in Lebanon will become the first peacekeeping mission to invest in gender-sensitive housing and improved working conditions.

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UK Government commits to recruiting more women to the armed forces but leaves rape and sexual abuse cases in the hands of military courts.

NEWS
December 8, 2021

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U.S. Lawmakers Reach Deal to Overhaul How Military Handles Sexual Assault Cases

NEWS
December 8, 2021

U.S. military commanders’ powers would be clipped after years of complaints about unfairness and retaliation.

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The U.S. Military’s Broken Culture Around Sexual Violence and Suicide

NEWS
December 1, 2021

A recent New York Times column examines the U.S. military’s high rate of suicides and its possible connection with deficiencies in prevention of and response to sexual assault.

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Decade-old Kenyan murder prompts further enquiry into the treatment of Women by the UK military.

NEWS
November 10, 2021

The surfacing of a crime from 2012 has produced many questions about the treatment of women by the UK military. 21-year-old mother, Agnes Wanjiru, was murdered by British soldiers and left in a septic tank in Kenya nearly a decade ago. It is suspected that issues over diplomatic relations meant the crime was kept quiet but was treated as an open secret within the Army regiment for years.

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More success for the UN's 'Means to Lead' Programme

NEWS
October 15, 2021

Multi-Purpose Women's Centres educate and inform women on their rights, security and gender equality. Jesmin Aktar's story is just one success of these service centres.

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U. S. Congress Moves Closer to Making Women Register for the Draft

NEWS
September 7, 2021

The U.S. House Armed Services Committee voted Wednesday to expand registration for the Selective Service System, commonly known as the draft, to include women, a move that brings the requirement one step closer to becoming law.

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The Epidemic of Sexual Assault in the U.S. Military

NEWS
August 11, 2021

Nearly one in four U.S. servicewomen reports being sexually assaulted in the military. Why has it been so difficult to change the culture?

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Two-thirds of Women in UK Military Report Bullying and Sexual Abuse

NEWS
July 30, 2021

Landmark parliamentary report features evidence of gang rape, sex for career advancement and trophies to ‘bag the woman’

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Christine Wormuth Confirmed as First Woman to Lead the U.S. Army

NEWS
June 1, 2021

Christine Wormuth was once again confirmed as U.S. Army secretary Thursday, May 27, after the Senate revoked her confirmation the previous night over an apparent procedural snafu that was quickly resolved. She is the first woman to hold the position.

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#MeToo in the Women's Military

NEWS
May 28, 2021

A former senior UK Army officer is calling for the military to have a “#MeToo moment” and is claiming that hundreds of female troops have been raped and sexually abused by colleagues.

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Women in Military Becomes Gender Battleground in South Korea

NEWS
May 21, 2021

A heated debate in South Korea about mandatory military service for women is inflaming divisions between the sexes rather than narrowing social gaps, the country’s gender equality minister said.

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Female Soldiers Are Changing How Armed Forces Work

NEWS
April 29, 2021

Between 1957 and 1989 only 20 women ever served as un peacekeepers, anywhere. But the number of female soldiers has been growing of late.

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White House Features New Women Generals on International Women’s Day

NEWS
March 11, 2021

On International Women's Day, two female U.S. Army generals, recently promoted, were spotlighted in White House remarks

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U.S. Department of Defense's Adoption of Women, Peace, and Security Framework Incorporates New Approach to Human Rights

NEWS
February 18, 2021

The U.S. Department of Defense’s (DOD’s) approach to international human rights law (IHRL) has been the subject of substantial criticism, focused on the perception that the U.S. rejects a role for IHRL during military operations. The reality is more nuanced. The department’s Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Strategic Framework, issued last year, is a valuable illustration of this subtlety, and portends a shift in DOD’s relationship with and the interpretation and applicability of IHRL.

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U.S. Military Leaders Given 2 Weeks to Show Their Sexual Assault Prevention Efforts Are Working

NEWS
January 26, 2021

In one of his first actions as defense secretary, Lloyd Austin is ordering his top generals to report on the measures they're taking to prevent sexual assault and harassment in the ranks -- and how they know they're working.

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Swedish Military Spending May Conflict With Feminist Foreign Policy

NEWS
January 8, 2021

How would a country’s defense priorities change if women played a greater role in determining what constitutes national security and national threats?

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Biden Likely to Break Gender Barriers in Choice of Pentagon Head

NEWS
November 17, 2020

President-elect Joe Biden is expected to take a historic step and select a woman to head the Pentagon for the first time, shattering one of the few remaining barriers to women in the department and the presidential Cabinet.

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Words Matter: A Case for Gender-neutral Language in Defence

NEWS
September 29, 2020

Gendered language permeates the very fabric of the UK’s Armed Forces, from personnel answering the phone with ‘Sir’ to the widespread use of terms such as ‘unmanned’ and ‘airman’. While much progress has been made in opening up military roles for women, the continued use of gendered language remains a significant, yet easy to remove stumbling block to more inclusive armed forces.

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For Estonian Women, Military Service Increasingly Attracts as a Career

NEWS
September 27, 2020

Increasing numbers of young women who are voluntarily enrolling in Estonia’s conscription service, which is required for men, and then choosing to enter military service professionally.

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Top U.S. General Mourns Passing of Ginsburg, Who Pressed for Military Gender Equality

NEWS
September 24, 2020

U.S. Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley joined in mourning the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, whose landmark rulings and lifetime of advocacy for gender equality had a major impact on the military.

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The Rise of Female Commanders in Combat Arms

NEWS
August 26, 2020

The United States Army has been slowly integrating women into ground combat units since the Defense Department opened all military jobs to all troops in 2015.

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British Army And Royal Navy Named In Top 50 Employers For Women

NEWS
August 9, 2020

The British Army and Royal Navy have been named in 'The Times Top 50 Employers for Women 2020' list.

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First Female Commander of 1st Special Operations Wing Says 'There are No Barriers'

NEWS
July 17, 2020

Colonel Jocelyn Schermerhorn has been named the first female commander of the 1st Special Operations Wing, the most-deployed wing in the U.S. Air Force.

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A #MeToo Moment Emerges for Military Women After Soldier’s Killing

NEWS
July 13, 2020

Women in the military say the horrific killing of Army Specialist Vanessa Guillen has swept the United States, galvanizing even civilians to the cause.

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The Army Is About to Get its First Female Green Beret

NEWS
June 29, 2020

A female U.S. Army soldier is scheduled to graduate from the Special Forces Qualification Course in July and become the first woman to join the Green Berets, U.S. military officials say.

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Chief Master Sgt. JoAnne S. Bass named 19th Chief Master Sergeant of the U.S. Air Force

NEWS
June 26, 2020

Chief Master Sgt. JoAnne S. Bass was selected June 19 to become the 19th Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, becoming the first woman in history to serve as the highest ranking noncommissioned member of a U.S. military service. In selecting Bass, incoming Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown said Bass brings skills, temperament and experience that the job requires and an outlook on leadership that meshes with his own.

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First Sikh Woman to Graduate from West Point

NEWS
June 17, 2020

United Sikhs, a non-profit human development and advocacy organization, recently announced that Anmol Kaur Narang has become the first Sikh woman to graduate from West Point in the historical class of 2020. The Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army earns her stripes and degree in Nuclear Engineering. She plans to pursue a career path in air defense systems. Her first posting will be in Okinawa, Japan.

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U.S. Air Force Removes Height Requirement to Attract More Women Pilots

NEWS
June 4, 2020

The U.S. Air Force said it was dispensing with a restriction that effectively eliminated about 44 percent of American women between the ages of 20 and 29.

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Directory of Female Experts within CAR Defence and Security Forces to Boost Women Leadership

NEWS
May 14, 2020

Women in uniform in the Central African Republic are counting on a newly launched Defence Forces Official Directory of Female Experts to help push for better representation of women in decision-making positions. The document, produced with MINUSCA support, was handed over to Prime Minister Firmin Ngrebada at a ceremony held in Bangui on 11 March 2020, just three days after the celebration of International Women’s Day.

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Women Launch Legal Action to Stop Military Courts Trying U.K. Rape Cases

NEWS
May 6, 2020

Three women serving in the armed forces have begun legal action aimed at preventing the military courts from trying UK rape cases, complaining that the conviction rate is five to six times lower than in civilian courts.

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Men, Women And The Changing Shape Of Military Muscle

NEWS
May 6, 2020

This article by Avivah Wittenberg-Cox examines why women’s greater participation in militaries is a good thing. See also publication below by Andrea Tuemmler, ‘‘Women and Gender Perspectives in the Military’ Book Launch at Georgetown University’ dated 12 November 2019.

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U.S. Marine Corps Struggles to Integrate Genders in Boot Camp

NEWS
April 30, 2020

Keeping men and women in separate platoons during recruit training is the last stand for the Marine Corps, which has been slow to move toward gender integration.

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The cult of the Soldier Service Provider in the COVID-19 crisis

NEWS
April 13, 2020

by Juliet Colman

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British Army Officer Becomes First Woman to Pass Brutal Para Course

NEWS
February 26, 2020

A British Army officer has become the first woman to pass a gruelling Parachute Regiment entry test. Capt Rosie Wild, 28, was described as a "trailblazer" after passing the P Company course - which many men fail.

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Women Granted Equal Rights in Indian Army

NEWS
February 19, 2020

India's Supreme Court ruled on Monday in favor of equal rights in the armed forces, ordering the government to grant permanent commission and command positions to women officers on par with men.The judgment, seen as a landmark decision for the Indian military, means that all women will now be eligible for the same promotions, ranks, benefits and pensions as their male counterparts, irrespective of their years of service or whether they had retired.

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NATO Adopts First-ever Policy on Preventing and Responding to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse

NEWS
February 5, 2020

NATO has adopted its first policy on preventing and responding to sexual exploitation and abuse. The policy, which applies to all personnel, makes clear NATO’s zero-tolerance approach. This robust policy defines what behaviours are unacceptable, how to prevent them, and how Allies will work collectively to ensure accountability.

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Women on the Front Lines

NEWS
January 10, 2020

January 10, 2020: The 1990's saw women beginning to fill a wider range of roles in the military, with many countries relaxing their bans on women serving in combat roles. As a result, women are able to fly combat aircraft, serve in artillery units, staff missile emplacements, serve as combat medics, and fill various other roles that involve potential combat exposure.

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Living as Myself, at Last

NEWS
December 26, 2019

December 26, 2019: In this New York Times piece, Alexandria Holder, a transgender technical sergeant in the United States Air Force, tells of the years she feared pursuing her true identity as female during the time that transgender people were banned in the military.

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Ewa Skoog Haslum becomes new Marine Chief of Swedish Defense Force

NEWS
December 18, 2019

December 17, 2019: The Vice-Chancellor of the Swedish Defense Force, Fleet Admiral Ewa Skoog Haslum has been appointed new Marine Chief. She will be leaving her position as Vice-Principal at the Swedish Defense College on 1 February 2020.

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Indian Navy's First Woman Pilot

NEWS
December 16, 2019

December 16, 2019: Indian Navy's first woman pilot Sub Lieutenant Shivangi said, "My father is a teacher. My grandfather was a farmer. No one in my family has ever joined the defence forces. My parents have always supported me in whatever I wanted to do"

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Spain in Drive to Get Women into Special Forces

NEWS
December 16, 2019

December 16, 2019: Spain's defence ministry is opening more special forces roles to women as part of international efforts to tackle terrorism and unconventional warfare.

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West Point's Woman Problem

NEWS
December 8, 2019

December 8, 2019: Why aren’t there more women at West Point? All military occupations and units are now open to women, yet women made up less than 20 percent of the 2018 West Point graduating class. And that was the highest percentage ever.

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The U.S. Marines Want an Academic Study on the Cost, Impacts of Co-Ed Boot Camp

NEWS
November 13, 2019

November 13, 2019: As more men and women train together at Marine Corps boot camp, the service is looking for a university that can complete an in-depth study of co-ed recruit training.The Marine Corps is seeking info from public universities that can provide "objective, data-driven recommendations for policy change to enable better Entry Level Training (ELT) for Marine Corps recruits."

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Capturing the Life of Women in the Military is this Photographer’s Passion

NEWS
November 8, 2019

November 8, 2019: Photojournalist Lynsey Addario has covered conflict all over the world for more than 20 years, including in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Africa.But her most recent project for National Geographic’s November issue titled “Women: A Century of Change” was the first time women in the military — both in the U.S. and elsewhere — took the spotlight in her storytelling.‍

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First Female Four-star U.S. Army General Dunwoody Shares Insights

NEWS
October 14, 2019

October 14, 2019: Retired Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody received the Association of Graduates Thayer Award Oct. 10. The award was established in honor of the "Father of the Military Academy" Col. Sylvanus Thayer and is presented to an outstanding member of society whose accomplishments exemplify the military's motto, "Duty, Honor, Country."

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Why a Think Tank Puts Teen Girls in Command of Military Operations

NEWS
October 12, 2019

October 12, 2019: Though women have made a lot of progress in recent years, especially in the military and defense sectors, there are still very few women in senior positions in the U.S. military-industrial complex. The RAND Corporation, a global, nonprofit policy research center created in 1948, wanted to bring a much-needed female perspective to the fields of defense policy and national security.

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Arab Military Women Take Part in UNESCO Workshop

NEWS
October 7, 2019

October 6, 2019: For the first time, female military personnel from the armed forces of Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq gathered at UNESCO’s regional office hall in Beirut to participate in a workshop on protecting cultural property during armed conflict. They did so along with female officers from the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

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First Sisters to become U.S. Army Generals

NEWS
September 8, 2019

September 8, 2019: One sister had wanted to be a soldier since she was young; the other planned to have a career in the Foreign Service. Both marked a milestone for the U.S. Army this summer: Maj. Gen. Maria Barrett and Brig. Gen. Paula Lodi are believed to be the first pair of sisters to become generals, the military branch’s highest category of rank.

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U.S. Marine Corps Captain Makes History by Becoming First Female F-35B Jet Pilot

NEWS
September 6, 2019

September 5, 2019: Almost 25 years after having their first female aviator, the Marines have their first female F-35B jet pilot.Marine Capt. Anneliese Satz, 29, from Boise, Idaho, has become the first female F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter jet pilot.

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South Africa - Mapisa-Nqakula Addresses Woman’s Day Parade

NEWS
September 5, 2019

September 4, 2019: Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, joined the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) on 29 August in paying tribute to all female serving members at the annual Woman’s Day Parade held in Thaba Tshwane, Pretoria.

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Where Are the Plastic Army Women?

NEWS
August 16, 2019

August 15, 2019: When 6-year-old Vivian Lord was disappointed to find that her new set of green plastic soldiers were all male figures, she decided to take it up directly with various toy makers, penning letters to three different companies in an effort to add a little enlightenment to some antiquated business practices.

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Comment on UK Military’s Means of Dealing with Harassment

NEWS
July 23, 2019

July 23, 2019: Letter to the Times Newspaper on 18th July 2019 from Bob Scott, Solicitor Advocate, Salisbury, Wiltshire

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ASPI Examines Australia's Approach to Women, Peace, and Security

NEWS
July 8, 2019

July 7, 2019: The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) has recently published a series of reports examining Australia's approach to providing roles for women in sectors affecting peace and security.

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Sarah Zorn Finishes Tenure as First Female Commander at U.S. Military Academy, the Citadel

NEWS
May 20, 2019

May 20, 2019: The Citadel, the military academy which was forced to admit women after a 1995 Supreme Court ruling, selected it's first female regimental commander last year. Sarah Zorn's time as the first woman to lead 2,400 cadets is documented in a photo essay by Alyssa Schukar. Women now make up 10% of the student body.See more: I Serve as a Stepping Stone (nytimes.com)

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A Cultural Shift Is Helping Keep Talented Mothers in the U.S. Navy

NEWS
May 16, 2019

May 15, 2019: Lt. Cmdr. Karen Sankes-Ritland never imagined life outside the military.But more than a decade into her career, the strains of family life and a dual-military household were taking a toll. Something had to change. She needed a break. But she didn't want to leave the Navy. So after her fourth child's arrival in 2016, she took advantage of a program that lets enlisted sailors and officers take a sabbatical. For a year, she was a stay-at-home mom.

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Pentagon Report Shows Sharp Rise in Military Sexual Assaults

NEWS
May 5, 2019

May 5, 2019: The US military is reporting a disturbing spike in the number of active-duty service members who said they’d experienced sexual assault last year, raising questions once again about the military’s handling of misconduct.The Pentagon estimates that about 20,500 service members across the military branches — about 13,000 women and 7,500 men — were sexually assaulted in the 2018 fiscal year, based on data from an anonymous survey that’s compiled by the Department of Defense every two years.

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A Former U.S. Marine Looks Back on Her Life in a Male-Dominated Military

NEWS
April 30, 2019

April 30, 2019: The New York Times recently reviewed Anuradha Bhagwati's memoir, "Unbecoming: A Memoir of Disobedience." Her book describes her experience as a member of the U.S. Marine Corps, bringing the unique perspective of a South Asian, bisexual woman.

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Women Becoming U. S. Marines: 'I' Will No Longer Be in Your Vocabulary

NEWS
March 28, 2019

March 27, 2019: Women have been training to become Marines for decades, but only since 2016 have they been able to serve in combat roles alongside men. Today, women make up 8 percent of the United States Marine force, the lowest percentage of any military branch

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IBM Just Appointed the First African-American Woman to Command a US Navy Ship to its Board

NEWS
March 24, 2019

March 24, 2019: IBM appointed Admiral Michelle J. Howard, the first African American woman to command a U.S. Navy ship, to its board, the company announced recently. A former U.S. Navy officer, Howard was the first woman to become a 4-star admiral in addition to becoming the first African-American woman to command a U.S. Navy ship, according to IBM’s announcement.

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The Officer Who Opened the U.S. Navy for Asian-American Women

NEWS
March 13, 2019

March 3, 2019: Being an Asian Americans during World War II was not easy. Many Japanese-American families were carted off to internment camps like Manzanar, and even for those who weren’t forcibly relocated, the United States was often a harsh, discriminatory place. Which makes the career of Susan Ahn Cuddy, a trailblazing Korean-American U.S. Navy officer, even more surprising.

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40 Stories From Women About Life in the Military

NEWS
March 9, 2019

March 8, 2019: For International Women’s Day, The New York Times asked servicewomen and veterans to send stories that defined their experiences in the military. It was left to them whether to share their accomplishments, the challenges they faced or something unforgettable from their time in the military. The article provides a selection of the more than 650 submissions received.

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African Women Surmount Obstacles to Redefine Their Countries’ Militaries

NEWS
February 25, 2019

February 25, 2019: For hundreds of years, women have played a vital role in African peace and security. They’ve sacrificed in liberation struggles and offered unique skills in peacekeeping operations.

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RAF Engineer Becomes Most Senior Woman to Have Ever Served in Britain's Armed Forces

NEWS
February 23, 2019

February 23, 2019: Sue Gray, a Royal Air Force engineer, has been promoted to the rank of Air Marshal.The RAF has appointed its first ever female three-star officer, the most senior woman to have ever served in the British Armed Forces.‍

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The Soldier with a Secret Talent - Ballet

NEWS
February 21, 2019

February 20, 2019: Twenty-two-year-old Alex Smith is a serving soldier in the British Army who nearly went into a very different profession - ballet. For two years he kept his talents a secret from his fellow soldiers.

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As a Woman Serving Alongside Green Berets, I Had No Problem Keeping Up. It Wasn’t Enough.

NEWS
February 5, 2019

February 5, 2019: In a recent NY Times story, Former Army Captain Jackie Munn describes her varying experiences working with two teams of Green Berets in Afghanistan and the implications for women's success in combat units. She writes, "As a woman who had worked in Afghanistan alongside two teams of Green Berets — one open-minded and mission-oriented, the other prone to sexism and insularity — my success had been dependent on whether I was supported and respected by my male colleagues."

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A ‘Missing Man’ Formation Flown by U.S. Women Pilots, for a Woman

NEWS
February 3, 2019

February 3, 2019: Saturday afternoon, in the skies over Maynardville, Tenn., four F/A-18E/F Super Hornets streaked by in close formation, one jet peeling off and climbing into the heavens in an aerial salute to a fallen naval aviator. According to the Navy, it was the first time the “missing man” formation will be flown entirely by women.

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How Women Took Over the Military-Industrial Complex

NEWS
January 4, 2019

January 3, 2019: For the first time, the nation's defense hierarchy is no longer dominated by men. From the executive leadership of top weapons-makers, to the senior government officials designing and purchasing the nation’s military arsenal, the United States’ national defense hierarchy is, for the first time, largely run by women.

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Switzerland’s Army to be Headed by a Woman for the First Time

NEWS
December 19, 2018

December 19, 2018: Viola Amherd, one of two new women joining Switzerland’s seven-member executive team on 1 January 2019, will head the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS), a position focused mainly on military matters. This will be the first time the position has been held by a woman, according to RTS.

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South Sudan UN Peacekeeping Mission holds human rights and GBV workshop

NEWS
March 1, 2024

Teachers, women’s representatives, and the South Sudan National Police Service participated

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Liberia Names First Female Defence Minister

NEWS
February 26, 2024

Brigadier-General Geraldine George appointed shortly after women's protests

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Women peacekeepers help dismantle patriarchal stereotypes in local communities

NEWS
January 29, 2024

Women peacekeepers in Africa help to break down traditional gender barriers, and motivate and empower local women to take on non-traditional roles monopolised by men in the security sector

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Foreign ministers of Indonesia and Japan discuss progress toward the WPS agenda

NEWS
January 22, 2024

The Peacebuilding Program of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation host the event "Why do we need women's perspectives? Female Foreign Ministers of Japan and Indonesia Talk"

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Report shows AI has a negative influence on UN peacekeeping

NEWS
January 11, 2024

AI-powered disinformation has already begun to endanger UN peace and humanitarian operations

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Women-led US ministerial delegation commits to UN gender goals

NEWS
December 13, 2023

US pledges to participate in a women's body armour pilot programme and to increased funding for women police peacekeeping training

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First Azerbaijani woman peacekeeper deployed

NEWS
December 6, 2023

Major Latifa Rustamova is being deployed as a military observer with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan

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Ghana Armed Forces reaches 19% female deployment in peacekeeping operations

NEWS
November 21, 2023

Ghana has now exceeded the United Nations' 9% target

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Indonesian Peacekeeper to Receive 2023 United Nations Woman Police Officer of the Year Award

NEWS
November 15, 2023

At 27-years-old, Police First Sergeant Renita Rismayanti is the youngest recipient of the award

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Promoting Women in Law Enforcement in the Asia-Pacific

NEWS
November 13, 2023

Women are often excluded from specialised and continuous training programmes

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Ghanaian Woman Peacekeeper wins UN’s 2023 Military Gender Advocate award

NEWS
October 15, 2023

Captain Cecilia Erzuah, commander of a Ghanaian engagement platoon with the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei, in Sudan, has been awarded the UN’s prestigious 2023 Military Gender Advocate of the Year award.

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WIIS Brussels recommends 10 gender-sensitive policies to improve women's representation in security and counterterrorism sectors

NEWS
August 14, 2023

Global average number of women serving in the military increases by 1.2%, number of women police officers decreases by 1.3%

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Ghanaian peacekeeper named UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year

NEWS
May 26, 2023

Captain Cecilia Erzuah named UN Military Gender Advocate of 2023 after improving community engagement and spreading awareness of GBV, first reported by UN News

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WPS Achievements in Contingent Owned Equipment Manual Negotiations

NEWS
May 12, 2023

Revisions to the UN Contingent Owned Equipment Manual, bringing it closer to WPS goals

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UN celebrates 75-year anniversary of peacekeeping

NEWS
May 3, 2023

UN marks the 75th anniversary of peacekeeping with 'Peace Begins with Me' photo exhibit at the General Assembly Visitor's Lobby at the UN Headquarters in New York, first reported by UN News

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ELSIE Initiative Call for Proposals

NEWS
April 5, 2023

On Thursday (30th March) representatives from around the world met in New York to launch a new call for proposals to fund projects, assessments and schemes to support the greater inclusion of women in peacekeeping operations. The Elsie Initiative Fund (EIF) has awarded over 17 million dollars' worth of funding to support the increased representation of women in security services since its creation in 2019.

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African women leaders launch equality drive

NEWS
February 18, 2023

Almost 400 women leaders from 15 African countries participated in last week’s three day conference organised by the UN.

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New grant to Zambia to boost women peacekeepers

NEWS
February 12, 2023

Zambia’s police force will receive a grant of nearly $1 million to boost women’s participation in UN peace operations.

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2022 International Day of Peace seeks an End to Racism

NEWS
September 22, 2022

This week saw observation of the International Day of Peace. Established in 1981 by the United Nations, 21st September is devoted to commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace both within and among all nations and peoples.

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Ghana Gets Grant To Increase Women Peacekeepers

NEWS
September 8, 2022

Ghana has secured funding to increase the number of military women in their peacekeeping missions including command positions

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Liberia’s women peacekeepers honoured in South Sudan

NEWS
September 6, 2022

UN Police officers Elfreda Dennice Steward, Rachel Briggs, and Alfreda Tozay were three women among the nine Liberian officers .....

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UN Woman Police Officer of the Year 2022

NEWS
September 1, 2022

Chief Warrant Officer Alizeta Kabore Kinda of Burkina Faso has become the 12th recipient of the United Nations Award for Woman Police Officer of the Year. She is the first member of the Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) to be awarded this honour.

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Mongolia celebrates 20 years of peacekeeping missions

NEWS
July 22, 2022

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Mongolia’s deployment with UN Peacekeeping missions. To celebrate this achievement Mongolia held its first-ever international conference in support of UN Resolution 1325, 'Women, Peace and Security'

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Francophone Support for Women in Military Peacekeeping

NEWS
June 28, 2022

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WPS seminar in Chile aims to make Armed Forces More Ready, More Resilient, and More Effective

NEWS
May 21, 2022

A Women Peace and Security seminar organised by the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) and the Chilean Joint Peacekeeping Operations Center (CECOPAC) was recently held in Santiago, Chile. Participants discussed how gender integration in the armed and security forces in the fields of education, recruitment and promotion, could be improved.

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Blue on Blue – Investigating Sexual Abuse of Peacekeepers

NEWS
April 26, 2022

SecurityWomen welcomes new research published by the InternationalPeace Institute (IPI) looking into the sexual abuse of peacekeepers by those with whom they work along side. It is important to set an international standard of safety and security for serving peacekeepers that will encourage more women to take up careers in these roles.

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Saudi Arabia allows women to join Border Guards

NEWS
March 31, 2022

Women in Saudi Arabia are to be allowed to join the country’s Border Guards as part of the Interior Ministry’s plan to increase the number of women in government and private sector roles.

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UN Lebanon mission pioneers gender-sensitive peacekeeping

NEWS
February 10, 2022

The Interim Force in Lebanon will become the first peacekeeping mission to invest in gender-sensitive housing and improved working conditions.

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Women, Peace, and What is Security?

NEWS
October 7, 2021

In 2000 the U.N. Security Council adopted Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security with a key priority of Increasing the participation of women in peacemaking and conflict prevention. Over the ensuing years and during this past year in particular some have questioned whether the security should be defined more broadly.

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Female Soldiers Are Changing How Armed Forces Work

NEWS
April 29, 2021

Between 1957 and 1989 only 20 women ever served as un peacekeepers, anywhere. But the number of female soldiers has been growing of late.

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EU Commits to Leading by Example in Promoting Women, Peace, and Security Goals

NEWS
April 5, 2021

Recently, the EU has reinforced its commitment to promoting gender equality in the terrain of war and peace, announcing that it has the ambition to play a ‘leading role as a gender equality and catalyst’ and to ‘lead by example’ in the global promotion of WPS goals in the years to come.

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Empowering Women in Peace Operations Remains Top Priority, Says UN Peacekeeping Chief

NEWS
March 26, 2021

Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, spoke at a side event focusing on “Women Leaders in the Military”, part of the 65th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).

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U.S. Department of Defense's Adoption of Women, Peace, and Security Framework Incorporates New Approach to Human Rights

NEWS
February 18, 2021

The U.S. Department of Defense’s (DOD’s) approach to international human rights law (IHRL) has been the subject of substantial criticism, focused on the perception that the U.S. rejects a role for IHRL during military operations. The reality is more nuanced. The department’s Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Strategic Framework, issued last year, is a valuable illustration of this subtlety, and portends a shift in DOD’s relationship with and the interpretation and applicability of IHRL.

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Namibia Launches the International Women Peace Centre

NEWS
December 2, 2020

The Government of the Republic of Namibia has repeatedly affirmed its commitments towards sustainable peace.

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Women Peace Builders Are Essential For Sustainable World Peace

NEWS
November 24, 2020

As we commemorate the 20th anniversary of the U.N. Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (WPS), some 90 countries have crafted National Action Plans (NAPs) based on the critical framework for decision-making and sustainable solutions. Yet UN Women’s Deputy Chief, Peace and Security, Sarah Douglas says with governments’ insufficient progress on implementation, women remain largely shut out of local, national, regional, and international decision making.

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Progress Toward Gender Balance in Peacekeeping in 'Peril,' Committee Told

NEWS
October 28, 2020

The United Nations' goal of getting more women to serve in peacekeeping missions in conflict zones is at risk now because of the global pandemic and an erratic approach to gender equality taken by countries before the pandemic hit, a Canadian diplomat said this week.

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UN Special Political Missions in Colombia on Women, Peace and Security

NEWS
October 22, 2020

The Colombian peace process and its 2016 Final Peace Agreement are widely held to be an international model for gender-sensitivity and the inclusion of women’s rights.

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New Security Council Resolution on Women and Peacekeeping Announced

NEWS
September 7, 2020

SecurityWomen welcomes the new UN Security Council Resolution 2538 announced on the 28 August 2020 calling for greater action to bolster the role of women — both uniformed and civilian — in all levels of peacekeeping.

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Where Are the Women Peacemakers?

NEWS
August 9, 2020

Who should be but isn’t at the peace talks table for the many wars afflicting the daily lives of millions? Women. They do the work on the ground but are cut out of negotiations for peace.

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On Peacekeepers Day, UN to Spotlight Vital Role of Women Peace Operations

NEWS
May 31, 2020

This year's theme for the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers is Women in Peacekeeping.

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International Day of UN Peacekeepers 2020: Women in Peacekeeping, a Key to Peace

NEWS
May 26, 2020

Every year on 29 May, the United Nations commemorates the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers. On this day, we pay tribute to all the women and men who have served as military, police or civilians in UN Peacekeeping operations. We commend their professionalism, dedication and courage and honour the memory of those who have lost their lives in the cause of peace.

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Female Peacekeepers Should be Climbing the Ladder

NEWS
April 14, 2020

In a recent interview with DefenceWeb, Bintou Keita, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, discusses the benefits and challenges of bringing more women into peacekeeping.

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1325 and Beyond Essay Contest Announced

NEWS
February 11, 2020

Women In International Security (WIIS) and the Heinrich Böll Foundation Washington, DC are excited to announce that the 1325 And Beyond Essay Competition is now accepting submissions!

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The First-Ever Female Pakistani UN Peacekeeping Team Just Won a Medal

NEWS
February 7, 2020

A small team of Pakistani women is receiving major recognition for being the first all-female group from the country to carry out a UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

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NATO Adopts First-ever Policy on Preventing and Responding to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse

NEWS
February 5, 2020

NATO has adopted its first policy on preventing and responding to sexual exploitation and abuse. The policy, which applies to all personnel, makes clear NATO’s zero-tolerance approach. This robust policy defines what behaviours are unacceptable, how to prevent them, and how Allies will work collectively to ensure accountability.

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Expanding Gendered Understandings Key to Protection Concerns

NEWS
November 22, 2019

November 22, 2019: This recent report from the International Peace Institute addresses the need to re-examine assumptions about gender when seeking to understand the difficulties in implementing UN Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security. Despite nearly two decades of resolutions, policies, and rhetoric related to the WPS agenda, women’s participation in UN peacekeeping has only modestly increased and many components of the agenda remain woefully under-addressed.

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UN Female Police Officer of the Year, Major Seynabou Diouf of Senegal

NEWS
November 5, 2019

November 5, 2019:Major Seynabou Diouf of the Senegal National Police has been selected as the 2019 United Nations Female Police Officer of the Year.

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UN Deputy Secretary‑General Amina Mohammed Addresses Need for Gender Equality in Peacemaking

NEWS
October 26, 2019

October 26, 2019: In an address to the African Union Peace and Security Council, in Addis Ababa, Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed confirmed the Secretary General's strong commitment to women’s leadership and political participation as part of his vision for conflict prevention:

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Lebanon Finally Adopts its First National Action Plan for Lebanese Women

NEWS
September 20, 2019

September 20, 2019: On September 12, the government of Lebanon endorsed the country’s first National Action Plan (NAP) to increase the engagement of women in security and peace, while enhancing their protection and leadership. This plan aims to implement Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security, offering a comprehensive national framework for the long term stability and security of Lebanon and a building block for the attainment of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

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My Year in Africa: Why This Brazilian Woman Peacekeeper Wants to Return

NEWS
September 13, 2019

September 13, 2019: Lieut. Comdr. Marcia Braga, left, a 45-year-old Brazilian naval officer, spent a year as a UN military gender adviser in the war-wracked Central African Republic, above. She called it “the most rewarding experience she has ever had.”

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International Day of Peace September 21

NEWS
September 13, 2019

September 13, 2019: 21 September marks the International Day of Peace, which was established in 1981 by a unanimous resolution in the UN’s General Assembly. To mark the day, Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) and over 100 additional peacebuilding organizations from throughout the world issued a statement to United Nations Member States that brings attention to peace concerns.

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Women, Peace, and Security Report 2019

NEWS
August 28, 2019

August 28, 2019: In the fall of 2018, World Pulse crowdsourced the stories, experiences, and expertise of women across the world to democratize peacebuilding and security efforts. Together with partners Our Secure Future and the Women's Alliance for Security Leadership - ICAN, they collected women’s voices to shed light on what peace and security means to those who are most immediately impacted by it. They also conducted a global survey to hear from women worldwide. Nearly 350 women responded to the survey in addition to 150 World Pulse members who shared personal narratives on WorldPulse.com.

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ASPI Examines Australia's Approach to Women, Peace, and Security

NEWS
July 8, 2019

July 7, 2019: The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) has recently published a series of reports examining Australia's approach to providing roles for women in sectors affecting peace and security.

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Aided by a Female Squad Leader, US Soldiers Demonstrate Peacekeeping with Women in Mind

NEWS
June 27, 2019

June 27, 2019: Four Arizona National Guardsmen went house to house in a mock village set up on a grassy plain in rural Kazakhstan, searching for an enemy weapons cache.At many of the houses, women acting out the scenario during the Steppe Eagle exercise told the American soldiers that their culture did not allow them to enter unless a female servicemember was present.That’s where this particular squad of guardsmen stood out: Led by the first female infantry squad leader in the Arizona National Guard, Staff Sgt. Jenna Ross, the squad entered and searched the houses for the hidden weapons.

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Rwandan Female Police Officers Scaling Heights Of Policing Career

NEWS
May 30, 2019

May 30, 2019: In March 2019, the United Nations expressed its gratitude to a Rwandan Police Officer, Assistant Commissioner of Police, (ACP) Teddy Ruyenzi, for her outstanding role in UN peacekeeping. ACP Ruyenzi, who is among the top most senior police officers at the rank of ACP, leads a trail-blazing force of 160-strong all-female Formed Police Unit (FPU) in the Republic of South Sudan under the United Nations Mission in Southern Sudan (UNMISS).

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Blue Helmets: Model for Global Partnership

NEWS
May 14, 2019

May 13, 2019: Retno LP Marsudi, Foreign Minister of Indonesia, delivered a speech touching upon the importance of female peacekeepers on May 7 at the United Nations Security Council. Minister Marsudi noted that "investing in women equals investing in peace. Female peacekeepers are more effective in winning the hearts and minds of local populations;providing comfort for those traumatized by conflicts.

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Women Still Underrepresented in International Peacekeeping Missions

NEWS
April 23, 2019

April 22, 2019: Despite greater participation of women in building and sustaining peace and recognition from all quarters for the value they bring, the number of women taking part in peacekeeping operations remains low. According to the United Nations, women represent about 4% of the military peacekeepers and 10% of the police. The lack of women participation was the main subject of discussion at the high-level meeting for the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Focal Points.

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Women Must be at ‘Centre of Peacekeeping Decision-Making’: UN Chief

NEWS
April 16, 2019

April 16, 2019: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said women’s rights, voices and participation must be at “the centre of peacekeeping decision-making”.

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ICAN Lists 10 Steps to Increase Women’s Participation in Peacekeeping and Reduce Sexual Exploitation and Abuse

NEWS
April 2, 2019

April 1, 2019: The International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN) recently argued for the importance of women's participation in peacekeeping and laid out 10 steps that would foster increased participation.

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Brazilian United Nations Peacekeeper Receives Gender Advocate Award

NEWS
March 28, 2019

March 28, 2019: António Guterres will bestow naval officer, Lieutenant Commander Marcia Andrade Braga, with the UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award during the 2019 Peacekeeping Ministerial conference due to be held at UN Headquarters in New York this Friday.

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UN’s Special Rep Wants More Women Helping Solve Cyprus Unity

NEWS
March 2, 2019

March 2, 2019: Canadian diplomat Elizabeth Spehar, the United Nations Special Representative for Cyprus, said more women should be involved in helping bring reunification to the island divided since an unlawful 1974 invasion that saw Turkey occupy the northern third. The UN peacekeeping force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) is the first mission in the 71-year history of UN peacekeeping to have a woman as the Head of Mission, as well as female leadership in both uniformed components.

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African Women Surmount Obstacles to Redefine Their Countries’ Militaries

NEWS
February 25, 2019

February 25, 2019: For hundreds of years, women have played a vital role in African peace and security. They’ve sacrificed in liberation struggles and offered unique skills in peacekeeping operations.

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Ethiopian Government Commits to Enhancing Women’s Participation in Peacekeeping

NEWS
February 13, 2019

February 13, 2019: The Ethiopian government has vowed to enhance women’s participation in the military, police and the civilian services of the United Nations Peacekeeping. Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde, speaking at the opening of a two-day Preparatory Meeting on Women, Peace and Security with the Canada authorities and the United Nations (UN) in Addis Ababa recently, stated that, “Ethiopia welcomes the progress made in mainstreaming, the agenda perspective in the works of the UN.".

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Female SANDF Commander Leads Combat Engagement in Sudan

NEWS
January 24, 2019

January 24, 2019: A female South African National Defence Force (SANDF) commander taking part in the withdrawal of equipment from the peacekeeping mission in Sudan has led an engagement with local militia.

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Women Working For Peace – The Story Of Ghanian Battalion

NEWS
January 11, 2019

January 11, 2019: Women play a vital role in United Nations peacekeeping operations. From conducting patrols, to providing medical assistance and interacting with the communities, UN women peacekeepers not only serve in furthering peace, they also serve as great role models. UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) is one of the peacekeeping missions where currently roughly five per cent of its some 10,300 peacekeepers are women. That is a slight increase from nearly four percent in 2010, and the Mission, mandated by the UN Security Council, is putting added emphasis to bring numbers up.Among UNIFIL’s current 42 troop-contributing countries, and with 105 women in uniform, the Republic of Ghana is leading the way with the highest number of women peacekeepers. This is about 12 per cent of the Ghanaian Battalion’s total strength in UNIFIL.

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CYPRUS: First Time in UN History a Mission and Peace Force is Led by Women

NEWS
January 11, 2019

January 11, 2019: When UN chief of mission Elizabeth Spehar, welcomed new commander of the peacekeeping force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), Major General Cheryl Pearce from Australia, it was a landmark in United Nations history. It's the first time that the top three positions in a UN peacekeeping mission - civilian, military and police - have all been held by women.

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UN Female Police Officer Of 2018 Winner: Phyllis Ama Tebuah Osei

NEWS
December 7, 2018

December 6, 2018: Chief Superintendent Phyllis Ama Tebuah Osei of the Ghanian Police has been named the UN Female Police Officer of the Year 2018, for her peacekeeping efforts as part of the United Nations Mission in Somalia (UNSOM).

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The Women Keeping Peace in the Deadliest Place

NEWS
November 21, 2018

November 21, 2018: Superintendent Catherine Ugorji is settling in for another 24-hour shift monitoring UN patrols in the troubled Malian city of Gao. This formidable Nigerian policewoman cracks jokes with colleagues from Burkina Faso and Tunisia in fluent French, and scans her computer screen for the evening's planned routes. As a woman, she is a highly unusual presence on the sprawling UN base here, where the prefabricated buildings, mess hall and football field are all full of men. She is one of just 477 female police and military working for Mali's 15,000-strong peacekeeping mission, and the UN would like to recruit more. But the job is a difficult sell.

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A Call for More Women to Serve with United Nations Police

NEWS
November 15, 2018

November 14, 2018: More women officers are needed in the United Nations Police to make the organization more efficient and reach the entire population that they serve, a senior UN peacekeeping official recently told the Security Council.

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At Last, Another Female UN Force Commander

NEWS
November 11, 2018

November 11, 2018: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recently announced the appointment of Australian Brigadier Cheryl Pearce, on promotion to major general, as the next force commander of the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Cyprus (UNFICYP). It’s a significant decision not only for Australia, but also for the international community.

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Why Women, Peace, and Security? Why Now?

NEWS
November 6, 2018

November 5, 2018: In many of the world’s most intransigent conflicts, women are mobilized to address the most urgent issues in their communities. Syrian women are negotiating humanitarian relief at the local level and are in the top ranks of the Syrian opposition negotiating team. Women in Central African Republic mediate between local armed groups. Former Central African Republic head of state Madame Catherine Samba-Panza co-chairs a senior level network of African women mediators. In Myanmar, Rohingya women are documenting the crimes carried about by the Tatmadaw and women are negotiating ceasefires in Kachin State.

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Increasing Female Participation in Peacekeeping Operations

NEWS
October 15, 2018

October, 15, 2018: A recent Council on Foreign Relations report has recommended that the U.S. government should support a UN premium for police- and troop-contributing countries to increase the training and deployment of female peacekeepers. Women are routinely underrepresented in peacekeeping operations, even though their participation has been shown to improve mission effectiveness and advance stability.

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At UNGA, New Resolution Reiterates Importance of Female Peacekeepers

NEWS
October 10, 2018

October 10, 2018: A US-led Security Council resolution focused on improving peacekeepers’ performance was approved on Sept 21, 2018, but is devoid of how the UN will measure such assessments’, according to Passblue, an independent group reporting on the UN.

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Female Participation Strengthens Peacekeeping Protection Efforts

NEWS
October 10, 2018

October 10, 2018: U.S. Army Africa collaborates with its African partners to increase the ability of peacekeepers to protect civilians in an increasingly dangerous field environment meeting congressional, United Nations, and African Union mandates to protect civilians.

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Women’s Roles as UN Peacekeepers: A Status Report

NEWS
October 9, 2018

October 9, 2018: Women have historically been underrepresented across the United Nations system, but notably in peacekeeping, one of the most highly visible activities of the world body. And while the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations publishes monthly data on troop- and police-contributing countries, by missions and by gender, the numbers are not easily comprehensible.

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South Sudan’s Women Peacekeepers Tackle the Problems That Men Can’t

NEWS
October 9, 2018

October 9, 2018: The United Nations peacekeeping mission in South Sudan has few women in its ranks – just slightly more than the worldwide average. However, they play an important role in gathering information from the population and helping the local police investigate sexual and gender-based violence.

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Canada’s Elsie Initiative update at United Nations General Assembly

NEWS
October 3, 2018

October 2, 2018: On September 26, Chrystia Freeland held a successful Elsie Initiative side event at the United Nations General Assembly. She announced a number of major updates to the Initiative.

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Female Participation Strengthens Peacekeeping Protection Efforts

NEWS
August 28, 2018

August 28, 2018: U.S. Army Africa collaborates with its African partners to increase the ability of peacekeepers to protect civilians in an increasingly dangerous field environment meeting congressional, United Nations, and African Union mandates to protect civilians.

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Finland Has Second Thoughts about its Women Soldiers

NEWS
July 10, 2018

July 10, 2018: Finnish women have been doing voluntary military service since 1995 and this year a record 1,500 applied. But for the first time since the military was opened up to women, the idea has been floated of temporarily excluding them as a way of cutting costs.

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Rwanda to send all-woman peacekeeping force to South Sudan

NEWS
July 10, 2018

July 9, 2018: Rwanda is set to send an all-female formed police unit for deployment in South Sudan under the UN peacekeeping mission, the Rwandan police said Tuesday. The contingent is the first female team to be sent on a foreign mission by the country.

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Ready for Peacekeeping Deployment, with a Gender Lens

NEWS
May 29, 2018

May 29, 2018: Captain Anaseini Navua Vuniwaqa of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces, has taken part in two very different kinds of UN Peacekeeper trainings. At the UN Staff Officer’s Course in Beijing in 2017, she was the only international woman participant. In April 2018, she travelled to India to participate in the ninth edition of the Female Military Officers’ Course (FMOC), which aims to bridge the gender gap in UN peacekeeping. The two-week course organized by UN Women and partners, provides specialized training for female military officers around the world to create a global network of trained women peacekeepers.

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Justin Trudeau Introduces Elsie Initiative on Women in Peace Operations

NEWS
November 22, 2017

November 22, 2017: On November 15, Justin Trudeau announced that Canada will launch the Elsie Initiative on Women in Peace Operations. Canada will work with the UN and interested member states to develop innovative approaches to overcome the barriers to women’s meaningful participation in peace operations. Canada will pilot these approaches with a small number of countries that share Canada’s ambition.

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Woman Peacekeeper Wins the UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award

NEWS
November 16, 2017

November 16, 2017: A UN peacekeeper from South Africa was today awarded the United Nations’ Military Gender Advocate of the Year in Vancouver, Canada. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, presented the award to Major Seitebatso Pearl Block as part of the UN Peacekeeping Defence Ministerial taking place from 14-15 November for her outstanding work on the frontlines of UN peacekeeping.

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Canada to Send More Women to Conflict Zones

NEWS
November 6, 2017

November 1, 2017: Canada is stepping up efforts to put gender issues front and centre in conflict zones, including the deployment of more women soldiers on peace support missions, elements of a strategy that will be part of long-awaited peacekeeping initiatives expected in the coming weeks.

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UN Chief Asks All Nations to Sign New Pact Protecting Women

NEWS
September 15, 2017

Haunted by accumulating reports of sexual exploitation and abuse of women and girls by United Nations peacekeepers and others attached to UN missions around the world, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is taking the bold, unprecedented step of asking all governments to sign a compact pledging to prevent and stop these violations.

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Women Peacekeepers in Short Supply

NEWS
June 28, 2017

June 21, 2017: Next week, António Guterres will mark six months in what has been called “the most impossible job on earth,” the position of United Nations secretary-general.

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May 29 is International Day of UN Peacekeepers

NEWS
June 28, 2017

May 23, 2017: The theme for the 2017 International Day of UN Peacekeepers is “Investing in Peace Around the World.”

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U.S. Efforts to Promote Women, Peace, and Security in Peacekeeping

NEWS
June 28, 2017

May 11, 2017: In its official blog, the U.S. Department of State reports on steps taken through the Global Peace Operative...

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Scotland Will Train 200 Women as Peacekeepers

NEWS
June 28, 2017

May 2, 2017: Nicola Sturgeon has announced a new Scottish government funding initiative to help train more than 200 women...

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Nepal Leads in Female Peacekeepers

NEWS
June 28, 2017

April 2, 2017: Though many countries have made significant strides in the inclusion of women in peacekeeping and security roles...

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UN Mission in South Sudan Press Briefing on Peacekeeping and Gender Issues

NEWS
June 28, 2017

March 10, 2017: For International Women's Day Ms. Kasumi Nishigaya Head of the UN Mission in Somalia Gender Unit...

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Women in the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon

NEWS
June 28, 2017

March 10, 2017: A UN report on peacekeeping missions describes how women are making a difference in the Lebanon mission...

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Celebrating International Women's Day: Changing Role of Women in Peacekeeping

NEWS
June 28, 2017

March 10, 2017: Since 2000, with the passing of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, women’s participation in peacekeeping...

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UN Special Committee: Peacekeeping Missions Must Engage More Women Leaders

NEWS
June 28, 2017

March 5, 2017: The ever-changing international peace and security landscape amid increasing demand for peacekeeping...

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UN Peacekeeping Operations, 18th August 2015

NEWS
June 28, 2017

At an open debate of the UN Security Council on the subject of regional organisations and contemporary global security...

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Women a key part of UN focus on prevention of conflict

NEWS
June 28, 2017

The future of United Nations peace operations: implementation of the recommendations of the High-level Independent Panel on Peace Operations...

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Female Peacekeepers Connect Better with Women and Children

NEWS
June 28, 2017

November 8, 2016: Brigadier General Zewdu Kiros Gebrekidan, an Ethiopian national, was recently appointed as Deputy

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Nigerien peacekeeper presented with inaugural UN Military Gender Advocate Award for her work in Mali

NEWS
June 28, 2017

7 September 2016 – A former United Nations peacekeeper from Niger has been presented with the inaugural UN Military Gender...

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Indonesia to Increase Number of Female Peacekeepers

NEWS
June 28, 2017

October 11, 2016: Indonesia's Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi has recently stated that the government is committed...

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AMISOM Commends Female Peacekeepers in Somalia

NEWS
June 28, 2017

December 14, 2016: The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) commended its female peacekeepers for their critical...

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Exchanging ideas to close the gender gap in South and South-East Asia

NEWS
March 7, 2024

Participants from across South and South-East Asia attended the Regional Workshop on Gender-Responsive Community-Oriented Policing

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First all-women crew complete NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control Force sortie

NEWS
February 19, 2024

The Women’s Initiative Team organised the mission to champion equality and inclusion

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NATO International Military Staff Office of the Gender Advisor holds fourth regional Deep Dive session

NEWS
February 6, 2024

The session discussed the Balkans and the Gender Perspective

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Foreign ministers of Indonesia and Japan discuss progress toward the WPS agenda

NEWS
January 22, 2024

The Peacebuilding Program of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation host the event "Why do we need women's perspectives? Female Foreign Ministers of Japan and Indonesia Talk"

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Women-led US ministerial delegation commits to UN gender goals

NEWS
December 13, 2023

US pledges to participate in a women's body armour pilot programme and to increased funding for women police peacekeeping training

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First Azerbaijani woman peacekeeper deployed

NEWS
December 6, 2023

Major Latifa Rustamova is being deployed as a military observer with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan

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Indonesian Peacekeeper to Receive 2023 United Nations Woman Police Officer of the Year Award

NEWS
November 15, 2023

At 27-years-old, Police First Sergeant Renita Rismayanti is the youngest recipient of the award

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Promoting Women in Law Enforcement in the Asia-Pacific

NEWS
November 13, 2023

Women are often excluded from specialised and continuous training programmes

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United States and Romania Host Fifth Capital-Level Meeting of the Women, Peace, and Security Focal Points Network

NEWS
June 8, 2023

The United States and Romania co-chair the fifth Capital-Level Meeting of the WPS-FPN in Washington, D.C. from June 6-8

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Ghanaian peacekeeper named UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year

NEWS
May 26, 2023

Captain Cecilia Erzuah named UN Military Gender Advocate of 2023 after improving community engagement and spreading awareness of GBV, first reported by UN News

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Latin American and Caribbean partners meet in Washington for WPS workshop

NEWS
May 3, 2023

A group of 63 civilian and military representatives met at the Perry Center on April 12, 2023 to discuss WPS policy-making, first reported in Dialogos Americas.

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New UK Women Peace and Security National Action Plan for 2023-2027

NEWS
March 19, 2023

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International Day of the Girl Child 2022

NEWS
October 11, 2022

Security Women celebrates female security role models on the United Nations Day of the Girl Child.

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UN Woman Police Officer of the Year 2022

NEWS
September 1, 2022

Chief Warrant Officer Alizeta Kabore Kinda of Burkina Faso has become the 12th recipient of the United Nations Award for Woman Police Officer of the Year. She is the first member of the Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) to be awarded this honour.

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Parliamentary Bill will ensure improved accountability of progress on UK’s Women Peace and Security (WPS) National Action Plan (NAP)

NEWS
August 24, 2022

A private member’s Bill, requiring annual accountability by the UK government for progress on the WPS NAP, is to be put before the UK Parliament’s House of Lords in September.

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Saudi Arabia allows women to join Border Guards

NEWS
March 31, 2022

Women in Saudi Arabia are to be allowed to join the country’s Border Guards as part of the Interior Ministry’s plan to increase the number of women in government and private sector roles.

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Removing Barriers for Women in Law Enforcement in Canada

NEWS
March 26, 2022

Superintendent Kara Triance is the first female Officer in Charge at the Kelowna Royal Canadian Mounted Police Detachment. SecurityWomen supports women like Kara and the work they do for gender diversity.

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Two Women’s Experience of UK Policing

NEWS
March 24, 2022

Sisters Torie Harrison and Georgie Watts both serve as police officers in Northamptonshire. SecurityWomen hopes that female role models like these sisters will encourage more women and girls to make a career in policing.

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Conflict in Ukraine

NEWS
March 21, 2022

The EU and North American Civil Society Women’s Alliance Caucus Statement on Ukraine: At a time when the world is facing manifold challenges including rapid climate change, health pandemics, conflict, violence against women and girls, is it not time for humanity to shake off the lethargy that prevents substantive positive change and declare it is time to stop?

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More than 100 new police officers set to join Staffordshire’s police force in coming year

NEWS
February 10, 2022

Staffordshire police force's recent recruits will include more women and people from ethnic minority backgrounds than ever before.

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UN Lebanon mission pioneers gender-sensitive peacekeeping

NEWS
February 10, 2022

The Interim Force in Lebanon will become the first peacekeeping mission to invest in gender-sensitive housing and improved working conditions.

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Women, Power and Peacebuilding: Assessing the Women Peace and Security Agenda

NEWS
July 31, 2021

In a recent interview Sanam Naraghi Anderlini, founder and CEO of the International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN) and director of the Centre for Women, Peace and Security at the London School of Economics discusses what has been accomplished by the Women Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda thus far and what more needs to be done.

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Empowering Women in Peace Operations Remains Top Priority, Says UN Peacekeeping Chief

NEWS
March 26, 2021

Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, spoke at a side event focusing on “Women Leaders in the Military”, part of the 65th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).

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Understanding Relevance of Women, Peace & Security in Arms Control & Disarmament

NEWS
December 9, 2020

What does the Women, Peace and Security Agenda have to do with arms control and disarmament?

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Namibia Launches the International Women Peace Centre

NEWS
December 2, 2020

The Government of the Republic of Namibia has repeatedly affirmed its commitments towards sustainable peace.

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Progress Toward Gender Balance in Peacekeeping in 'Peril,' Committee Told

NEWS
October 28, 2020

The United Nations' goal of getting more women to serve in peacekeeping missions in conflict zones is at risk now because of the global pandemic and an erratic approach to gender equality taken by countries before the pandemic hit, a Canadian diplomat said this week.

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Femwise-Africa Key Player in African Union's Silence the Guns Agenda

NEWS
July 29, 2019

July 29, 2019: Last week, nine precedent-setting, traditionally male-led chiefdoms in Cameroon’s North allowed women to begin presenting women’s matters to chiefs. The women can also now represent themselves, taking over from the men who did it for them.African women’s inclusion in peace processes has come about through years of efforts culminating in Femwise-Africa, a Network of African Women in Conflict Prevention and Mediation which was established and situated under the umbrella of the AU’s Panel of the Wise in July 2017. Femwise-Africa is working to help implement an ambitious Silence the Guns by 2020 agenda.

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ASPI Examines Australia's Approach to Women, Peace, and Security

NEWS
July 8, 2019

July 7, 2019: The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) has recently published a series of reports examining Australia's approach to providing roles for women in sectors affecting peace and security.

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Justin Trudeau Introduces Elsie Initiative on Women in Peace Operations

NEWS
November 22, 2017

November 22, 2017: On November 15, Justin Trudeau announced that Canada will launch the Elsie Initiative on Women in Peace Operations. Canada will work with the UN and interested member states to develop innovative approaches to overcome the barriers to women’s meaningful participation in peace operations. Canada will pilot these approaches with a small number of countries that share Canada’s ambition.

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Shaheen's Women, Peace, and Security Act Signed into Law

NEWS
October 17, 2017

On October 6, Senator Jeanne Shaheen’s (D-NH) bipartisan bill, the Women, Peace and Security Act, was signed into law by President Donald Trump. The bill bolsters the role of women in peace negotiations and conflict resolution around the world. Senator Shaheen, the only woman on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, reintroduced the bill earlier this year with Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV).

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Lack of Women in Peace-Building Processes

NEWS
June 28, 2017

January 15, 2017: Seventeen years after the United Nations passed Resolution 1325, calling for an increased role for women in...

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Saluting Women who make Peace’, WAND (Women’s Action for New Directions), 18th August 2015

NEWS
June 28, 2017

Wendy Sherman, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs in the US Government, was applauded by WAND for her part...

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Women speak out for Peace

NEWS
June 28, 2017

The International Day of Peace is on 21st September.

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Syrian Women Come Together to Fight Oppression

NEWS
June 28, 2017

October 6, 2016: The Committee of Diplomacy of Kongreya Star—a confederation of women’s organizations in Rojava, Syria...

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Concern about the Future of Gender Equality in Foreign Policy

NEWS
June 28, 2017

December 5, 2016: Independent peace and conflict studies research institution PRIO in Oslo, Norway expressed concern...

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Conferences Discuss Women's Beneficial Role in Peace and Security

NEWS
June 28, 2017

December 21, 2016: Inclusive Security's December newsletter reports on various conferences highlighting the added value of...

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UK Reports Progress on its National Action Plan for Women, Peace and Security

NEWS
June 28, 2017

December 14, 2016: The UK Department for International Development reports on progress made over the past year in delivering...

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From Global Promise to National Action

NEWS
June 28, 2017

December 21, 2016: Since 2010, conflict and displacement have increased around the globe. Today’s wars increasingly...

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NATO Takes Action Against Conflict-Related Sexual and Gender-Based Violence

NEWS
June 28, 2017

November 6, 2016: NATO’s Military Guidelines on the Prevention of, and Response to, Conflict-Related Sexual and Gender-Based...

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Report shows AI has a negative influence on UN peacekeeping

NEWS
January 11, 2024

AI-powered disinformation has already begun to endanger UN peace and humanitarian operations

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New report launched on state of inclusion of women in cybersecurity

NEWS
April 5, 2023

Women In CyberSecurity recently launched a study to better understand the experiences of women working in cyber security. The study pinpoints barriers that prevent women from being recruited, hired, retained and promoted in the sector at the same rate as men.

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Guide for a Safer World Online for Women

NEWS
October 20, 2022

Here is a guide to help women stay safe online.

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NATO supports women and girls in science for peace and security

NEWS
February 15, 2022

For the 7th International Day of Women and Girls in Science, NATO published the stories of three of the women they have supported through their careers under NATO’s Science for Peace and Security Programme.

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Demand for Cybersecurity Talent Sets Salaries Soaring in U.S. and Canada

NEWS
January 6, 2022

Female Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) are out earning their male counterparts.

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CISA and Girls Who Code Announce Partnership to Create Cyber Career Pathways

NEWS
October 4, 2021

The U.S. based Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) announced a new partnership today with Girls Who Code (GWC) to develop pathways for young women to pursue careers in cybersecurity and technology.

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A Diversity of Skills Found Among Women

NEWS
September 22, 2021

Some of those advocating for more women in the workplace use the potentially counterproductive argument that women innately bring much needed "soft skills" to the traditionally technical cybersecurity leadership community.

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Women Technologists' Recommendations for Success in Cybersecurity

NEWS
May 12, 2021

This week, in Philadelphia, HUE Tech Summit for women technologists and techpreneurs of color focused its lessons entirely on opportunity in the cybersecurity sector.

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The Opportunities—and Obstacles—for Women in U.S. Intelligence

NEWS
April 14, 2021

Three women working in cybersecurity in the US intelligence community discuss the progress of recent years and the work that remains.

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UK Cyber Security Boss Calls on More Women to Join Her

NEWS
March 3, 2021

A leading cyber security firm boss is calling for other women to join her in the industry.

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Boosting Gender Diversity in Cybersecurity

NEWS
December 31, 2020

Cybersecurity is one of the most fast-paced, rapidly evolving modern industries, however this evolution does not appear to apply to the number of women involved in the field.

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Remote Work Could Help Cybersecurity’s Diversity Problem – But Will It?

NEWS
July 29, 2020

Job market data from the second quarter suggests there are increasing opportunities for women and minorities in the world of remote work, but long-standing biases may provide resistance.

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Leadership Roles of Women in Cybersecurity

NEWS
March 5, 2020

Women are emerging as cybersecurity experts, with a much larger influx of women entering the field expected. And, women are ascending into senior or leadership positions within their companies, often through different pathways, according to results of the Women in Cybersecurity Survey to be presented by SANS Institute in two webcasts on March 17 and March 24.

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Biased AI Is Another Sign We Need to Solve the Cybersecurity Diversity Problem

NEWS
February 16, 2020

Artificial intelligence (AI) excels at finding patterns like unusual human behavior or abnormal incidents. It can also reflect human flaws and inconsistencies, including 180 known types of bias. Biased AI is everywhere, and like humans, it can discriminate against gender, race, age, disability and ideology.

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CEO Runs Her Cybersecurity Company From Sweet Home Chicago

NEWS
February 1, 2020

February 1, 2020: Ning Wang has traveled a long road to become CEO of Offensive Security, a company offering highly specialized training in cybersecurity for clients ranging from the U.S. Army to Amazon.

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Recruiting and Retaining More Women in Cybersecurity

NEWS
November 29, 2019

November 29, 2019: The cybersecurity industry is facing a serious numbers problem as too many jobs go unfilled. A recent ESG study found that more than half of companies surveyed (53 percent) reported a significant shortage of cybersecurity skills within their organizations, and 63 percent of organizations aren’t able to provide adequate training for their cybersecurity professionals. While these numbers are alarming, one has to wonder: What if many of the industry’s most troubling issues could be improved with more women in cybersecurity?

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Women in Cybersecurity: Where We Are and Where We’re Going

NEWS
September 25, 2019

September 25, 2019: An opinion piece in Scientific American discusses strategies for increasing the number of women in the burgeoning, male-dominated field of cybersecurity.

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Women in Security Awards 2019: Special Recognition Award goes to Year 9 Student

NEWS
September 17, 2019

September 16, 2019: 9th grade student Tamara Baker was awarded the CSO Special Recognition award at the 2019 CSO Inaugural Women in Security Awards in September.

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First Sisters to become U.S. Army Generals

NEWS
September 8, 2019

September 8, 2019: One sister had wanted to be a soldier since she was young; the other planned to have a career in the Foreign Service. Both marked a milestone for the U.S. Army this summer: Maj. Gen. Maria Barrett and Brig. Gen. Paula Lodi are believed to be the first pair of sisters to become generals, the military branch’s highest category of rank.

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U.S. National Security Agency's Cybersecurity Summer Camp

NEWS
August 18, 2019

August 18, 2019: In 2014 not long after the National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden revealed that the N.S.A. was monitoring the phone calls and e-mail of American citizens, Congress passed the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act, to “strengthen cybersecurity research and development, workforce development and education.” The Cybersecurity Enhancement Act also spurred the N.S.A. to do something unexpected: it began sponsoring summer cybersecurity camps for children.

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Anne Neuberger Tapped to Lead U.S. Cybersecurity Directorate

NEWS
July 24, 2019

July 24, 2019: The National Security Agency will create a cybersecurity directorate later this year as part of a wider effort to more closely align the agency’s offensive and defensive operations, U.S. officials said. Anne Neuberger has been tapped to lead the new directorate, slated to become operational Oct. 1

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ASPI Examines Australia's Approach to Women, Peace, and Security

NEWS
July 8, 2019

July 7, 2019: The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) has recently published a series of reports examining Australia's approach to providing roles for women in sectors affecting peace and security.

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New Career Comeback Program Launched for Malaysian Women in Cyber Security

NEWS
June 26, 2019

June 26, 2019: A new program has been launched in Malaysia to support women in cyber security in returning to work, as shared on Ministry of Communications and Multimedia via Bernama.Known as ‘Empowering Women in Cyber Risk Management’, the program is a career comeback initiative that aims to overcome the talent gap faced by the cyber security industry.

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Sue Black Champions Women in Cybersecurity

NEWS
June 2, 2019

June 2, 2019: One of the more compelling keynote speakers to appear at the upcoming Infosecurity Europe 2019 event in London, UK, is indubitably Professor Sue Black, until recently head of department of Computing Sciences at the University of Westminster. Now a full-time technology evangelist, she was awarded the Order of the British Empire for services to technology in 2016.

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Over 1,300 Women Gather at Women in CyberSecurity Conference in Pittsburgh

NEWS
April 17, 2019

April 17, 2019: The Women in CyberSecurity conference boasted a record high attendance while implementing new activities and programs for participants.

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Representation Of Women In The Cybersecurity Workforce Is Recalculated To 20 Percent

NEWS
March 31, 2019

March 31, 2019: Cybersecurity Ventures predicts that women will represent more than 20 percent of the global cybersecurity workforce by the end of 2019, compared with fewer than 11% just five years ago.

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IBM Just Appointed the First African-American Woman to Command a US Navy Ship to its Board

NEWS
March 24, 2019

March 24, 2019: IBM appointed Admiral Michelle J. Howard, the first African American woman to command a U.S. Navy ship, to its board, the company announced recently. A former U.S. Navy officer, Howard was the first woman to become a 4-star admiral in addition to becoming the first African-American woman to command a U.S. Navy ship, according to IBM’s announcement.

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Spotlight on Women in Cybersecurity

NEWS
March 15, 2019

March 15, 2019: Security Boulevard, home of the Security Bloggers Network, recently asked women in cybersecurity three questions.

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RSA Cybersecurity Conference Tries to Rehab Image among Women

NEWS
March 6, 2019

March 6, 2019: Sandra Toms has been the chief organizer of the RSA Conference in San Francisco for 21 years, helping to grow it from a meeting of a few hundred mathematicians and cryptographers in the early ’90s to an event attended by more than 40,000 people, including business leaders from around the world. Working behind the scenes of the RSA Conference, hosted by Massachusetts cybersecurity firm RSA, Toms has sometimes struggled to boost the presence of women in security.

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Ambassador Sonto Kudjoe On The Modern Day Defence And Security Threats Challenging Africa

NEWS
November 20, 2018

November 20, 2018: South African entrepreneur and technocrat Sonto Kudjoe, who is a former Director General of South Africa’s State Security Agency (SSA) and Ambassador to Egypt from 2006-2010, has a unique understanding of the modern-day defense and security threats challenging the African continent. In a recent interview in Forbes magazine, Ambassador Kudjoe stated that a major challenge for African and global defense is that by its very nature, the defense and security industry has always been and still in many cases remains, male-dominated. Nevertheless, she has been encouraged by signs that women are beginning to increase their numbers in this sector.

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Sylvia Acevedo, Girl Scouts of the USA CEO, Named 2018 Cybersecurity Person Of The Year

NEWS
October 18, 2018

October 18, 2018: Cybersecurity Ventures announced that Sylvia Acevedo, the CEO for the Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA), has been named its 2018 Cybersecurity Person Of The Year.

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Tackling Cybersecurity's Gender Problem

NEWS
September 14, 2018

September 14, 2018: The cyber security industry’s female workforce is a paltry 8% in the UK (and only 7% in Europe) and they earn on average 15.5% less than their male colleagues. Globally, the percentage of women in the field is just 11%, a number that has remained steady since 2013.This gender imbalance may have serious implications for our safety.

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The Search for Women Who Want Cybersecurity Careers

NEWS
June 21, 2018

June 20, 2018: There is a shortage of workers in cybersecurity and a shortage of women in tech jobs. New efforts to get girls interested in cybersecurity are aimed at tackling both of those problems.

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Cybersecurity Needs Women

NEWS
March 28, 2018

March 28, 2018: Cybercrime exacerbates inequalities. A million more US women than men had their identities stolen in 2014. And women and girls are more likely than men to be targets of ‘remote sexual abuse’ — coerced into posing nude online or being stalked through the Internet.

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Female Afghan Coders Break Gender Barriers in Fight against Opium

NEWS
March 5, 2018

March 5, 2018: A girls-only computer programing school in Herat is empowering girls to learn code as a way to change their lives. The students have created a game, with the intention to raise awareness among the young, which underscores Afghanistan's struggle to eradicate vast opium poppy fields ruled by the Taliban.

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Interest in Cybersecurity Field Growing Among Young Women

NEWS
January 15, 2018

January 15, 2018: WannaCry, ExPetr and other large-scale cyberattacks that made headlines in 2017 have been putting cybersecurity careers firmly on the radar for young women – a critical change for an industry that is expected to have a shortfall of 1.8 million professionals by 2022, and in which only 11 percent of professionals are currently women.

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Gaza companies hire female security guards

NEWS
November 2, 2022

More women in Gaza are taking up jobs normally reserved for men. Now, institutions such as banks and shopping malls are requesting female staff to meet changing security needs.

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Removing Barriers for Women in Law Enforcement in Canada

NEWS
March 26, 2022

Superintendent Kara Triance is the first female Officer in Charge at the Kelowna Royal Canadian Mounted Police Detachment. SecurityWomen supports women like Kara and the work they do for gender diversity.

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NATO supports women and girls in science for peace and security

NEWS
February 15, 2022

For the 7th International Day of Women and Girls in Science, NATO published the stories of three of the women they have supported through their careers under NATO’s Science for Peace and Security Programme.

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UN Lebanon mission pioneers gender-sensitive peacekeeping

NEWS
February 10, 2022

The Interim Force in Lebanon will become the first peacekeeping mission to invest in gender-sensitive housing and improved working conditions.

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Covid Quarantine Hotels: Women Say They Were Sexually Harassed by Guards

NEWS
July 12, 2021

Four women who stayed in quarantine hotels in the UK have stated they were sexually harassed by guards working for security company G4S.

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Girl Scouts to Train Next Generation of Cybersecurity, AI, and Robotics Professionals

NEWS
December 10, 2017

December 9, 2017: The Girls Scouts are continuing their quest to prepare young women for careers in STEM: On Monday, Girls Scouts of the USA and Raytheon announced the launch of the organization's first national computer science program for middle and high school girls, aiming to prepare students for careers in high-demand fields such as cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and data science.

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Cybersecurity Quest Sends States to Vets, Students, Women

NEWS
November 30, 2017

November 30, 2017: Internships for veterans, cyber classes for high school and college students and mentoring programs — aimed especially at middle-school girls — are among the ways states are trying to beef up their cybersecurity ranks. Cybersecurity is the most pressing issue for state information technology officials, as hackers and cybercriminals increasingly take aim at government networks, which contain information such as Social Security, bank account and credit card numbers of millions of people and businesses.

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Beyond 11%: Need for Women Role Models in Cybersecurity

NEWS
November 18, 2017

November 18, 2017: The debates on the skill gap and gender gap in cybersecurity have of late become redundant topics. But both continue to escalate even after significant efforts by several organizations. A study by The Global Information Security Workforce Study from (ISC)² and its Centre for Cyber Safety and Education had revealed that the women only make up to 11 percent of the global cybersecurity workforce. And even here, the 11 percent has been a stagnant figure since 2013.

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Women Cracked Wartime Codes. They Can Fix Tech Today, Too.

NEWS
November 15, 2017

November 15, 2017: Before she died in 2016 at age 94, Ann Caracristi, the first female deputy director of the National Security Agency, liked to reminisce about the absurd stereotypes that women had to contend with back when she entered public service during World War II.

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Terrorism and Gender

NEWS
June 28, 2017

June 7, 2017: As nations grapple with the enormous challenge of protecting against security threats, it’s crucial to grasp the...

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Why Europe Puts Women in Top Defense Roles

NEWS
June 28, 2017

May 19, 2017: At the May 18 meeting of European Union defense ministers all five of the bloc's biggest economies (minus the U.K.) were represented by women.

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‘Why the Wall Street bull sculptor wants the ‘Fearless Girl’ put out to pasture’

NEWS
June 28, 2017

“We continue to be grateful to the City of New York and people around the world who have responded so enthusiastically...

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Women Key in Fighting Terrorism

NEWS
June 28, 2017

February 18, 2017: Research conducted at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health concludes, based on feedback

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'The real Q is a woman': boss of MI6 makes pitch for female recruits

NEWS
June 28, 2017

January 26, 2017: Sir Alex Younger, speaking at Women in IT Awards, says James Bond films give MI6 a global profile...

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Talking Atrocities and Addressing Insecurity, August 2015

NEWS
June 28, 2017

At a course held in Kigali, Rwanda last month the Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) joined international academics...

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Guterres: Failure to prevent conflict is world’s greatest shortfall

NEWS
June 28, 2017

9th January 2017: The international community's failure to prevent conflicts and promote security is its greatest failing to date...

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Women's Rights Directly Tied to National Security

NEWS
June 28, 2017

December 31, 2016: In a Dec. 26 New York Times op-ed column, Valerie Hudson and Dara Cohen discuss the Trump transition...

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Nigerian Women Play Major Role in Fighting Boko Haram

NEWS
June 28, 2017

Oct. 18, 2016: Terrorist group Boko Haram has gradually lost ground in northeastern Nigeria, thanks to the military and a...

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Buddhist Nuns Learn Kung Fu

NEWS
June 28, 2017

September 19, 2016: His Holiness The Gyalwang Drukpa, leader of the 1,000 year old Drupka lineage of Buddhism...

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SDGs agreed in principle

NEWS
June 28, 2017

At the beginning of August, after eight months of negotiations by member states in New York, an outcome document on the...

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The British Army still has a long way to go towards eliminating sexual harassment of all service personnel

NEWS
April 26, 2022

Reflecting on the results of a recent government survey looking into the experiences and perceptions of sexual harassment in the armed forces.

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SecurityWomen supports 30th anniversary of 16 Days of Activism

NEWS
November 25, 2021

As 2021 is the 30th anniversary of the global 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence, it is a good time to reflect on what has been its impact both at national and international levels.

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Resolution 1325 comes of age, but what has it achieved?

NEWS
October 29, 2021

This weekend sees Resolution 1325 coming of age. 1325 was passed unanimously by the UN Security Council on 31 October 2000. It is the corner stone of the Women, Peace and Security agenda, recognising the disproportionate impact conflict has on women and girls.

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Book Launch: A Woman’s Place: US Counterterrorism since 9/11

NEWS
February 7, 2020

On Wednesday, Feb. 5th, WIIS-DC hosted an event to celebrate the launch of Dr. Joana Clark’s new book, A Woman’s Place: US Counterterrorism since 9/11. The panel discussion included Dr. Joana Clark, as well as Seamus Hughes, who focuses on counterterrorism and homegrown violent extremism, and Lauren Protentis, who focuses on communications and security. The conversation emphasized the need for nuanced gender analysis in both academic and policy discussions about effective counterterrorism strategy. The panelists started by recognizing women’s agency, but quickly dug deeper to examine the gendered nature of American countering violent extremism (CVE) policy.

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JOIN THE DISCUSSION....

NEWS
May 7, 2019

On 12 June, SecurityWomen held its inaugural conference on Women’s Participation in the Security Sector at Guildhall, central London, courtesy of the City of London Corporation and supported by the Canadian Government Defence Engagement Programme. The conference was recorded and is available on the SecurityWomen App: https://securitywomen.supapass.com, available from the App store. You are invited to post comments on the Community Website. The purpose of this exercise is to engage advocates of gender equality from various regions of the world to help communicate global narratives in the key area of Women’s Participation in the Security Sector.

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