{"id":127731,"date":"2013-01-17T10:35:30","date_gmt":"2013-01-17T15:35:30","guid":{"rendered":"\/gazette\/?p=127731"},"modified":"2019-03-29T14:42:27","modified_gmt":"2019-03-29T18:42:27","slug":"women-waging-peace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2013\/01\/women-waging-peace\/","title":{"rendered":"Women waging peace"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t
\"\"

After \u201cthe women of Liberia got to the [negotiating] table, we\u2019ve had 10 years of peace," Julia Duncan-Cassell (standing), Liberia\u2019s minister of gender and development, told a Harvard Kennedy School audience. Among the panelists were moderator Swanee Hunt (from far left), Sabrina Saqeb (not seen), Wafa Bugaighis, Rajaa Altalli, Ja Nan Lahtaw, and Sofi Ospina.<\/p>

Katherine Taylor\/Harvard Staff Photographer<\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\t

\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tNation & World\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t

\n\t\tWomen waging peace\t<\/h1>\n\n\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\tChuck Leddy\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t

\n\t\t\tHarvard Correspondent\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/address>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t

\n\t\t\tHow they have become forces to improve their troubled nations\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\n<\/header>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\t\t

United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 says that \u201ccivilians, particularly women and children, account for the vast majority of those adversely affected by armed conflict,\u201d and emphasizes \u201cthe important role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Tuesday at a packed John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum<\/a> at the Institute of Politics<\/a> at the Harvard Kennedy School<\/a> (HKS), six female leaders discussed how they\u2019re waging peace and promoting inclusiveness in their war-ravaged nations. Moderator Swanee Hunt, the Eleanor Roosevelt Lecturer in Public Policy and former U.S. ambassador to Austria, facilitated a compelling discussion of how peace is a core women\u2019s issue and why women need roles in resolving national conflicts.<\/p>\n

Julia Duncan-Cassell, Liberia\u2019s minister of gender and development, began by explaining how her African nation had suffered years of war and a series of failed peace agreements. Something finally changed, she said, when women got involved.<\/p>\n

After \u201cthe women of Liberia got to the [negotiating] table,\u201d she said, \u201cwe\u2019ve had 10 years of peace.\u201d<\/p>\n

Duncan-Cassell said that woman had always possessed power in Liberia, but didn\u2019t exercise it until they became fed up with endless war. She drew good-natured laughter when she said that Liberian women got a seat at the table by refusing to cook, clean, or otherwise serve men in silence.<\/p>\n

The Libyan peace and education activist Wafa Bugaighis described how that North African country\u2019s women also had suffered quietly under the dictatorial regime of President Moammar Gadhafi. It was Libyan women who finally broke that Orwellian silence and catalyzed the Libyan revolution, she said. The women of Bugaighis\u2019 hometown, Benghazi, courageously confronted the Gadhafi police state by taking to the streets and chanting \u201cRise up, Benghazi!\u201d These remarkable women, she said, \u201cwere the mothers of martyrs,\u201d their sons having been executed by Gadhafi\u2019s government for criticizing his dictatorship.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone in the country had the same feeling\u201d of quiet disgust for Gadhafi, said Bugaighis, but the chanting women of Benghazi destroyed that silence.<\/p>\n

When women were sidelined after the revolution, Bugaighis and other activists rose up again, creating a coalition \u201cto advocate for more participation of women in decision-making.\u201d The effort succeeded. \u201cWe won 33 seats in the national congress,\u201d she said. Despite intermittent violence, \u201cpeace will succeed in Libya because women are behind it,\u201d Bugaighis suggested.<\/p>\n

The Myanmar peace activist Ja Nan Lahtaw spoke of the uncertainties of her nation\u2019s \u201csemi-democracy\u201d as it haltingly tries to open up to the world. Myanmar\u2019s military-dominated government still practices discrimination against ethnic minorities, said Lahtaw. She discussed the many challenges of waging peace in Myanmar. When Lahtaw negotiated with an ex-general who is now a government minister, she didn\u2019t even know how to address him. She tried \u201cminister,\u201d but he objected. Finally, Lahtaw said, \u201cI called him uncle,\u201d and that worked. (The point also drew appreciative chuckles from the audience.)<\/p>\n

Sofi Ospina of Colombia echoed the importance of having women participate in peacemaking. She has become a strong advocate for including women in the peace negotiations between Colombia\u2019s government and the FARC leftist insurgency. Ospina described herself as \u201can eco-feminist\u201d who is advocating simultaneously \u201cto include women and to protect our natural resources.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Syrian human rights activist Rajaa Altalli is helping to prepare her Middle Eastern nation for a future without the repressive regime of President Bashar al-Assad, who she says continues \u201cto terrorize his own people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWomen will be the ones to build the bridge\u201d to peace and national reconciliation in Syria, she said.<\/p>\n

Sabrina Saqeb, an advocate for the inclusion of women in Afghan politics and society, is equally certain of women\u2019s essential role in peace-building: \u201cWar will not end if [women] don\u2019t take a step forward for peace, and peace should be inclusive if it is to be just and long-lasting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bugaighis concluded by praising the empowering impetus of Resolution 1325. \u201cWe no longer want women as victims,\u201d she said. \u201cWe want them as actors\u201d pursuing peace. The six women, struggling bravely for peace in their nations, embody that inclusive vision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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Among the panelists were moderator Swanee Hunt (from far left), Sabrina Saqeb (not seen), Wafa Bugaighis, Rajaa Altalli, Ja Nan Lahtaw, and Sofi Ospina.","mediaId":127733,"mediaSize":"full","mediaType":"image","mediaUrl":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/011513_women_6345_605main.jpg","poster":"","title":"Women waging peace","subheading":"How they have become forces to improve their troubled nations","centeredImage":true,"className":"is-style-full-width-text-below","mediaHeight":400,"mediaWidth":605,"backgroundFixed":false,"backgroundTone":"light","coloredBackground":false,"displayOverlay":true,"fadeInText":false,"isAmbient":false,"mediaLength":"","mediaPosition":"","posterText":"","titleAbove":false,"useUncroppedImage":false,"lock":[],"metadata":[]},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img alt=\"\" height=\"400\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/011513_women_6345_605main.jpg\" width=\"605\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><p class=\"wp-element-caption--caption\">After \u201cthe women of Liberia got to the [negotiating] table, we\u2019ve had 10 years of peace," Julia Duncan-Cassell (standing), Liberia\u2019s minister of gender and development, told a Harvard Kennedy School audience. Among the panelists were moderator Swanee Hunt (from far left), Sabrina Saqeb (not seen), Wafa Bugaighis, Rajaa Altalli, Ja Nan Lahtaw, and Sofi Ospina.<\/p><p class=\"wp-element-caption--credit\">Katherine Taylor\/Harvard Staff Photographer<\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","innerContent":["<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img alt=\"\" height=\"400\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/011513_women_6345_605main.jpg\" width=\"605\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><p class=\"wp-element-caption--caption\">After \u201cthe women of Liberia got to the [negotiating] table, we\u2019ve had 10 years of peace," Julia Duncan-Cassell (standing), Liberia\u2019s minister of gender and development, told a Harvard Kennedy School audience. Among the panelists were moderator Swanee Hunt (from far left), Sabrina Saqeb (not seen), Wafa Bugaighis, Rajaa Altalli, Ja Nan Lahtaw, and Sofi Ospina.<\/p><p class=\"wp-element-caption--credit\">Katherine Taylor\/Harvard Staff Photographer<\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n"],"rendered":"<header\n\tclass=\"wp-block-harvard-gazette-article-header alignfull article-header is-style-full-width-text-below centered-image\"\n\tstyle=\" \"\n>\n\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img alt=\"\" height=\"400\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/011513_women_6345_605main.jpg\" width=\"605\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><p class=\"wp-element-caption--caption\">After \u201cthe women of Liberia got to the [negotiating] table, we\u2019ve had 10 years of peace," Julia Duncan-Cassell (standing), Liberia\u2019s minister of gender and development, told a Harvard Kennedy School audience. Among the panelists were moderator Swanee Hunt (from far left), Sabrina Saqeb (not seen), Wafa Bugaighis, Rajaa Altalli, Ja Nan Lahtaw, and Sofi Ospina.<\/p><p class=\"wp-element-caption--credit\">Katherine Taylor\/Harvard Staff Photographer<\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\t<div class=\"article-header__content\">\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"article-header__category\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/nation-world\/\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\tNation & World\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t<h1 class=\"article-header__title wp-block-heading \">\n\t\tWomen waging peace\t<\/h1>\n\n\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<div class=\"article-header__meta\">\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-post-author\">\n\t\t\t<address class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"author wp-block-post-author__name\">\n\t\tChuck Leddy\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-post-author__byline\">\n\t\t\tHarvard Correspondent\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/address>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<time class=\"article-header__date\" datetime=\"2013-01-17\">\n\t\t\tJanuary 17, 2013\t\t<\/time>\n\n\t\t<span class=\"article-header__reading-time\">\n\t\t\t4 min read\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"article-header__subheading wp-block-heading\">\n\t\t\tHow they have become forces to improve their troubled nations\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\n<\/header>\n"},"2":{"blockName":"core\/group","attrs":{"templateLock":false,"metadata":{"name":"Article content"},"align":"wide","layout":{"type":"constrained","justifyContent":"center"},"tagName":"div","lock":[],"className":"","style":[],"backgroundColor":"","textColor":"","gradient":"","fontSize":"","fontFamily":"","borderColor":"","ariaLabel":"","anchor":""},"innerBlocks":[{"blockName":"core\/freeform","attrs":{"content":"","lock":[],"metadata":[]},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n\t\t<p>United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 says that \u201ccivilians, particularly women and children, account for the vast majority of those adversely affected by armed conflict,\u201d and emphasizes \u201cthe important role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>On Tuesday at a packed <a href=\"https:\/\/iop.harvard.edu\/forum\">John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum<\/a> at the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.iop.harvard.edu\/\">Institute of Politics<\/a> at the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hks.harvard.edu\/\">Harvard Kennedy School<\/a> (HKS), six female leaders discussed how they\u2019re waging peace and promoting inclusiveness in their war-ravaged nations. Moderator Swanee Hunt, the Eleanor Roosevelt Lecturer in Public Policy and former U.S. ambassador to Austria, facilitated a compelling discussion of how peace is a core women\u2019s issue and why women need roles in resolving national conflicts.<\/p>\n<p>Julia Duncan-Cassell, Liberia\u2019s minister of gender and development, began by explaining how her African nation had suffered years of war and a series of failed peace agreements. Something finally changed, she said, when women got involved.<\/p>\n<p>After \u201cthe women of Liberia got to the [negotiating] table,\u201d she said, \u201cwe\u2019ve had 10 years of peace.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Duncan-Cassell said that woman had always possessed power in Liberia, but didn\u2019t exercise it until they became fed up with endless war. She drew good-natured laughter when she said that Liberian women got a seat at the table by refusing to cook, clean, or otherwise serve men in silence.<\/p>\n<p>The Libyan peace and education activist Wafa Bugaighis described how that North African country\u2019s women also had suffered quietly under the dictatorial regime of President Moammar Gadhafi. It was Libyan women who finally broke that Orwellian silence and catalyzed the Libyan revolution, she said. The women of Bugaighis\u2019 hometown, Benghazi, courageously confronted the Gadhafi police state by taking to the streets and chanting \u201cRise up, Benghazi!\u201d These remarkable women, she said, \u201cwere the mothers of martyrs,\u201d their sons having been executed by Gadhafi\u2019s government for criticizing his dictatorship.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEveryone in the country had the same feeling\u201d of quiet disgust for Gadhafi, said Bugaighis, but the chanting women of Benghazi destroyed that silence.<\/p>\n<p>When women were sidelined after the revolution, Bugaighis and other activists rose up again, creating a coalition \u201cto advocate for more participation of women in decision-making.\u201d The effort succeeded. \u201cWe won 33 seats in the national congress,\u201d she said. Despite intermittent violence, \u201cpeace will succeed in Libya because women are behind it,\u201d Bugaighis suggested.<\/p>\n<p>The Myanmar peace activist Ja Nan Lahtaw spoke of the uncertainties of her nation\u2019s \u201csemi-democracy\u201d as it haltingly tries to open up to the world. Myanmar\u2019s military-dominated government still practices discrimination against ethnic minorities, said Lahtaw. She discussed the many challenges of waging peace in Myanmar. When Lahtaw negotiated with an ex-general who is now a government minister, she didn\u2019t even know how to address him. She tried \u201cminister,\u201d but he objected. Finally, Lahtaw said, \u201cI called him uncle,\u201d and that worked. (The point also drew appreciative chuckles from the audience.)<\/p>\n<p>Sofi Ospina of Colombia echoed the importance of having women participate in peacemaking. She has become a strong advocate for including women in the peace negotiations between Colombia\u2019s government and the FARC leftist insurgency. Ospina described herself as \u201can eco-feminist\u201d who is advocating simultaneously \u201cto include women and to protect our natural resources.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Syrian human rights activist Rajaa Altalli is helping to prepare her Middle Eastern nation for a future without the repressive regime of President Bashar al-Assad, who she says continues \u201cto terrorize his own people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWomen will be the ones to build the bridge\u201d to peace and national reconciliation in Syria, she said.<\/p>\n<p>Sabrina Saqeb, an advocate for the inclusion of women in Afghan politics and society, is equally certain of women\u2019s essential role in peace-building: \u201cWar will not end if [women] don\u2019t take a step forward for peace, and peace should be inclusive if it is to be just and long-lasting.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bugaighis concluded by praising the empowering impetus of Resolution 1325. \u201cWe no longer want women as victims,\u201d she said. \u201cWe want them as actors\u201d pursuing peace. The six women, struggling bravely for peace in their nations, embody that inclusive vision.<\/p>\n\n","innerContent":["\n\t\t<p>United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 says that \u201ccivilians, particularly women and children, account for the vast majority of those adversely affected by armed conflict,\u201d and emphasizes \u201cthe important role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>On Tuesday at a packed <a href=\"https:\/\/iop.harvard.edu\/forum\">John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum<\/a> at the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.iop.harvard.edu\/\">Institute of Politics<\/a> at the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hks.harvard.edu\/\">Harvard Kennedy School<\/a> (HKS), six female leaders discussed how they\u2019re waging peace and promoting inclusiveness in their war-ravaged nations. Moderator Swanee Hunt, the Eleanor Roosevelt Lecturer in Public Policy and former U.S. ambassador to Austria, facilitated a compelling discussion of how peace is a core women\u2019s issue and why women need roles in resolving national conflicts.<\/p>\n<p>Julia Duncan-Cassell, Liberia\u2019s minister of gender and development, began by explaining how her African nation had suffered years of war and a series of failed peace agreements. Something finally changed, she said, when women got involved.<\/p>\n<p>After \u201cthe women of Liberia got to the [negotiating] table,\u201d she said, \u201cwe\u2019ve had 10 years of peace.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Duncan-Cassell said that woman had always possessed power in Liberia, but didn\u2019t exercise it until they became fed up with endless war. She drew good-natured laughter when she said that Liberian women got a seat at the table by refusing to cook, clean, or otherwise serve men in silence.<\/p>\n<p>The Libyan peace and education activist Wafa Bugaighis described how that North African country\u2019s women also had suffered quietly under the dictatorial regime of President Moammar Gadhafi. It was Libyan women who finally broke that Orwellian silence and catalyzed the Libyan revolution, she said. The women of Bugaighis\u2019 hometown, Benghazi, courageously confronted the Gadhafi police state by taking to the streets and chanting \u201cRise up, Benghazi!\u201d These remarkable women, she said, \u201cwere the mothers of martyrs,\u201d their sons having been executed by Gadhafi\u2019s government for criticizing his dictatorship.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEveryone in the country had the same feeling\u201d of quiet disgust for Gadhafi, said Bugaighis, but the chanting women of Benghazi destroyed that silence.<\/p>\n<p>When women were sidelined after the revolution, Bugaighis and other activists rose up again, creating a coalition \u201cto advocate for more participation of women in decision-making.\u201d The effort succeeded. \u201cWe won 33 seats in the national congress,\u201d she said. Despite intermittent violence, \u201cpeace will succeed in Libya because women are behind it,\u201d Bugaighis suggested.<\/p>\n<p>The Myanmar peace activist Ja Nan Lahtaw spoke of the uncertainties of her nation\u2019s \u201csemi-democracy\u201d as it haltingly tries to open up to the world. Myanmar\u2019s military-dominated government still practices discrimination against ethnic minorities, said Lahtaw. She discussed the many challenges of waging peace in Myanmar. When Lahtaw negotiated with an ex-general who is now a government minister, she didn\u2019t even know how to address him. She tried \u201cminister,\u201d but he objected. Finally, Lahtaw said, \u201cI called him uncle,\u201d and that worked. (The point also drew appreciative chuckles from the audience.)<\/p>\n<p>Sofi Ospina of Colombia echoed the importance of having women participate in peacemaking. She has become a strong advocate for including women in the peace negotiations between Colombia\u2019s government and the FARC leftist insurgency. Ospina described herself as \u201can eco-feminist\u201d who is advocating simultaneously \u201cto include women and to protect our natural resources.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Syrian human rights activist Rajaa Altalli is helping to prepare her Middle Eastern nation for a future without the repressive regime of President Bashar al-Assad, who she says continues \u201cto terrorize his own people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWomen will be the ones to build the bridge\u201d to peace and national reconciliation in Syria, she said.<\/p>\n<p>Sabrina Saqeb, an advocate for the inclusion of women in Afghan politics and society, is equally certain of women\u2019s essential role in peace-building: \u201cWar will not end if [women] don\u2019t take a step forward for peace, and peace should be inclusive if it is to be just and long-lasting.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bugaighis concluded by praising the empowering impetus of Resolution 1325. \u201cWe no longer want women as victims,\u201d she said. \u201cWe want them as actors\u201d pursuing peace. The six women, struggling bravely for peace in their nations, embody that inclusive vision.<\/p>\n\n"],"rendered":"\n\t\t<p>United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 says that \u201ccivilians, particularly women and children, account for the vast majority of those adversely affected by armed conflict,\u201d and emphasizes \u201cthe important role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>On Tuesday at a packed <a href=\"https:\/\/iop.harvard.edu\/forum\">John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum<\/a> at the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.iop.harvard.edu\/\">Institute of Politics<\/a> at the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hks.harvard.edu\/\">Harvard Kennedy School<\/a> (HKS), six female leaders discussed how they\u2019re waging peace and promoting inclusiveness in their war-ravaged nations. Moderator Swanee Hunt, the Eleanor Roosevelt Lecturer in Public Policy and former U.S. ambassador to Austria, facilitated a compelling discussion of how peace is a core women\u2019s issue and why women need roles in resolving national conflicts.<\/p>\n<p>Julia Duncan-Cassell, Liberia\u2019s minister of gender and development, began by explaining how her African nation had suffered years of war and a series of failed peace agreements. Something finally changed, she said, when women got involved.<\/p>\n<p>After \u201cthe women of Liberia got to the [negotiating] table,\u201d she said, \u201cwe\u2019ve had 10 years of peace.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Duncan-Cassell said that woman had always possessed power in Liberia, but didn\u2019t exercise it until they became fed up with endless war. She drew good-natured laughter when she said that Liberian women got a seat at the table by refusing to cook, clean, or otherwise serve men in silence.<\/p>\n<p>The Libyan peace and education activist Wafa Bugaighis described how that North African country\u2019s women also had suffered quietly under the dictatorial regime of President Moammar Gadhafi. It was Libyan women who finally broke that Orwellian silence and catalyzed the Libyan revolution, she said. The women of Bugaighis\u2019 hometown, Benghazi, courageously confronted the Gadhafi police state by taking to the streets and chanting \u201cRise up, Benghazi!\u201d These remarkable women, she said, \u201cwere the mothers of martyrs,\u201d their sons having been executed by Gadhafi\u2019s government for criticizing his dictatorship.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEveryone in the country had the same feeling\u201d of quiet disgust for Gadhafi, said Bugaighis, but the chanting women of Benghazi destroyed that silence.<\/p>\n<p>When women were sidelined after the revolution, Bugaighis and other activists rose up again, creating a coalition \u201cto advocate for more participation of women in decision-making.\u201d The effort succeeded. \u201cWe won 33 seats in the national congress,\u201d she said. Despite intermittent violence, \u201cpeace will succeed in Libya because women are behind it,\u201d Bugaighis suggested.<\/p>\n<p>The Myanmar peace activist Ja Nan Lahtaw spoke of the uncertainties of her nation\u2019s \u201csemi-democracy\u201d as it haltingly tries to open up to the world. Myanmar\u2019s military-dominated government still practices discrimination against ethnic minorities, said Lahtaw. She discussed the many challenges of waging peace in Myanmar. When Lahtaw negotiated with an ex-general who is now a government minister, she didn\u2019t even know how to address him. She tried \u201cminister,\u201d but he objected. Finally, Lahtaw said, \u201cI called him uncle,\u201d and that worked. (The point also drew appreciative chuckles from the audience.)<\/p>\n<p>Sofi Ospina of Colombia echoed the importance of having women participate in peacemaking. She has become a strong advocate for including women in the peace negotiations between Colombia\u2019s government and the FARC leftist insurgency. Ospina described herself as \u201can eco-feminist\u201d who is advocating simultaneously \u201cto include women and to protect our natural resources.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Syrian human rights activist Rajaa Altalli is helping to prepare her Middle Eastern nation for a future without the repressive regime of President Bashar al-Assad, who she says continues \u201cto terrorize his own people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWomen will be the ones to build the bridge\u201d to peace and national reconciliation in Syria, she said.<\/p>\n<p>Sabrina Saqeb, an advocate for the inclusion of women in Afghan politics and society, is equally certain of women\u2019s essential role in peace-building: \u201cWar will not end if [women] don\u2019t take a step forward for peace, and peace should be inclusive if it is to be just and long-lasting.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bugaighis concluded by praising the empowering impetus of Resolution 1325. \u201cWe no longer want women as victims,\u201d she said. \u201cWe want them as actors\u201d pursuing peace. The six women, struggling bravely for peace in their nations, embody that inclusive vision.<\/p>\n\n"}],"innerHTML":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide\">\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n","innerContent":["\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide\">\n\n","\n\n<\/div>\n"],"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide has-global-padding is-content-justification-center is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n\t\t<p>United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 says that \u201ccivilians, particularly women and children, account for the vast majority of those adversely affected by armed conflict,\u201d and emphasizes \u201cthe important role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>On Tuesday at a packed <a href=\"https:\/\/iop.harvard.edu\/forum\">John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum<\/a> at the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.iop.harvard.edu\/\">Institute of Politics<\/a> at the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hks.harvard.edu\/\">Harvard Kennedy School<\/a> (HKS), six female leaders discussed how they\u2019re waging peace and promoting inclusiveness in their war-ravaged nations. Moderator Swanee Hunt, the Eleanor Roosevelt Lecturer in Public Policy and former U.S. ambassador to Austria, facilitated a compelling discussion of how peace is a core women\u2019s issue and why women need roles in resolving national conflicts.<\/p>\n<p>Julia Duncan-Cassell, Liberia\u2019s minister of gender and development, began by explaining how her African nation had suffered years of war and a series of failed peace agreements. Something finally changed, she said, when women got involved.<\/p>\n<p>After \u201cthe women of Liberia got to the [negotiating] table,\u201d she said, \u201cwe\u2019ve had 10 years of peace.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Duncan-Cassell said that woman had always possessed power in Liberia, but didn\u2019t exercise it until they became fed up with endless war. She drew good-natured laughter when she said that Liberian women got a seat at the table by refusing to cook, clean, or otherwise serve men in silence.<\/p>\n<p>The Libyan peace and education activist Wafa Bugaighis described how that North African country\u2019s women also had suffered quietly under the dictatorial regime of President Moammar Gadhafi. It was Libyan women who finally broke that Orwellian silence and catalyzed the Libyan revolution, she said. The women of Bugaighis\u2019 hometown, Benghazi, courageously confronted the Gadhafi police state by taking to the streets and chanting \u201cRise up, Benghazi!\u201d These remarkable women, she said, \u201cwere the mothers of martyrs,\u201d their sons having been executed by Gadhafi\u2019s government for criticizing his dictatorship.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEveryone in the country had the same feeling\u201d of quiet disgust for Gadhafi, said Bugaighis, but the chanting women of Benghazi destroyed that silence.<\/p>\n<p>When women were sidelined after the revolution, Bugaighis and other activists rose up again, creating a coalition \u201cto advocate for more participation of women in decision-making.\u201d The effort succeeded. \u201cWe won 33 seats in the national congress,\u201d she said. Despite intermittent violence, \u201cpeace will succeed in Libya because women are behind it,\u201d Bugaighis suggested.<\/p>\n<p>The Myanmar peace activist Ja Nan Lahtaw spoke of the uncertainties of her nation\u2019s \u201csemi-democracy\u201d as it haltingly tries to open up to the world. Myanmar\u2019s military-dominated government still practices discrimination against ethnic minorities, said Lahtaw. She discussed the many challenges of waging peace in Myanmar. When Lahtaw negotiated with an ex-general who is now a government minister, she didn\u2019t even know how to address him. She tried \u201cminister,\u201d but he objected. Finally, Lahtaw said, \u201cI called him uncle,\u201d and that worked. (The point also drew appreciative chuckles from the audience.)<\/p>\n<p>Sofi Ospina of Colombia echoed the importance of having women participate in peacemaking. She has become a strong advocate for including women in the peace negotiations between Colombia\u2019s government and the FARC leftist insurgency. Ospina described herself as \u201can eco-feminist\u201d who is advocating simultaneously \u201cto include women and to protect our natural resources.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Syrian human rights activist Rajaa Altalli is helping to prepare her Middle Eastern nation for a future without the repressive regime of President Bashar al-Assad, who she says continues \u201cto terrorize his own people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWomen will be the ones to build the bridge\u201d to peace and national reconciliation in Syria, she said.<\/p>\n<p>Sabrina Saqeb, an advocate for the inclusion of women in Afghan politics and society, is equally certain of women\u2019s essential role in peace-building: \u201cWar will not end if [women] don\u2019t take a step forward for peace, and peace should be inclusive if it is to be just and long-lasting.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bugaighis concluded by praising the empowering impetus of Resolution 1325. \u201cWe no longer want women as victims,\u201d she said. \u201cWe want them as actors\u201d pursuing peace. The six women, struggling bravely for peace in their nations, embody that inclusive vision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n"}},"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":113895,"url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2012\/07\/harvards-institute-of-politics-announces-fall-fellows-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":127731,"position":0},"title":"Harvard’s IOP announces fall fellows","author":"harvardgazette","date":"July 13, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"The Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School has announced its resident and visiting fellowships for this fall.","rel":"","context":"In "Campus & Community"","block_context":{"text":"Campus & Community","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/campus-community\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":181550,"url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2016\/03\/institute-of-politics-50-years-in\/","url_meta":{"origin":127731,"position":1},"title":"Institute of Politics, 50 years in","author":"harvardgazette","date":"March 29, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"As the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School celebrates its 50th anniversary, alumni reflect on the important influence it had on their lives.","rel":"","context":"In "Campus & Community"","block_context":{"text":"Campus & Community","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/campus-community\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/iop-history-10-17-66_605.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/iop-history-10-17-66_605.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/iop-history-10-17-66_605.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":317155,"url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2020\/12\/institute-of-politics-23rd-bipartisan-program-announced\/","url_meta":{"origin":127731,"position":2},"title":"Now in session","author":"Lian Parsons","date":"December 3, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Incoming lawmakers will be briefed on several national challenges and engage in conversation with Harvard\u2019s faculty and other policy experts during four meetings in December.","rel":"","context":"In "Campus & Community"","block_context":{"text":"Campus & Community","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/campus-community\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Group photo.","src":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/class-of-2018.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/class-of-2018.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/class-of-2018.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/class-of-2018.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":348607,"url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2022\/09\/be-unstoppable-be-true-to-yourself-but-be-just\/","url_meta":{"origin":127731,"position":3},"title":"\u2018Be unstoppable, be true to yourself, but be just\u2019","author":"harvardgazette","date":"September 27, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky talks Russia strategy, nuclear threat, Ukrainian unity, leadership lessons at Kennedy School talk.","rel":"","context":"In "Nation & World"","block_context":{"text":"Nation & World","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/nation-world\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"President Zelensky speaks via livestream.","src":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/092722_Zelensky_059.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/092722_Zelensky_059.jpeg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/092722_Zelensky_059.jpeg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/092722_Zelensky_059.jpeg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":219213,"url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2000\/11\/women-wage-peace\/","url_meta":{"origin":127731,"position":4},"title":"Women wage peace","author":"gazetteimport","date":"November 9, 2000","format":false,"excerpt":"Women Waging Peace, a global network of women working to stabilize regions of violent conflict, is holding its second annual colloquium Nov. 4-18. The initiative was founded last year by Swanee Hunt, director of the Kennedy School of Government's Women and Public Policy Program. \"Our first year has been a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Campus & Community"","block_context":{"text":"Campus & Community","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/campus-community\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":101311,"url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2012\/02\/finalists-named-for-goldsmith-prize\/","url_meta":{"origin":127731,"position":5},"title":"Finalists named for Goldsmith Prize","author":"harvardgazette","date":"February 3, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Six finalists for the Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting have been announced by the Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School.","rel":"","context":"In "Campus & Community"","block_context":{"text":"Campus & Community","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/campus-community\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127731","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/105622744"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=127731"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127731\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":269749,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127731\/revisions\/269749"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/127733"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=127731"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=127731"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=127731"},{"taxonomy":"format","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/gazette-formats?post=127731"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=127731"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}