Women, Peace, and Leadership Symposium: Securing Women’s Leadership in ‘Post-Pandemic’ Life

Hosted by the International Peace Institute in partnership with the Government of Sweden

The COVID-19 pandemic has both revealed and exacerbated global inequalities, especially along gender lines and not least in already challenging contexts characterized by fragility and conflict. Despite this, little attention has so far been given to the long-term negative consequences that the crisis risks having for women’s political and peacebuilding leadership as well as economic empowerment and human rights.

As the global community continues to grapple with the recovery and simultaneously seeks to build resilience against future crises, there is a unique opportunity to develop ways to rectify structural gender inequalities and explore how women’s leadership can be amplified and formally recognized both in general and in conflict situations. This includes harnessing the experiences from the pandemic itself where innumerable women have played, and continue to play, key leadership roles in ushering their communities through the crisis.

The high-level discussion will highlight the leadership of women and explore how this can be amplified and formally recognized. It will also build on IPI’s 2020 Women, Peace and Leadership Symposium which highlighted women’s vital contributions to the crisis response across the globe.