Birgitta Vega Leyton,

Folke Bernardotte Akademin (FBA), Stockholm

Vera Grass

Folke Bernardotte Akademin (FBA), Stockholm

Location

Topic: Women Peace and Security.Folke Bernardotte A.
Time: Apr 19, 2023 01:15 PM

Materials

See below.

Description

FBA Göteborg University 19 March 2023.pdf

The lecture on “Women, Peace and Security and Peace Processes” will explore the critical role that women play in conflict prevention, and the significance of including women's perspectives in peace and mediation efforts. Despite that over 20 years has passed since the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (WPS), women continue to be underrepresented in peace processes globally. The speakers will explore the implementation of the WPS agenda and provide insights into how it can be effectively integrated into conflict prevention strategies, drawing on specific examples from Sudan and Mali.

During the lecture, students will be introduced to the Swedish Women's Mediation Network. The network is composed of 19 women, working towards the mission to strengthen the role and active participation of women in peace processes before, during and after conflict.

The lecture aims to deepen students' understanding of the importance of gender inclusivity in conflict prevention strategies and provide practical approaches and strategies that have been implemented to achieve these goals.

Teachers' Backgrounds

Birgitta Vega Leyton is a Desk Officer at the FBA within the Peace Processes Support Unit and leads the operational engagement of the Swedish Women’s Mediation Network. She previously served as Desk Officer within the Youth, Peace and Security and Support to Civil Society Unit. Prior to joining the FBA, Birgitta Vega Leyton worked at UN Women Guatemala as Project Manager for the project 1325: Empowering Women Survivors of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Conflict and Post-Conflict Guatemala. She has also worked with the Swedish non-governmental organization Svalorna Latinamerika as a Program Officer for development cooperation with civil society organizations in Bolivia, Peru, and Nicaragua and as an International Observer in Colombia with the Swedish Fellowship of Reconciliation. Birgitta Vega Leyton has a Master’s degree in Gender Studies from Lund University and a Master’s degree in Legal Studies from Örebro University.

Vera Grass is a Desk Officer at the Department for Conflict Prevention at FBA, supporting the Swedish Women’s Mediation Network. In addition, she is focusing on Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) and is currently coordinating a joint UN/FBA regional Learning Forum on YPS in the Arab States. Previously, she was involved in activities related to Women, Peace and Security in Mali and was part of the core team at FBA responsible for coordinating the Yemen International Forum held in Stockholm in 2022. Vera Grass started her tenure at FBA as an intern in the Security Sector Reform (SSR) and Mali team. Before joining FBA, she was an intern with the Sahel and West Africa programme at Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), supporting the research work in central Mali and formulating research proposals for the Liptako-Gourma region. Prior to that, she interned at the political unit at the Embassy of Sweden in Paris. Vera Grass holds a MSc in Security Studies from the Swedish Defence University and a BSc in Political Science from Uppsala University.

Material:

Conflict-Systems-Analysis-Benefits-and-Practical-Application.pdf

Designing-Strategic-Initiatives-to-Impact-Conflict-Systems-Systems-Approaches-to-Peacebuilding-Final.pdf

Redefining Peace Leadership (RPL). A report that aims to strengthen understanding and knowledge of the role of women as mediators and negotiators in negotiation processes. FBA conducted the research project together with the Centre for Security Studies (CSS) ETH Zurich, the Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice (Kroc IPJ) and the European Institute of Peace (EIP).

Women’s Experiences in the South Sudan Peace Process. A policy brief capturing the key findings from a roundtable discussion in Nairobi, Kenya in December 2018, which gathered South Sudanese women leaders that were directly involved in the long-running peace process between 2013 and 2018.
The podcast series “Seeking Peace”, co-produced by the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security and the Department of Peace Operations. The podcast aims to explore women’s role in bringing lasting peace to communities – whether it be through grassroots activism, peace negotiations, journalism, politics, or as uniformed peacekeepers.