Through this parallel event, women in leadership as well as women faith leaders will present an argument for including women of faith in decision-making processes for rebuilding, security, and national development in the aftermath of armed conflict or other crisis situations.

The first segment sets the stage by providing a background to challenges faced by women in conflict situations and highlights the need for Faith-based intervention.  Using an interactive intersectional 30–40-minute dialogue; women at the frontlines who face the trauma of conflict will share from their own experiences and recommendations.

March 23, 2021 7:30 – 9:30 (EST)

Paticipation through registration only. Please register on the NGO CSW Forum (for free) via this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ngo-csw65-forum-advocate-registration-tickets-137312871495 before 1st March 2021. 

By registering, you will have access to the parallel events and receive updates on what is happening in the Non-Governmental Organization spaces

Background

Dubbed a landmark resolution on women, peace and security, UNSCR 1325 recognizes the differential impact of conflict and war on women and girls' lives. The resolution recognises that in situations of armed conflict, women and girls are at great risk of sexual and gender-based violence, particularly rape and other forms of sexual abuse. 

The resolution affirms that peace and security efforts are more sustainable when women are equal partners in the prevention of violent conflict, the delivery of relief and recovery efforts and in the forging of lasting peace. Yet 21 years later, women’s voices are missing from peace building conversations. Structures of inequality in society remain largely unchanged and the relationships between men and women remain unequal, with men making most of the decisions. Women have been presented as objects that need to be protected, rather than agents of proactive change.  To date, women of faith have been integrally involved in addressing the trauma and physical impact of conflict both personally and communally.

This parallel event will present an argument for women of faith being included in the peace brokering process.

Panellists will share:

• Grassroots accounts of the necessity for women in peace building processes
• Gendered principles that should undergird the practices of peace-building in armed conflicts and crises
• Resolution 1325 and its implications for a faith-based approach to rebuilding with women in crises/conflict
• A road-map for more effective co-operation between governmental and faith-based organizations in effecting peace

Speakers                                                                                               

Prof Azza Karam, Religions for Peace 

Prof. Dr. Azza Karam serves as the Secretary General of Religions for Peace – the largest multi-religious leadership platform with 92 national and 6 regional Interreligious Councils. She also holds a Professorship of Religion and Development at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam, in The Netherlands – of which she is a citizen. She served as a Senior Advisor on Culture, at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA); and as Coordinator/Chair of the United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force on Religion and Development (UN IATF-R&D); and founder of the Multi Faith Advisory Council of the UN IATF-R&D. In those capacities, she coordinated engagement with members of a Global Interfaith Network for Population and Development with over 600 faith-based organizations from all regions of the world, representing all religions and interreligious affiliations. She was the Lead Facilitator for the United Nations’ Strategic Learning Exchanges on Religion, Development and Diplomacy, building on a legacy of serving as a trainer cum facilitator of inter- cultural leadership and management in the Arab region as well as Europe and Central Asia. Professor Karam has served in different positions in the United Nations since 2004, as well as other intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations since the early 1990s, such as International IDEA,OSCE, and Religions for Peace. Simultaneously, she lectured in various academic institutions in Europe, in North America (including the United States Military Academy/West Point), Africa and the Middle East. Her Ph.D. in 1996, focused on Political Islam, and became her first book in Arabic (her mother tongue) and in English. She has since published widely, and in several languages, on international political dynamics, including democratization, human rights, peace and security, gender, religious engagement and sustainable development. She was born in Egypt, and now lives in the United States.

Ms Sehin Teferra, Setaweet  

Dr Nayla Tabbara, Religions for Peace

Dr. Nayla Tabbara is President of Adyan Foundation for Diversity, Solidarity and Human Dignity and Co-President for Religions for Peace. She holds a PhD in Science of Religions from École Pratique des Hautes Études, Paris and Saint Joseph University, Beirut. She is also a muslim woman theologian and a university professor in religious and Islamic studies. She has published works in the fields of Islamic theology of other religions, education on interreligious and intercultural diversity, Qur’anic exegesis and Sufism. She works on curricula development (formal and non-formal) for multifaith education and inclusive citizenship. She has received the Gold Medal of the French Renaissance Award and the Special Jury award of the Fr. Jacques Hamel Prize (2019) and the Ecritures et Spiritualités Award for her book L’islam pensé par une femme. 

Ms Amanda Khozi Mukwashi, Christian Aid

Amanda Khozi Mukwashi has devoted more than 25 years to working on poverty alleviation, tackling injustice and inequalities. She has worked in both intergovernmental and non-governmental spaces, bringing in-depth experience from across the development sector. She is the Chief Executive Officer of Christian Aid, leading development and humanitarian interventions in Africa, Asia & the Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean. Amanda has also served with the United Nations under the United Nations Volunteer programme in Germany, as Chief, Volunteer Knowledge and Innovation and Chief of Advisory Services. Prior to this, she worked for VSO International, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa in Zambia and for the UNFPA Zambia Country support programme on Gender, Population and Development. She has served as a trustee for Bond and as President of Akina Mama wa Afrika. Amanda is a published author. But Where Are You Really From? is her first book. She has a Master’s degree in International Economic Law from the University of Warwick and a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Zambia.

Rev Gloria Ulloa, DiPaz

Gloria Nohemy Ulloa Alvarado a pastor, teacher and academic coordinator. She has served as chaplain of the American College of Barranquilla for 15 years, coordinator of Pastoral Teams and Diaconia Coordinator. Rev Gloria has been actively involved in ecumenical work since 1981, with the Latin American Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches. She serves as representative of the Presbyterian Church in the Ecumenical Network of Colombia. From 2007-2011, Gloria was a member of the CLAI Colombia Board. Rev Ulloa was instrumental in the creation of the Ecumenical Program for Peace in Colombia World Council of Churches. She is a honorary Member of the Women's Program of the Presbyterian Church of the United States and a former Peacemaker with the Presbyterian Church of the United States. Currently, Gloria Ulloa is a director of the Department for Women of the Mayor's Office of Barranquilla, the president of the Superior Council and of the General Chamber of the Reformed University Corporation. Rev Gloria is the 2013-2022 Latin America and the Caribbean President of the World Council of Churches.

 

Ms Ranjita Borgoary, Lutheran World Federation  

 

Ms Mira Neaimeh, World Student Christian Federation

Mira Neaimeh is a professional and public sworn translator. Both her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree, from Saint Joseph University (USJ), are in translation studies. Multilingual, she speaks Arabic, French, English, and Spanish, with some proficiency in German. Before her executive position at WSCF-ME, she worked as a translator for Credit Libanais. She also has six years’ worth of experience in technical writing and translation at Path Solutions, a fintech digital solution provider. In 2017, she was invited as a guest speaker on the World Council of Church’s panel at the United Nation’s sixty-first Commission on the Status of Women. Mira is a longtime member of WSCF-ME through the Orthodox Youth Movement. From 2013 to 2017, she acted as a proxy on the regional committee and, in September 2018, elected as Regional Executive of WSCF-ME. Some of her accomplishments as executive include establishing international connections with the KAICIID center for dialogue, Presbyterian Church in the United States, WCC, among others. She also built a partnership with the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) that is based at the University of Sussex. Moreover, she is working on strengthening WSCF-ME’s online presence through social media and other platforms.

Moderator:

Mr Isaiah Toroitich, Lutheran World Federation