UAE Hosts UN DPPA Training on Women, Peace and Security

The Permanent Mission of the United Arab Emirates to the UN hosted the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (UN DPPA) training on Women, Peace and Security (WPS). The program is an annual event for UN DPPA staff that aims to raise participants’ understanding of the gendered impacts of conflict and to equip them with the necessary tools to more effectively advance women’s participation in conflict prevention and resolution, peacebuilding, and peace processes.
 
Nearly 30 participants attended the training at the UAE Mission, including staff from the UN Headquarters and UN Special Political Missions in various countries. 
 
Her Excellency Lana Nusseibeh, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for Political Affairs and Permanent Representative of the UAE to the UN and Mr. Khaled Khiari, the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Middle East, Asia and the Pacific in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, jointly opened the program by highlighting the UAE’s commitment to advancing the WPS agenda and reiterating the importance of UN DPPA’s role in its implementation. 

“The UAE Mission is always happy to serve as a space for face-to-face exchanges of opinion, especially when we are meeting about something as important as mainstreaming the WPS agenda,” stated Her Excellency Ambassador Nusseibeh. “This agenda has been a top priority for the UAE at the UN, and the Security Council, and beyond. Hosting this training is a way of showing our strong support for what UN DPPA has been doing on WPS.”
 
She added: “WPS is a core political issue at the center of what the Security Council does. It is not an 'add-on' or 'nice-to-have' element…It is a foundation for sustainable peace and recovery. In this training, I hope you can draw valuable lessons and best practices so that we can all together give the WPS agenda the centrality it deserves.”

The UAE is the first Arab country to host this training – a reflection of its longstanding leadership on the WPS agenda. The UAE previously signed an agreement with UN DPPA to support efforts to ensure women’s full, equal, and meaningful participation in UN peace and political processes. The UAE is also currently serving as co-chair with Switzerland of the UN Security Council Informal Expert Group on WPS and has been a vocal advocate for incorporating gender into all discussions relevant to peace and security.