The Emirates Diplomatic Academy, EDA, will host at its premises in Abu Dhabi on April 22nd a one-day workshop for young leaders aged between 18 and 35 years, titled ‘MENA Diplomacy Dialogue: The Role of Gender in Foreign and Security Policy’.
The interactive workshop is organised in conjunction with the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, MoFAIC, the International Center of Excellence for Countering Violent Extremism, Hedayah, and the Washington DC-based Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, SAIS.
In a bid to reaffirm the UAE’s commitments in gender inclusion within its foreign policy arena, the workshop will provide a platform to exchange insights and best practices as well as reflect on the importance of integrating gender perspectives into international peace and security.
In 2000, the UN Security Council passed a historic resolution acknowledging that women’s equal and meaningful participation in peace and security initiatives is vital for sustainable peace.
Ever since, the organisation’s ‘Women, Peace and Security Agenda’ (WPS Agenda) has gained traction and become an essential component of current foreign and security policy thinking. Having co-sponsored Resolution 2242 in 2015 that integrates a gender perspective into peace and security-related issues at the UN, the UAE is also a founding member of the WPS National Focal Point Network, an organisation that coordinates and implements the WPS Agenda at the national level around the world.
The workshop will feature four breakout sessions on Increasing the Participation of Women in Diplomacy, Promoting the Participation of Women in Peace Processes, The Role of Gender in Countering Extremism, and Women’s Empowerment as a Tool of Foreign Policy.
The participants will have the opportunity to interact with and learn from renowned policy experts, including Dominique Mineur, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium to the UAE, Francisca Elizabeth Mendez Escobar, Ambassador of Mexico to the UAE, Maqsoud Kruse, Executive Director of Hedayah, Abdulnasser Alshaali, Director of Policy Planning at MoFAIC, and Sophie Barbey, Head of Mission at the International Committee of the Red Cross, ICRC, in the UAE.
The announcement of the event in March 2018 received an overwhelming response, with more than 220 aspiring leaders expressing an interest in attending. The participants were selected based on varying backgrounds and competencies to ensure a well-rounded audience.
