On February 17-18, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands will host a conference to commemorate the 15^th anniversary of UNSCr 1325– where  particular attention will be paid to enhancing participation and leadership of women in (post) conflict and transition situations.  In  preparation to this important conference, WO=MEN and the MFA are organizing an interactive brainstorm session, with the aim to to discuss the state of affairs on the three expert session topics for the conference, which are:

a)       Gender/ participation of women in the security sector;

b)       Meaningful participation of women in post-conflict and peace-building;

c)       Masculinities and the role of men in implementing the 1325 agenda.

Experts from ODI and Asa Ekvall will produce three scoping studies that will be presented and discussed at the brainstorming session and will be used to provide inputs for discussion at the conference, serving as a starting point for the formulation of the recommendations.

The program is as follows:

12.30 – 13.00:      registration and lunch

13.00 – 13.15:      opening by MFA and WO=MEN; guided by facilitator

13.15 – 13.30:      presentation theme 1: quick Q&A

13.30 – 13.45:      presentation theme 2: quick Q&A

13.45 – 14.00:      presentation theme 3: quick Q&A

14.00 – 14.15:      Coffee & Tea

14.15 – 16.15:      3 break-out sessions for the themes

16.15 – 16.45:      Recap of the most important discussions: plenary

16.45 – 17.30:      Closing and drinks