GNWP and NYU partner for a Student Practicum to explore conditions for women’s engagement in peace-making and peacebuilding

Above Photo: Woman from Palestinian civil society discusses ways to use CEDAW to strengthen effective implementation of Women, Peace and Security at GNWP workshop in Amman, Jordan (March 2018)

In Fall 2019, GNWP and students from the MSc in Global Affairs at NYU’s Center for Global Affairs in the School of Professional Studies are working under the supervision of Clinical Professor Anne Marie Goetz to conduct research into the enabling conditions for women’s influence on peace negotiations and long-term peacebuilding in conflict-affected countries.  

Community members in Rwenena, South Kivu celebrate after a community peacebuilding workshop led by members of the Young Women for Peace and Leadership network trained by GNWP

The students are exploring the interlinkages between women's political participation and economic empowerment; and their meaningful participation in peace processes and peacebuilding. GNWP is supporting the students by giving them the opportunity to interview GNWP members and partners (including grassroots women activists and women currently involved in peace-making).  Students are expected to expand the knowledge resources they apply to the research question through literature reviews, quantitative and qualitative analysis of published data, and observation of current UN processes.  The experience enables students to build a viable and time-bound research project, to articulate research questions and hypotheses, and to test these within the constraints of the time and data available. This makes a contribution to GNWP’s vital global and local advocacy efforts to ensure women’s effective engagement in on-going peace talks and in longer-term recovery and conflict prevention.