INTERNATIONAL WOMEN PEACE MAKERS
TO CONVENE AT HARVARD

2nd Annual Inclusive Security: Women Waging Peace Colloquium to Meet
November 4-18 at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government

CAMBRIDGE, MA - Seventy women from war-torn regions are set to convene at Harvard next month to meet with policy shapers and share their peace building strategies. Inclusive Security: Women Waging Peace, a global network of women working to stabilize regions of violent conflict, hosts its second annual colloquium from November 4-18, 2000. The initiative was launched last December by Hunt Alternatives and was hosted by the Women and Public Policy Program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government.

The Inclusive Security: Women Waging Peace colloquium will bring together women from conflicts in Afghanistan, Azerbaijan/Armenia, Burundi, Colombia, Cyprus, East Timor, Guatemala, India/Pakistan, Indonesia, the Israel/Palestinian conflict, Mexico, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, the post-Yugoslav region, Russia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Sudan, and the US.

"Our first year has been a spectacular success," says Ambassador Swanee Hunt, founder of Inclusive Security: Women Waging Peace, Director of the Kennedy School's Women and Public Policy Program. "It's tremendously rewarding to be able to facilitate connections among these exceptional women -- through the internet and meetings at Harvard, in New York City, and around the world. The upcoming colloquium will expand their network and will heighten their visibility on a global scale."

The colloquium will begin with a gala concert at Harvard's Sanders Theatre, featuring the Boston debut of Conductor Charles Ansbacher in a performance of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9. The concert is sponsored by EMC Corporation, the lead corporate sponsor of Inclusive Security: Women Waging Peace and the world's leading provider of enterprise storage systems, software, networks and services.

One of the highlights of the colloquium will be Policy Day on November l7th. Government officials, journalists, funders, and diplomats will meet the delegates for in-depth discussions of the ways they can bridge the gulf between the vital work of these women and the decision-making table. Other events -- some of which will be open to the press and general public -- include a three-day research symposium, panel discussions, and a variety of seminars. Delegates will have a wide range of opportunities to connect with their peers and policy makers, improve skills, and share peacebuilding strategies.

In addition to the annual colloquium, the organization's delegates and staff circle the globe to connect with peacebuilders and government leaders. One of the primary goals of Inclusive Security: Women Waging Peace is to persuade government leaders to include women in high- level peace negotiations. A recent trip to Rwanda included a meeting with President Paul Kagame, which resulted in the appointment of three women to his negotiating team with Uganda. In response, the Ugandans added a woman to their all-male team.

One of those Rwandan negotiators, Aloisea Inyumba, will also attend the colloquium. Inyumba recently traveled to the United States for the State of the World Forum, where she appeared in a panel discussion with Ambassador Hunt. Over the last year, Inclusive Security: Women Waging Peace has also participated in two UN conferences in New York City; the G8 Foreign Ministers Conference in Miyazaki, Japan; and an Aspen Institute briefing in Berlin.

Commenting recently on the initiative, U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright said, "Inclusive Security: Women Waging Peace has been a tireless champion of the brave and innovative women around the world who are saying 'no' to violent conflict and 'yes' to peace. They are helping citizens in areas of conflict around the world move their countries along the difficult but critical path to peace." Ambassador John Kenneth Galbraith stated, "This is a valuable group concerned with the most important matter of our time."

return to top