What Role Do Women, Peace and Security Play in Mitigating Today’s Global Crises?

On 7 February 2025, UNU will host “What Role Do Women, Peace and Security Play in Mitigating Today’s Global Crises?”, a BIG IDEAS Dialogue with Ambassador Melanne Verveer, Executive Director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security. This hybrid event (online and in-person) will start at 18:30 on Zoom and in the 2F Reception Hall at UNU Headquarters in Tokyo.

In an era of escalating geopolitical tensions, conflicts and humanitarian crises, the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda is more vital than ever. This year marks the 25th anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, which laid the foundation for WPS efforts worldwide. While significant progress has been made — with over 100 countries and regions adopting National Action Plans — many women and girls continue to face immense challenges due to ongoing instability.

Ambassador Verveer will join UNU Senior Vice-Rector Sawako Shirahase to reflect on the achievements of the WPS agenda over the past 25 years and examine its evolving role in today’s complex global landscape. The discussion will explore the future direction of WPS in the United States under its new administration, as well as Japan’s contributions to advancing gender-inclusive peace and security initiatives.

With new policies shaping the US approach to WPS, Ambassador Verveer will provide insights into its implementation and global impact. The dialogue will also highlight Japan’s role in promoting WPS, addressing key challenges, expectations and opportunities for collaboration. Through expert perspectives, this session will identify the most urgent actions needed to reinforce the WPS agenda, ensuring that gender perspectives remain central to peacebuilding, conflict resolution and policymaking in an increasingly complex world.

Registration

To attend this event in person at UNU Headquarters in Tokyo, register here: https://go.unu.edu/VWGen

To attend this event online via Zoom webinar, register here: https://go.unu.edu/12hm3

Please note this event will be in English; Japanese interpretation will not be provided. Advance registration (by 6 February at 15:00) is required. Online registrants will receive an email on the day of the event with a link to join the Zoom webinar.

For the in-person event, please be prepared to present identification at check-in.

UNU@50

This event is part of the UNU 50th anniversary celebration. To learn more, visit: https://unu.edu/unuat50 

About the Speaker

Ambassador Melanne Verveer is the Executive Director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security.

Amb. Verveer previously served as the first US Ambassador for Global Women’s Issues, a position to which she was nominated by President Obama in 2009. She coordinated foreign policy issues and activities relating to the political, economic and social advancement of women, traveling to nearly sixty countries. She worked to ensure that women’s participation and rights are fully integrated into US foreign policy, and she played a leadership role in the Obama Administration’s development of the US National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security. President Obama also appointed her to serve as the US Representative to the UN Commission on the Status of Women.

From 2000–2008, she was the Chair and Co-CEO of Vital Voices Global Partnership, an international NGO that she co-founded to invest in emerging women leaders. During the Clinton Administration, she served as Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff to the First Lady. She also led the effort to establish the President’s Interagency Council on Women, and was instrumental in the adoption of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000. She is the co-author of "Fast Forward: How Women Can Achieve Power and Purpose" (2015).

Ambassador Verveer has a BS and MS from Georgetown University and holds several honorary degrees. In 2013, she was the Humanitas Visiting Professor at the University of Cambridge and, in 2017, she was selected to deliver the Tanner Lecture at Clare Hall College, Cambridge. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Trilateral Commission, and she serves on the Boards of the National Endowment for Democracy, the Atlantic Council, as well as the World Bank Advisory Council on Gender and Development. She has also served as the Special Representative on Gender Issues for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Chairperson-in-Office. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Secretary of State’s Award for Distinguished Service. In 2008, the President of Ukraine awarded her the Order of Princess Olga.