The Gender, Peace, and Security Initiative is designed to bridge existing divides between the traditional security community and the WPS community. The Initiative seeks to reframe and broaden the WPS agenda to include a Gender, Peace, and Security agenda in order to advance knowledge and build and support a community of international security experts that is more diverse and knowledgeable about the gender dimensions of complex international security challenges. The Initiative will include a research and book project as well as a Next Generation Symposium bringing together an international cohort of next-generation leaders in peace and security.
Women In International Security (WIIS) is pleased to open applications for the2019 Next Generation Gender, Peace and Security (GPS) Symposium.
The Next Generation GPS Symposium will convene an international cohort of 20-24 graduate students and young professionals for an intensive 5-day program examining international security challenges from a GPS perspective.
The symposium is scheduled to take place November 10-15, 2019 in Washington, D.C.
The 2019 Next Gen Symposium is a part of a larger WIIS initiative to bridge existing divides between the traditional security community and the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) community. Through this initiative, we seek to (1) advance knowledge about the gender dimensions of international security challenges; and (2) support a community of international security experts that is both diverse and knowledgeable about gender dynamics of complex international security challenges.
WIIS is grateful to Carnegie Corporation of New York for its generous support of the 2019 GPS Symposium.
GPS Symposium details:
Approximately two-thirds of the Symposium will be devoted to knowledge base development. Fellows will lead and participate in substantive discussions through interactive panel discussions, presentations, break-out sessions, and dialogue with expert speakers.
An important part of the symposium will be devoted to substantive discussions of great power competition,nuclear security and the gender dimensions of these international security challenges. We will also examine the state of the Women, Peace and Security agenda .
Next Generation Fellows are invited to present research and writing projects. Furthermore, fellows will have the opportunity to engage with experts on their projects and the overall themes of the symposium.
One-third of the symposium will be devoted to professional development and skills training, such as how to effectively communicate with the media, writing for policymakers, and leveraging social media. Participants will also gain exposure to government agencies, international organizations, and think tanks.
In the year following the Symposium, Fellows are required to produce at least one blog post. Fellows are also invited to submit (individual and/or joint) writing projects around the themes of the symposium in the form of policy briefs and brief monographs. Written materials by the Fellows will be widely distributed through the broad international WIIS network and partner networks.
In conjunction with the Next Generation GPS Symposium, participants will also join a mentorship and networking platform that connects them with former Fellows.
Apply to join the 2019 Next Generation Symposium
This project brings together leading scholars and experts across disciplines and across the globe to take stock of WPS+GPS efforts and define the research and policy agendas for the future.
The 2017 Next Generation Symposium
The five-day symposium examined international security challenges from a gender perspective and brought together an international cohort of 25 graduate students (MA and PhD students). The symposium took place in November 2017 in Washington, D.C.
The symposium featured interactive lectures and seminar discussions on the gender dimensions of international security challenges. In addition, symposium participants received professional development and skills training, including how to effectively communicate with the media, write for policymakers, and leverage social media. Participants will gained exposure to government agencies, international organizations, and think tanks.
Finally, symposium participants were invited to actively participate in the first workshop of the WPS+GPS research and book project.
Research and Book Project
The research and book project brings together authors from across the world, across genders and across disciplines to advance our understanding of the gender dimensions of international security challenges. Authors will analyze pressing security challenges with a gender perspective. They will also assess the shortcomings of both the WPS agenda and the traditional security agenda and propose a new more inclusive WPS+GPS agenda.
Sponsorship
This Initiative is made possible thanks to the generous support of Carnegie Corporation of New York and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Both were original funders of WIIS, and have long understood that sustainable advances in international affairs require community building and field building. Their support is critical in building and nurturing a more diverse security community that advances equal rights for all.