Talk:
“Implementation of the UN Women, Peace & Security Agenda in the occupied Palestinian territory: a tool for feminist peace?” by
Dr. Laura Sulin
Centre for Peace & Security
Coventry University
ab6996@coventry.ac.uk
Date and Room Info:
Tuesday, March 4, 2025, 12:30 Noon
A-130
Abstract:
The United Nations Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda has become an internationally recognised framework within the field of peace and conflict studies over the past 20 years. A lot of hope was invested in the WPS Agenda’s ability to address gendered exclusions, forms of discrimination, and violence generated by conflict; however, many argue that the Agenda has not proved to be as transformational as originally thought (Shepherd, 2016; Basu, 2016; Basu et al., 2020). The WPS Agenda’s focus on internationally recognised armed conflicts limits its applicability to the broader gendered experiences of insecurity faced by women (Ní Aoláin and Valji, 2019) and hinders its transformative potential.
This presentation critically examines the WPS Agenda’s impact and explores its potential as a tool for feminist peace in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt). Drawing on interview data from Palestinian civil society organisations, it discusses how security is defined within the WPS Agenda and the implications of this definition for its implementation at the national and local levels. It also critiques the Agenda for overlooking intersectionality, notably the intersections of race, ethnicity, and geographical location, in shaping women’s experiences of conflict and post-conflict realities. In light of these gaps, the presentation poses the critical question: How can the WPS Agenda evolve to truly encompass the diverse and intersectional experiences of women in conflict areas, ensuring it fosters a more inclusive and transformative vision of feminist peace?
Short Biography
Laura Sulin is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Peace & Security at Coventry University, United Kingdom. Her research focuses on gender in international security, intersectionality, UN Women, Peace & Security Agenda and cultural heritage. Most recently, Laura was working on British Council funded research project on protecting Palestinian intangible cultural heritage, which is an intergenerational oral history project working with young Palestinian researchers in the occupied Palestinian territory. She is also currently working on “Intersectional security: unveiling gendered insecurities of women in conflict” project which aims to conceptualise and define intersectional security. Laura holds a PhD from Coventry University and a Master’s degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science.