IPI together with the Permanent Mission of Ireland to the United Nations, and the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, in partnership with Our Secure Future and the Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Mexico, cohosted the Annual “Women, Peace, and Leadership Symposium on Connecting the International and the Local: WPS on the Ground.” Now in its seventh year, the symposium aims to ensure that WPS is not only discussed within the UN Security Council during WPS week in October, but that it is also integrated into broader high-level discussions at the UN.

The symposium included speakers from member states, civil society, and the UN who shared their experiences in implementing WPS at the national and local levels, including by mainstreaming gender perspectives in their foreign policies. Panelists shared their unique experiences and lessons learned to move beyond surface-level calls to implement WPS and towards realizing the full vision of the WPS agenda in practice. The symposium was also an opportunity to connect national conversations with the global community.

Opening Remarks:
Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, President and CEO of the International Peace Institute
H.E. Micheál Martin, Tánaiste (Deputy Prime Minister); Minister for Foreign Affairs; and Minister for Defence of Ireland
H.E. Olha Stefanishyna, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine – Minister of Justice of Ukraine
H.E. Lotte Machon, State Secretary for Development Policy, Deputy-Minister, Denmark
H.E. Isata Mahoi, Minister of Gender and Children’s Affairs of the Republic of Sierra Leone 

Speakers:
H.E. The Rt Hon. Helen Clark, Member of The Elders; Former Prime Minister of New Zealand; Former Head of the UN Development Programme; and Co-Chair of the WHO Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response
Sahana Dharmapuri, Vice President of Our Secure Future and Vice President of the PAX sapiens Foundation
Saba Gebremedhin, Director of the Network of Ethiopian Women’s Associations
Sarah Hendriks, Director of Policy, Programme, and Intergovernmental Support Division (PPID), UN Women

Moderator:
Adam Lupel, Vice President and COO, International Peace Institute

Closing Remarks:
H.E. Alicia Buenrostro Massieu, Deputy Permanent Representative of Mexico to the United Nations