IPI together with the Panzi Foundation cohosted a Global Leaders Series Event on November 13th featuring Dr. Denis Mukwege, Member of The Elders, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, global campaigner on conflict-related sexual violence, gynecologist, and Founder and President of the Panzi Hospital and Foundation in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The event was chaired by IPI Vice President and COO, Dr. Adam Lupel.

Dr. Denis Mukwege is an outspoken advocate for the rights of survivors of sexual violence. He was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo and studied medicine in France. He holds a PhD in medical sciences from the Université Libre de Bruxelles where he is a professor. For more than 20 years, Dr. Mukwege has been treating survivors of sexual violence and women with severe gynecological problems at the Panzi Hospital, which he founded in 1999.

In 2018 Dr. Mukwege received the Nobel Peace Prize for his “efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict,” together with the Yazidi activist Nadia Murad. His efforts to draw attention to the protection of women and advocate for those responsible for sexual violence to be brought justice make Dr. Mukwege one of the world’s most respected activists on human rights and gender equality.

Dr. Mukwege joined The Elders in 2024 and has recently expanded his work on transitional justice as one of the ways to end the culture of impunity and prevent the recurrence of violence. He is also currently working on promoting transparent and responsible sourcing of minerals to end human rights violations and the illegal exploitation and trade of strategic minerals. This area of work is becoming even more urgent with the green transition that will scale up the demand of these minerals globally.