RSIS Seminar on “From Development to Security: The Roles of Women” by Dr Noeleen Heyzer & Dr Chantal de Jonge Oudraat

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Lecture Abstract:

In 2000 the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1325, recognising for the first time that just and lasting peace will not be achieved without the full and equal participation of women. This resolution has been followed by eight other resolutions, including those that deal with conflict-related sexual violence; together they are known as the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda. Dr Noeleen Heyzer was a key driving force behind Resolution 1325 and will share her experience of its formation, as well as her interest in Gender Justice and threats to the recurrence of conflict. Dr Chantal de Jonge Oudraat will assess the progress of the WPS agenda and the challenges ahead to peace and security.

About the Speaker:

Dr Noeleen Heyzer was an Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and the highest ranking Singaporean in the United Nations (2007-2014). She was recently the UNSG’s Special Adviser for Timor-Leste, working to support peace-building, state-building, and sustainable development. She was the first woman to serve as the Executive Secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific since its founding in 1947. Under her leadership (Aug 2007-Jan 2014), the commission focused on regional co-operation for a more resilient Asia-Pacific, founded on shared prosperity, social equity, and sustainable development. She was at the forefront of many innovations including for regional disaster preparedness, inclusive socio-economic policies, sustainable agriculture and urbanization, energy security and regional connectivity. She was the first Executive Director from the south to lead the United Nations Development Fund for Women. She was widely recognized for the formulation and implementation of the landmark of Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security. She holds a BA (Upper Hons) and a MSc from Singapore University, a PhD from Cambridge University, and has received numerous awards for leadership.

 Dr Chantal de Jonge Oudraat is President of Women In International Security (WIIS). Her areas of specialization are: women, peace, and security; terrorism and violent extremism; international organizations; arms control and disarmament; economic sanctions, the use of force, and peacekeeping; and U.S.-European relations. She was the founding Executive Director and CEO of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s North America office. She has also held senior positions at the U.S. Institute of Peace; the Center for Transatlantic Relations, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies; the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; and the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research in Geneva. She has been an adjunct faculty member at Georgetown University. Dr de Jonge Oudraat is co-editor of Women and War: Power and Protection in the 21st Century, and Managing Global Issues: Lessons Learned. Other publications include: The 1325 Scorecard – Gender Mainstreaming: Indicators for the Implementation of UNSCR 1325 and its Related Resolutions; “Peace and Security in the 21st Century: Understanding the Gendered Nature of Power” in Managing Conflict in a World Adrift. Dr de Jonge Oudraat did her undergraduate studies at the University of Amsterdam. She received her PhD in Political Science from the University of Paris II (Panthéon).