APRIL 2021

DC STUDENT UNIVERSITY
CONSORTIUM NEWSLETTER

IN THIS ISSUE
Recap of 3/9 Launch
Event
Recap of CSW Panel
Upcoming Events
Faculty Spotlight
Student Spotlight
CSWG Spotlight
Diversity and
Inclusion Policy Memo
Winner
And More

A LETTER FROM THE GW CHAPTER

VICE PRESIDENT
BY NOËLLE COHN

I honestly cannot believe it is already April. March was an excellent month for the Consortium. Not only did we have
our launch event, we also hosted a panel at CSW65 and began developing strategic partnerships with organizations
within and outside the US! Nick and I joked earlier this month that we will never have a slow March ever again in our
lives. While they may be true, the Consortium's work is by no means slowing down because March is over! The
leadership team has begun engaging new universities within the DC area to create chapters. Not only that, but the
GW chapter officially finished its charter and applied for official organization status.

In these pages, you will find all the fantastic work that the Consortium members have been doing throughout March
and into April. We hope you enjoy the second issue of our monthly newsletter. As we continue expanding, the
pages of this newsletter will only continue to grow!

We look forward to all the fantastic events and work happening in April. And we look forward to connecting with
each and every one of the tremendous people who have supported our launch and continue to support our
initiative's goal to use higher education as a means to enrich and discuss the WPS agenda.

In honor of this issue and our group's commitment to Women, Peace, and Security, I leave all our readers with a
quote from Sahana Dharmapuri, Director of Our Secure Future:

"Women, Peace and Security is one of the biggest opportunities to create a

pathway to peace — for ourselves and for the world, for today and in the future."
 RECAP OF CONSORTIUM LAUNCH EVENT
The D.C. Student Consortium on Women, Peace, and Security launched on March 9th 2021 with
a series of parallel events on discussing four specific policy gap topics within the WPS agenda.
The conversations that took place during the launch event will be followed by the release of
policy briefs on the topics discussed during the four parallel workshops: feminist foreign policy,
engaging men and boys in gender equality, LGBTQ+/queer perspectives and understandings in
foreign policy, and Intergenerational gendered trauma.
.
Opening Session
The opening session featured keynote speakers Dr. Alyssa
Ayres (Dean of the Elliott School of International Affairs), Dr.
Kathleen Kuehnast (Director, Gender Policy and Strategy at
U.S. Institute of Peace), and Sanam Naraghi-Anderlini
(Founder and Executive Director of ICAN). The speakers
discussed the history of and relationship between gender
and peacebuilding, where we stand with the
implementation of the WPS Agenda, and what diverse
communities of academics, practitioners, and activists can
do to drive that implementation forward. You can find the
full recording of the session here.
Feminist Foreign Policy
This 90-minute conversation with
Jamille Bigio from Council on Foreign
Relations, Gayatri Patel from CARE,
and Belquis Ahmadi from USIP
discussed the connection between
feminist foreign policy and the WPS
agenda and existing gaps in the
space that are worth exploring. You
LGBTQ+ Perspectives and can find the full recording of the
workshop here:
Understandings of Foreign
Policy and International
Security
Dr. Jamie Hagen from Queen’s University Belfast, Sahar
Moazami from OutRight Action International, and former
Swedish Minister for European Affairs and Democracy
Birgitta Ohlsson from NDI talked about how WPS can
expand from “women” to “gender” through the
integration of the experiences and voices of queer
communities into our global peace and security policy
framework. The recording of this workshop is available
here.
Engaging Men and Boys in Gender
Equality in Foreign Policy and
International Security
Dr. Sandra Whitworth from York University, Dr. Gary
Barker from Promundo, and Laxman Belbase from
MenEngage discussed how men and boys could be
engaged in the pursuit of gender equality in a way that
is accountable to women and transcends rather than
reifies gender norms. Follow this link to watch the
whole session.
Intergenerational Gendered
Trauma and its Historical Context
Colette Rausch Research Professor, George Mason & Founder,
Transform Trauma Solutions, Guglielmo Schinina, Head of Global
Mental Health, Psychosocial Response and Intercultural
Communication (MHPSS) section at IOM, Professor Rana Dajani of
Biology and Biotechnology at the Hashemite University in Jordan,
and Shambulia Gadsden Sams, Founder & Chair, WCAPS HBCU
Connection, discussed the importance of addressing
intergenerational gendered trauma in peace processes, post-conflict
rebuilding, and domestically. Unfortunately, we lost the recording for
this panel. If you are interested in the topic, we are happy to share
event notes with you!

Closing Session
The closing plenary session featured keynote speakers
Ambassador Melanne Verveer, Executive Director of the
Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security and
Former U.S. Ambassador for Global Women’s Issues, and
Dr. Chantal de Jonge Oudraat, President of Women in
International Security. The speakers discussed where the
U.S. stands with institutionalizing the WPS Agenda's
central principles, what the path forward is for expanding
the scope of WPS, and how the WPS paradigm can be
shifted so that youth and academia can be drivers of the
conversation. Find the recording of the session here.

Asmik Arutyunyan- George Washington University Chapter's

Director of Policy and Research

Asmik Arutyunyan is a first-year second-semester MIPP student at the Elliott School of

International Affairs at the George Washington University.

In this role, Asmik in collaboration with the leadership and other members of the
Consortium is leading efforts on creating the first Strategic Plan for the Consortium’s Policy
and Research that will allow students to engage with practitioners and the CSWG on WPS
and co-produce policy briefs and other research papers. She believes "as the next
generation of practitioners, researchers, and policymakers who are preparing to continue
the advancement of the WPS agenda, the Consortium members offer a new perspective, as
well as creative approach to closing gaps in research areas previously left untapped."
 2021 COMMISSION ON THE STATUS
OF WOMEN CONSORTIUM PANEL
We want to thank everyone who attended our panel discussion at the NGO CSW65 Forum via the virtual
platform or Facebook Live!

We had a panel discussion with several Washington D.C. area student leaders on higher education
institutions' role in increasing awareness of the Women, Peace, and Security agenda and appreciation for
gendered approaches to foreign policy.

Alice Schyllander, Chair of the Consortium's CSW Event Planning Committee and Director of Social media
states, "The panel members discussed the importance of increasing awareness for the Women, Peace, and
Security agendas across wider educational audiences and multidisciplinary approaches to gender, security,
and foreign policy issues. We discussed the unique role students have in promoting innovative thinking on
the WPS agenda, discussing underrepresented topics like LGBTQ+ rights, engaging men and boys,
globalizing feminist foreign policy, meaningful representation, and recognizing the work of women in
informal peace processes."

If you would like to watch the recording, you can find it here!

We look forward to using the discussions from this panel and our launch event to inform future research
conducted by consortium members!

Alice Schyllander - George Washington University Chapter's

Director of Social Media
Alice Schyllander is the Social Media Director of the D.C. Student Consortium on WPS and a second-year
graduate student in International Affairs at the George Washington University's Elliott School of International
Affairs, concentrating in Global Gender Policy and International Law & Organizations. Alice has focused her
studies and professional work on addressing issues of LGBTQ+ rights, gender equality, gender-based
violence, immigrant rights, and refugee rights, with a regional interest in Latin America, and has done work
previously with the Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the Tahirih
Justice Center, Vital Voices Global Partnership, and the Elliott School of International Affairs. Alice is
dedicated to promoting understandings of sexuality and gender identity in WPS world.
 Upcoming Events at
George Washington University
ISA2021 ANNUAL CONVENTION PROGRAM: WA39:
Gendered/Military Subjects: Women, Peace &
Security Dilemmas of Military Gender Advisors
Learn about the struggles for implementing the women, peace and security
agenda (borne out of UNSCR 1325, 2000) by gender advisors in the fragile
post-conflict settings to which they are deployed.
Wednesday, April 7th
8:00 – 9:15 AM
Register Here

ISA2021 ANNUAL CONVENTION PROGRAM: WC37:

Methods and Ethics of Feminist Research: The Irish
Defence Forces and the Silencing of a Feminist
Researcher
Listen to Dr. Shirley Graham speak about the tensions between a feminist
researcher and a military which positions itself as an exemplar in the
delivery of the WPS agenda.
Wednesday, April 7th
11:00 AM – 12:15 PM
Register Here “CybHERsecurity: Women in
Cyberspace” Panel
ISA2021 ANNUAL CONVENTION PROGRAM: RA06: Come listen to Rhea Siers, Sayako Quinlan, Cheri
Critical Feminist Approaches to Peace and Conflict Caddy, and Michele Markoff discuss their
Studies: Shirley Graham, Chair personal experiences in the cybersecurity field as
female experts, current happenings in
Listen to a panel that examines the interlocking relations of power that
produce violence and precarity as well as opportunities for agency and cyberspace, and the role of cybersecurity within
grassroots struggles for peace and justice. the international order.
Thursday, April 8th Wednesday, April 14th, 2021
8:00 – 9:15 AM 7:00PM -8:00PM EST
Register Here Register Here

ISA2021 ANNUAL CONVENTION PROGRAM: National & International Security

Roundtable Discussion: Altering Curricula to through the Women, Peace &
Address Diversity & Inclusion Issues in International Security Lens: A conversation with
Affairs: Strategies and Approaches from Across the Admiral Michelle Howard
United States Join the Elliott School's Gender Equality Initiative
Thursday, April 8th in International Affairs, the DC Student
11:00AM Register Here Consortium on Women, Peace and Security, and
Register Here the Leadership, Ethics, and Practice Initiative for a
conversation with Admiral Michelle Howard on
GEIA Women’s Leadership Index Launch 2021 the Department of Defense's WPS
Join GEIA Director, Dr. Shirley Graham, and GEIA visiting scholar and COO of Implementation Plans.
the Women Business Collaborative, Gwen Young, for the launch of the GEIA Thursday, April 15th, 2021
Women’s Leadership Index measuring where women are and the power 12:30 – 1:30PM EDT
they hold in governments across the globe. Register Here
Wednesday, April 14th, 2021
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM EDT
Register Here
 Upcoming Events at
Georgetown University
A People’s COVID-19 Vaccine
Hosted by GIWPS and Oxfam America. Featuring leaders across policy, the
medical field, and civil society to assess current challenges in vaccine
distribution and share key recommendations for a more equitable COVID-19
response moving forward.
Friday, April 16th, 2021
11:00 AM – 12:15 PM EST
RSVP HERE

Advancing Women’s Leadership in Politics and

Peacebuilding
Hosted by GIWPS in partnership with the Georgetown Ambassadors for
Women, Peace and Security. The fourth panel in the Beijing+25 series on how
to advance women’s meaningful political participation and inclusion in peace
and security efforts around the world.
Thursday, April 22nd, 2021
9:00 AM - 10:15PM
RSVP HERE

Other recently released reports and resources:

An interactive website showcasing our U.S. Women, Peace and Security Index.

Lessons Across Borders: Women’s Entrepreneurship in the U.S. and China

What's it like being a woman entrepreneur in the male-dominated tech field? Here is a comparison
of the experiences of women tech entrepreneurs in the US and China, and a deep dive on the US
perspective. (Access here)

Women’s Empowerment as a Path to Peace

What's the relationship between gender equality and violent conflict? This report explains why there
is a relationship between Gender Equality and Organized Violence and highlights how narrowed
gender gaps in education, employment, financial inclusion, and political participation, as well as
reduced rates of adolescent fertility and intimate partner violence, are significantly associated with
lower levels of organized violence. (Access here)

The Climate-Gender-Conflict Nexus, Amplifying Women's Contributions at the

Grassroots
Climate change is a “threat multiplier” that contributes to heightened fragility. But, conflict is not
inevitable. Women at the grassroots can foster climate-resilient communities, sustainable natural
resource management, and enhanced peace and stability. This study offers examples from
Colombia, Sudan & Nepal and priority actions for policymakers on the climate-gender-conflict nexus.
(Access here)
 Upcoming Events at
American University
"Women on Wednesday":
Women’s Representation in TV & Film
Wednesday, April 21 at 6 pm ET

The Creative Coalition CEO Robin Bronk and SAG

award-winning actress Alysia Reiner, will discuss
the historic role of women on television, explore
challenges actresses continue to face, and share
their outlook on what the future holds for
women’s representation on TV. The pair will also
unpack the ripple effect of #MeToo and the
TIME’S UP movement on the TV and film industry.
Details and registration here

Upcoming Events at
the London School of Economics
African migration, Human Rights and Literature
Wednesday 21 April 2021 10:30am to 12:00pm
Hosted by the Centre for Women, Peace and Security
Join us as we launch Professor Fareda Banda’s
Predatory States and Ungoverned Spaces:
publication African migration, human rights and
who assumes the responsibility to protect?
literature (Bloomsbury, 2020). In the book,
Professor Banda examines the topic of migration
through the prism of law and literature, using a rich
mix of novels, short stories, literary realism, human
rights and comparative literature to explore the
experiences of African migrants and asylum seekers.
As well as discussion among the panel members,
author Meron Hadero will perform a reading of her
short story The Wall. You can register here:
29 April, 15:00 - 16:30 (BST)
In 2021, the UN Security Council’s Women,
Peace and Security Agenda turns 21. The
20th anniversary year brought renewed
commitments by member states, but the
engine, ingenuity and commitment to this
agenda has always come from the frontline
peacebuilders, practitioners, and
advocates. In this, the fourth 'In
Conversation with' event, the director of
the LSE Centre for Women, Peace and
Security, Sanam Naraghi Anderlini, will
delve into the real-world experiences and
efforts to bring the vision and promise of
the WPS agenda to life.
You can register for this event starting
April 15th here:
FACULTY SPOTLIGHT
Dr. Jessica Smith- Georgetown Institute for NEW AND
Women, Peace and Security
UPCOMING BOOKS
Dr. Jessica Smith is the GIWPS Research and Policy
Manager. In this role she works with Ambassador Verveer
CULTURAL
and Dr. Klugman to envision and execute research REPRESENTA
projects, supervise research fellows, and disseminate TIONS OF
research findings through academic, policy, and
FEMINICIDIO
practitioner communities. Jessica also supports the
Institute’s Bridging Theory & Practice symposiums and AT THE US-
oversees the new GIWPS graduate certificate in Gender, MEXICO
Peace and Security.
BORDER
Dr. Smith completed her PhD at the School for Conflict BY NUALA
Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University. She FINNEGAN
brings nearly a decade of research experience working
on gender-related issues with women in Bosnia-
Herzegovina, Indonesia, Jordan and the United States.
GRAPHIC
Her research focuses on women’s experiences of agency MIGRATIONS:
in conflict-affected contexts, specifically how the PRECARITY
principles of the Women, Peace and Security agenda AND GENDER
translate and become meaningful to local actors. Her
IN INDIA AND
doctoral research used a participatory methodology
called photovoice, with narrative and feminist THE
ethnographic methods, to understand Bosnian women’s DIASPORA
experiences of struggle and peacebuilding at the BY KAVITA
grassroots level. DAIYA
In addition to her scholarly research, Dr. Smith has
worked in various capacities for the International Rescue
Committee, Catholic Charities, the United Nations, USAID NARRATING
and the US Institute of Peace. Before joining GIWPS she THE
was the Program Manager for the Everyday Peace
WOMEN,
Indicators project and is currently an adjunct faculty
member at George Washington University. PEACE AND
SECURITY
AGENDA BY
An interview
LAURA J.
with Jonathan
Hames, theSHEPHERD
world's most
innovative
person.
 STUDENT
SPOTLIGHT CONSORTIUM
MEMBER
Arden Haselmann
Georgetown University ACOMPLISHMENTS!
Tyler Burell
Arden Haselmann is a first-year graduate student in the
George Washington University
Conflict Resolution program at Georgetown University. Her
George Washington Chapter Member Tyler
studies primarily focus on post-conflict reconstruction,
Burrell recently won The Council of Diversity
diversity and inclusion policy, and negotiation. She is
and Inclusion's Policy Memo Competition. In her
pursuing certificates in Gender, Peace and Security and
memo, Tyler Burrell outlines the lack of
Mediation. Most recently she is founding member and
disability diversity in the Elliott School
President of the Georgetown Chapter of Women, Peace
curriculum. She points out how disability
and Security.
critically intersects with many specialties within
Her primary interest in international development, peace
International Affairs and suggests three policy
and security transpired during a year-long pre-college
options for the Elliott School to integrate
program called Thinking Beyond Borders where she
disability studies into its curriculum before
conducted research and participated in community
making her final recommendation. You can
projects related to issues of economic and international
read her memo here:
development. The program included working on organic
farms in Costa Rica, in healthcare centers in South Africa
and elementary schools in India. She received her B.A.
from Wheaton College in Massachusetts with a self-
designed degree of Peace and Conflict Studies. As part of
her undergraduate degree Arden investigated female
identity and concepts of beauty during a semester in
Senegal which was followed by four months in Rwanda
analyzing genocide and concepts of sacred space and
reconciliation.

Professionally, Arden has served as a Junior Policy Analyst

for the International Telecommunications Union (ITU)
where she led research on an international birth
registration project and contributed to policy
recommendations at The Broadband Commission for
Sustainable Development. Her most recent position was at
the Coalition for the International Criminal Court (CICC)
where she attended global conferences - including the
General Assembly and Commission of the Status of
Women (CSW) - and spearheaded multiple events at the
United Nations advocating for international justice for the
most at-risk communities, particularly women and children.
Upon graduation from Georgetown’s Conflict Resolution
Master’s program Arden hopes to continue advocating for
the inclusion of marginalized voices and legitimizing peace
building efforts by women.
"The D.C. Student Consortium on Women, Peace,
and Security is important because it provides the
unique opportunity for students and practitioners
to collaborate on research and policy projects that
are crucial to the modern development of
International Affairs. Beyond that, it prepares
students for real-world policy work by giving them
the chance to boost their resume with publications,
network with renowned professionals, and foster a
community of likeminded scholars."- Tyler Burrell
CSWG MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Megan Corrado - Co-Chair of the US Civil Society
Working Group on Women, Peace and Security

Megan E. Corrado is the Director of Policy and Advocacy with the Alliance for
Peacebuilding (AfP). Megan is an international lawyer and advocate working
to advance the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Agenda and promote
human rights, peacebuilding, gender mainstreaming, transitional justice,
and post-conflict legal and governance reform. She has extensive
experience in international development, grant implementation, advocacy,
and political campaign management. Megan has worked on democracy-
and peacebuilding programs and processes in conflict-affected and post-
conflict states across the Middle East and North Africa region, Southeast
Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Eastern Europe.
Before joining AfP, Megan served as the Director of Advocacy with Women for Afghan Women and an
attorney with Cohen, Milstein, Sellers, and Toll, and Counsel and Program Director with the Public
International Law and Policy Group. Also, Megan worked in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Office of
the General Counsel, United States (US) Department of Defense; the US House of Representatives; and the
British House of Commons. She currently serves as Co-Chair of the US Civil Society Working Group on
Women, Peace, and Security, as well as Vice President for Global Affairs with the Clearinghouse on Women's
Issues and a member of the Global Gender Coalitions' Co-Chairs Working Group.

She recently hosted the second episode of the Alliance for Peacebuilding’s (AfP) new podcast, Peace: We
Build It! with Consortium Founder, Director of the Gender Equality Initiative in International Affairs, and
Associate Professor with George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs, Dr. Shirley
Graham. They sit down with host Tanya Domi to discuss the progress of and challenges facing the Women,
Peace, and Security (WPS) Agenda 20 years after the passage of the landmark United Nations Security
Council Resolution 1325 and how women’s meaningful inclusion in peacebuilding is vital to international
security and development. You can find their podcast episode here:

CONSORTIUM IN THE NEWS

The Consortium launch and
our corresponding launch
event have garnered the
attention of media outlets
amongst the university
Consortium. You can check
out the recent Hatchet Article
discussing the creation of our
group here.
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE
WHO HAS SUPPORTED US
WITH OUR OFFICIAL LAUNCH
AND WE HOPE YOU ENJOYED
OUR SECOND NEWSLETTER!

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA!