The International Peace Institute in partnership with the Government of Sweden are pleased to invite you to a Global Leader Series discussion with H.E. Margot Wallström, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden. The event will take place at IPI on Thursday, September 27, 2018, from 2:30pm to 4:00pm.
Despite two decades of policy development and commitments intended to support women and girls affected by armed conflict, women's participation in all levels of peace and security decision-making lags due to structural barriers, lack of access to political arenas, and even threats to women who attempt to participate in these processes. In efforts to build and sustain peace, there remains a widespread neglect of local-level women peacebuilders’ expertise, and formal peacemaking efforts continue to be resistant to women's meaningful participation and to women's rights. This problem persists despite increasing recognition that efforts to build and sustain peace are dependent upon the full participation of women and respect for their rights. This Global Leaders discussion will draw on the minister’s years as an advocate for women’s rights, including in conflict zones, and will include her insights on how the international community can better live up to its obligations to women and girls globally.
H.E. Ms. Wallström has been the Foreign Minister of Sweden since 2014. She has had a long career in politics, which began in 1979 when she first served as a member of the Swedish Parliament. Her ministerial career began in 1988 when she was appointed Minister of Civil Affairs, responsible for consumer, women, and youth matters. She subsequently assumed the position of Minister of Culture, and then Minister of Social Affairs. In 1998, she retired from Swedish politics to become Executive Vice-President of Worldview Global Media, a non-governmental organization based in Colombo, Sri Lanka. From 1999 until 2004, she served as European Commissioner for the Environment. In 2004, when the Barroso Commission took office, she was appointed its first vice president responsible for inter-institutional relations and communication.
Ms.Wallström has been an advocate for the rights and needs of women throughout her political career, perhaps most notably as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict from 2010 to 2012, and in her promotion of Sweden’s feminist foreign policy in her role as Foreign Minister. She is currently a member of the High-Level Panel on Humanitarian Financing, appointed by the UN Secretary-General in May 2015. She has received several honorary doctorates and awards for her work on sustainable development and climate change, and has also done extensive work to endorse a European Union-Africa partnership on renewable energy, and to champion equal opportunities. She was also co-founder of the European Union inter-institutional group of women and a key supporter of the 50-50 Campaign for Democracy by the European Women's Lobby, where she worked to promote a more gender-balanced European Union.
This event will be moderated by Mr. Terje Rød-Larsen, President of IPI.
Administrative Note:
Because of the strict security relating to the opening of the United Nations General Assembly, you will need to arrive by 2:30pm and bring a photo ID, as well as a copy of this invitation to enter the building.
*Please note that you must register for the event prior to September 27th in order to attend.*
Due to space constraints, we can only accept the first 120 positive responses.
RSVP Here
For questions, contact:
Beatrice Agyarkoh, agyarkoh@ipinst.org or 212-225-9628
*You must register to attend this event.*