On Tuesday, October 17th, the Women, Peace and Security Network – Canada (WPSN-C) co-hosted an event on Parliament Hill: Canada & the Women, Peace and Security Agenda: An Opportunity for Global Leadership. The parliamentarians who co-hosted with WPSN-C were Senator Marilou McPhedran, Senator Grant Mitchell, Senator Mobina Jaffer, and Members of Parliament Karen McCrimmon, Anita Vandenbeld, Hélène Laverdière, and Elizabeth May.

Experts at four tables provided information about various topics related to women, peace and security to parliamentarians and members of the diplomatic community. The topics were: an introduction to WPS issues, gender perspectives in peace operations, conflict-related sexual violence, and the role of women’s rights organizations in building peace.

The Minister of International Development, Marie-Claude Bibeau, and her parliamentary secretary, Celina Caesar-Chavannes, both attended and briefly addressed the event.

Sarah Tuckey, a member of WPSN-C, wrote a blog post about the event, Five Things the Evening with Parliamentarians Taught Me About the WPS Agenda and Feminism in Canada. And there is also a summary of the evening’s social media posts available here.

Today, Friday, October 27th, the UN Security Council had its annual Open Debate on Women, Peace and Security. Discussion of the events surrounding the open debate can be followed on Twitter using the hashtag #UNSCR1325 and the Report of the Secretary-General on Women, Peace and Security for 2017 has already been released. Ahead of the debate, an open letter signed by 391 civil society organizations, including WFMC, was sent to all UN Member States, calling on them to “prioritize gender equality and women’s rights, and to increase their support for women civil society organizations and women human rights defenders.”

As well, Canada’s long-awaited new National Action Plan on women, peace and security will be released on November 1st. Further details to come.