Ahead of International Women’s Day, DPI, in collaboration with Istanbul Bilgi University’s Centre for Conflict Resolution Studies and Research (CCR) and the Irish Embassy to Turkey, held an in-person roundtable event entitled ‘Women Voicing Peace’ on 5 March 2022 in Istanbul to celebrate women’s achievements in conflict resolution and the Irish experience in conflict resolution.
We were delighted to have organised the meeting in collaboration with the Embassy of Ireland in Turkey and the Bilgi University Centre for Conflict Resolution Studies and Research (CCR). Ambassador Sonya McGuinness emphasised that for the Government of Ireland, gender equality is both a fundamental human right and a necessary condition for sustainable global development.
The meeting also welcomed two distinguished speakers, Kate Fearon and Jane Morrice, to share their first-hand experiences as founding members of the NIWC with the participants. NIWC aimed to highlight inclusion, which derived from women’s acute sense of exclusion from public life. Both speakers highlighted the importance of discussing issues such as welfare, education, and the participation of civic society.
This roundtable forms part of a larger series of activities planned in the context of the project: “Forging Pathways to Peace and Democracy in Turkey”, supported by the Irish, Norwegian and Swiss governments.