Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security

05/21/2026

🎓 Celebrating Our Gender, Peace and Security Certificate Graduates 🎓

The Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS) congratulates Georgetown University’s graduating class, especially the 12 alumni who earned our graduate certificate in Gender, Peace and Security (GPS) this academic year.

We are also pleased to announce the winners of our annual student writing awards, which bring together emerging voices from universities across the Washington, DC consortium to explore today’s most pressing global challenges through a gender lens.

👉 Use the link in our bio to meet this year’s GPS graduates and writing award winners, and learn how they are advancing the future of Women, Peace and Security through research, advocacy, and policy leadership.

05/14/2026

We are honored to announce that the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security has been awarded the Francesca Tardioli International Award from .sapienza and

GIWPS was recognized for our “significant and special contribution to the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda.”

This award holds special meaning. It is named in memory of the late H.E. Francesca Tardioli, a trailblazing Italian diplomat and a steadfast champion of UN Security Council Resolution 1325. Ambassador Tardioli’s career was defined by her commitment to multilateralism and her belief that sustainable peace is only possible when women are at the center of mediation and conflict resolution.

At GIWPS, our mission has always been to bridge the gap between evidence-based research and global policy. From our work on the to our advocacy for women in peace processes from Afghanistan to Ukraine, we remain dedicated to the vision that Ambassador Tardioli championed.

As GIWPS Associate Professor and Gender Certificate Coordinator S Ayse Kadayifci- Orellana said when she accepted the award on behalf of GIWPS: “This award is not only about what has been achieved; it is about what must still be done. We dedicate this award to the women across the world who—often without recognition and under extraordinarily difficult circumstances—continue to hold communities together.”

We are grateful to our incredible staff who make this work possible: Melanne Verveer Carla Koppell Jessica Smith Allida Black Haleema Hasan Rachel George Vicka Heidt S Ayse Kadayifci- Orellana Anna Tuohey Kelly J. Shannon Emma Guyette Kimberly Brody Hart Gihan Elhadidy Ana Lejava Tamara Bah Sarah Rutherford Michelle Snyder Brady Alexandra Gopin Colleen McMahon Rebecca Radle Helen Rocker Melissa Pasos Shields Riya Ou and our many talented fellows and student assistants.

Diplomacy FrancescaTardioli GenderEquality

05/12/2026

We are thrilled to announce that GIWPS Executive Director Melanne Verveer has once again been recognized in ’s list of the 500 Most Influential People of 2026.

This annual list honors the experts and advocates driving critical policy debates in the nation’s capital. Amb. Verveer was recognized for her unparalleled leadership in international affairs, specifically for her career-long dedication to placing women at the center of peace and security.

In a year of shifting global priorities, Amb. Verveer has remained a steadfast advocate for women on the frontlines of conflict. Her work ensures that gender equality isn’t just a talking point, but a strategic imperative for global stability.

Congratulations to everyone recognized this year, and to the thousands of advocates in Washington and beyond whose vital work happens behind the scenes.

Read the full list using the link in our bio.

05/11/2026

The situation for women and girls in Afghanistan today is the worst in the world.

Since the Taliban regained control, they have issued over 100 edicts aimed at erasing half the population from public life. At GIWPS, we rank Afghanistan #181 out of 181 countries for women’s wellbeing on our .

However, complexity must not be mistaken for futility. In a new interview, GIWPS Executive Director Ambassador Melanne Verveer and GIWPS Policy Director Kimberly Hart outline why the international community cannot look away—and what must be done.
The article highlights 5 concrete recommendations to push back against the systematic oppression of Afghan women and girls:

1️⃣ Deliver Principled Humanitarian Aid: Provide life-saving assistance directly to the Afghan people with strict guardrails to prevent it from benefiting the Taliban.

2️⃣ Invest in Innovative Education & Employment: Support “below the radar” alternatives like online schools, home-based learning, and virtual employment opportunities for Afghan women.

3️⃣ Demand Legal Accountability: Establish “gender apartheid” as a crime against humanity and use international courts and universal jurisdiction to hold the Taliban regime accountable.

4️⃣ Prioritize Women’s Participation: Make the full and meaningful inclusion of Afghan women a non-negotiable prerequisite for any formal peace talks or negotiations.

5️⃣ Maintain Non-Recognition: Refuse to normalize a regime that violates fundamental human rights. Non-recognition of the Taliban is essential to maintaining international pressure.

Afghan women are continuing to resist with incredible bravery every day. We must match their courage with our unwavering commitment.

Full interview linked in bio.

03/13/2026

Today, the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security and the Sasakawa Peace Foundation launched new research, “Building Women’s Coalitions for Peace and Security: Strategies, Tactics, and Lessons Learned,”during the 70th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70).

At a moment of escalating conflict, shrinking civic space, and increasing strain on global peace and humanitarian systems, the findings underscore that investing in women’s coalitions is essential for building sustainable peace.

Across conflict settings, women organize to influence peace processes and advocate for more inclusive political outcomes. Despite their importance, there is little research on how these coalitions are built, organized, and sustained. This report helps fill that gap.

Drawing on interviews with more than 50 women in Sudan and the Philippines, the research provides:

🔹Original analysis of women’s coalitions, with insights from women affected by conflict in two settings

🔹A practical framework derived from parallels across two conflict settings, outlining core strategies and tactics that support coalition influence

🔹Actionable recommendations for how funders, civil society actors, policy practitioners and global networks can best support coalition-building

Click the link in our bio to learn more.

03/08/2026

On International Women’s Day 2026 ( ), the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS) recognizes and celebrates women driving change in peace and security and recommits to using existing data and resources to accelerate progress.

The world feels increasingly fragile. Conflicts are raging across regions, more women than ever are living in close proximity to armed conflict, and gains in women’s status are stagnating or reversing, according to our 2025/26 Women, Peace and Security Index. However, women continue to do courageous work—from Afghanistan to Sudan, Ukraine, Palestine, Venezuela, Iran, Syria, Myanmar, and more. They are leading movements, documenting violations, safeguarding democracy, and defending their communities.

Without women’s leadership, sustainable peace is not possible. In fact, findings from our WPS Index show that women’s status has the strongest correlation with peace and stability, making gender-responsive policy not optional, but essential.

We know what works. Including women in peace and security efforts leads to more just, equitable, and durable outcomes. The evidence is clear, and the tools are at our disposal. On , we celebrate the progress made—and call for the political will to build a more peaceful, stable, and just world for all.

02/17/2026

Join us and African Studies at Georgetown University tomorrow - Wednesday, February 18 - at 9:00am ET for a virtual conversation with women human rights defenders about the humanitarian crisis in South Sudan and the gendered impacts of the intensifying violence.

RSVP:

Meet the Moment: South Sudan at a Breaking Point Hosted by the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security and The African Studies Program Event Details February 18, 2026 9:00am – 10:00am EST RSVP (opens in new tab) Meet the Moment: South Sudan at a Breaking Point Escalating violence and vo...

02/13/2026

“This isn’t a dystopian novel. This is the daily reality for 14 million women and girls in Afghanistan today.”

In this powerful Forbes column, Margie Warrell describes the Taliban’s assault on women’s rights – including new regulations that are so brutal, they are hard to comprehend.

The article draws on a recent GIWPS event & analysis by Belquis Ahmadi published by GIWPS to explain what is happening in Afghanistan and outline 5 ways you can help.

“Empathy and outrage are natural responses to injustice—but empathy that never moves us to act is hollow. Outrage that doesn’t translate into action is just noise. It lets us feel something without risking anything. And it’s precisely that gap—between knowing something is wrong and having courage to do something, anything, to right it—that allows evil regimes to do more evil.”

We urge you to read the article – and more importantly – to take action.

Under the Taliban's new penal code, women have less legal protection than animals. What's happening in Afghanistan has a name—gender apartheid. Here's why it matters.

02/05/2026

Today, GIWPS released a new report, Conflicts and Trends to Watch in 2026, which identifies three trends likely to shape conflict patterns this year and profiles 10 settings where our experts anticipate security dynamics will have disproportionate impacts on women and girls.

The report analyzes record-high levels of armed conflict, democratic backsliding, geopolitical fragmentation, and an accelerating climate crisis,
converging pressures that are reshaping conflict environments in ways that endanger women and girls while eroding the systems meant to protect them. Amid these challenges, women remain central actors in humanitarian response, peacebuilding, and civic resistance.

Drawing on insights from the Women, Peace and Security Conflict Tracker, this report integrates gender-responsive analysis into conflict forecasting and offers policymakers, multilateral institutions, and civil society leaders a framework for advancing more durable and inclusive peace and security outcomes.

Read the report using the link in our bio.

12/11/2025

We brought a delegation of Ukrainian women to London this week to discuss the ongoing use of sexual violence as a tactic of war in Ukraine, and the urgent need for survivor-centered responses.

The centerpiece of the trip was a screening of “Traces. Excerpts”—a short advocacy adaptation of the forthcoming full-length documentary “Traces”—directed by Alisa Kovalenko. Following the screening, Kovalenko was joined by Iryna Dovhan, Natalia Karbowska, Dr. Kateryna Levchenko, and Amb. Melanne Verveer for an expert panel highlighting the experiences of survivors and the efforts of those working on justice, policy, and frontline documentation.

The event brought together a diverse audience—from diplomats to academics to activists—and featured remarks from Baroness Mary Goudie.

We were honored that HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh GVCO, a longtime champion of survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, joined us for the high-level event and met with Ukrainian survivors and advocates at the conclusion of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence.