Mind the GAPS: a podcast

About

On this podcast, we explore the world of Women, Peace and Security through speaking to experts and practitioners from around the world working under the umbrella of Women, Peace and Security.

Join us as we release a new episode bi-weekly focusing on another important aspect of the WPS Agenda, where I will be speaking to some brilliant guests who will share their takes and recommendations on this important topic.

This podcast is made through the support of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and through their funding of the LEAP4Peace Consortium, which GAPS is a member of. This podcast is hosted by Eva Tabbasam, written, produced and edited by Florence Waller – Carr and supported by the GAPS Team. Our thanks also to Andrew O’Connor at Saferworld for the technical support, and to Jimena Duran at NIMD who are the Consortium lead for LEAP4Peace. The music used in this podcast was produced by Tribe of Noise PRO.

Listen now to Mind the GAPS

Listen to all the episodes on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Episode 1: WPS & NAPs: The case of the UK

This episode is an introduction to the Women Peace and Security agenda and National Action Plans and looks at the future of the UK’s Women, Peace and Security Policy in the context of the launch of their new NAP. Our guests for this episode’s conversation are Dr Paul Kirby and Dr Hannah Wright, both in the School of Politics and International Relations at Queen Mary University of London. Hannah and Paul are here to help us introduce the WPS agenda and National Action Plans, as well as talk about their paper ‘The Future of the UK’s Women, Peace and Security Policy’ which they wrote with Aisling Swaine and was published by the LSE Center for WPS.

Episode 2: Women’s rights and WPS in Afghanistan

This episode discusses women and girls’ rights in Afghanistan, and the global response a year and a half after the withdrawal of international forces, the government’s collapse, and the country’s handover to Taliban forces. We are joined for this discussion by Maryam Rahmani and Hasina Safi. Maryam has joined Womankind Worldwide – a UK-based organization working for women’s empowerment, where she is an Advisor on Afghanistan. Maryam is also a Country Representative for the Afghan Women’s Resource Center– a local women’s organization working in six provinces of Afghanistan, as well as a board member of the Afghan Women Network and a Core Member of the Women’s Regional Network (WRN). Hasina Safi is a well-known women rights activist from Afghanistan, where she has worked for various national and international organisations, including the International Rescue Committee, Afghan Women’s Educational Center, United Nations Development Program, Afghan Women’s Network, and High Peace Council. She was a member of the Peace Negotiation Team in 2018 and most recently served as the Acting Minister of Women’s Affairs for the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan before the Taliban takeover.

Episode 3: The Domestication of WPS

This episode discusses the domestication of WPS in the UK, with a specific focus on Northern Ireland and the UK’s refugee and asylum policy. We are joined for this discussion by Dr Catherine Turner, an Associate Professor of International Law and Deputy Director of the Durham Global Security Institute where her work sits at the intersection of international law and global policy in the field of international peace and security, who we talk to about the case of Northern Ireland. We are also joined by Priscilla Dudhia, the Campaigns and Advocacy Manager at Women for Refugee Women who discusses with us the lack of policy coherence between the UK’s new Women, Peace and Security National Action Plan and their domestic approach to refugee and asylum policy.

Episode 4: Funding CSOs and WROs: WPS funding landscapes

This episode discusses the funding landscape of WPS globally and in the UK, as well as the the research findings and recommendations from GAPS’ Key to Change Research on funding women’s rights organisations and women led organisations in fragile and conflict affected contexts. Host, Florence Waller – Carr (GAPS Policy and Advocacy Manager) is joined by Helen Kezie-Nwoha who is the Executive Director of the Women’s International Peace Centre, a regional organization that promotes women’s participation in peace building and Eva Tabbasam who is the Director at GAPS UK, a network of development, human rights, humanitarian and peacebuilding INGOs.

Episode 5: Women’s participation in decision-making

This episode discusses women’s participation in decision making across peacebuilding, politics and more. The adoption of resolution 1325 has meant that the importance of women’s participation is recognised but in practice women are still not being meaningful included. Genuine participation must include women from all parts of society. Host, Florence Waller – Carr (GAPS Policy and Advocacy Manager) is joined by Nathali Rátiva, a PhD candidate in interdisciplinary gender and equalities studies at the University of Salamanca and a Gender Officer at NIMD-Colombia, and Eva Tabbasam who is the Director at GAPS UK, a network of development, human rights, humanitarian and peacebuilding INGOs.

Episode 6: Season 1 Wrap Up- Looking back and forward

In the final episode, Florence and Eva review the different themes discussed throughout the season, note the emerging themes necessary to support women’s rights and women-led organisations, and check-in on progress of the United Kingdom’s implementation of its fifth National Action Plan. Florence Waller – Carr is Policy and Advocacy Manager and Eva Tabbasam is Director, both at Gender Action for Peace and Security (GAPS).