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How Women on the Front Lines Forge Peace

A Conversation with the 2023 Women Building Peace Awardee and Finalists

Date: Friday, March 1, 2024 / Time: 10:00am - 11:15am EST

Center: Applied Conflict Transformation Center

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Each year, USIP presents the Women Building Peace Award to an exceptional woman peacebuilder creating change in her country. This year’s awardee and finalists demonstrate an extraordinary breadth of experience, vision and skill mediating between armed actors, breaking cycles of gender-based violence, empowering women and youth, and helping their communities heal from trauma. 

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Ahead of International Women’s Day and on the first day of Women’s History Month, USIP recognized and celebrated the awardee and finalists for the 2023 Women Building Peace Award. The conversation explored how these four fearless women from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Kenya and Syria are making history while working for a peaceful future.

Continue the conversation on social media using the hashtag #WomenBuildingPeace.

Speakers

Marcia Myers Carlucci, welcoming remarks
Co-Chair, USIP's Women Building Peace Council

Megan Beyer, moderator 
Director, Office of Art in Embassies, U.S. Department of State; Co-Chair, USIP’s Women Building Peace Award Council

Pétronille Vaweka 
Awardee, 2023 Women Building Peace Award; Senior Mediator and Coordinator, Centre Femmes Engagées pour la Paix en Afrique (Democratic Republic of the Congo)

Dr. Marie-Marcelle H. Deschamps 
Finalist, 2023 Women Building Peace Award; Deputy Executive Director, Les Centres GHESKIO, (Haiti)

Abir Haj Ibrahim 
Finalist, 2023 Women Building Peace Award; Co-Founder and Executive Manager, Mobaderoon (Syria) 

Hamisa Zaja 
Finalist, 2023 Women Building Peace Award; Founder and CEO, Coast Association for Persons with Disabilities (Kenya)

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