Our secure future, make the difference. The Scowcroft Center works to develop sustainable, nonpartisan strategies to address the most important security challenges facing the United States and its allies and partners. We honor the legacy of general principle crop, his ethos of Nonpartisan Committee to the costs cost of security, support for use leadership and cooperation with allies and partners, dedication to the mentorship of the next generation of leaders. In keeping with its mission our chance omatic circuit initiative shapes and influences debate on the greatest secret he challenges facing the North Atlantic Alliance and its key partners. Our partners for todays event our secure future, we mimic e difference, founded to strengthen the womens peace sorry. Our partners, our secure future make the women straighten women, peace, and security agenda is still a more Peaceful World through ensuring womens full participation in governance. They were to ensure the effective incorporation of perspectives and its peace and security of decisionmaking at the national and International Level which leads to greater security for everyone. Todays event kicks off Atlantic CouncilsInternational Security womens of a weeklong programming. As we reflect on several critical milestones including nearly 25 years of the United NationsSecurity Council resolution 1325 on womens peace and security as well as nato 75th anniversary, the discussion will consider a merchant your political challenges should be addressed and prioritize through a general lens to strengthen collective security and defense alliances. This event is part of the candle that its a Good Initiative 2024 native Washington Summit campaign. From information and updates for future events publications follow us on twitter acscowcroft. Todays conversation with will be moderated by sahana dharmapuri, Vice President of our secure future and Vice President of before return to our Panel Discussion however, i pleased to introduce our keynote remarks provided by special representative for women, peace, and security at nato, irene fellin. Allow me to express my gratitude for the opportunity to address you today. On the occasion of this discussion organized Atlantic Council alongside our secure future of womens Business SecurityInitiative Security landscape. While i regret i cannot be there in person, i am keen to share with you my thoughts on this crucial subject. Today discussion would reflect on natos 75th anniversary this year and the nearly 21st 21st years of d Nations Security Council resolution of womens this security. This milestone serves as a reminder to our collective commitment to advancing gender equality, promoting peace and ensuring the security of all individuals regardless of their gender. As we suddenly know, europe is not at peace. We find ourselves in the security environment instability. The unprovoked aggression of russia against ukraine violated the norms and principles that once contributed to a stable and strategic European Security order. Shopping the piece that many people granted. Terrorists is the most direct threat poses a significant challenge the security of our citizens and it is an impediment to International Peace and prosperity. Women increasingly face threats that arise globally and they continue to face barriers to full and meaningful participation in peace and secure processes. The basic of our resolution 1325 adopted 24 years ago on not yet fully of limited but indeed authoritarian and terrorist actors narratives which are reflecting their tactics to divide and destabilize. Russias deliberative targeting of civilian and infrastructure in ukraine highlights sitter consequences of this action. Women and girls remain targets of multiple forms of violence including genderbased violence, sexual violence, exploitation, abuse and trafficking. We also face numerous crosscutting challenges. One of of these is Climate Change. As more and more research review, women and girls experience a disparate impact of Climate Change which amplifies existing gender inequalities, and poses unique threats to the livelihoods, health and safety. Embracing new and emerging technologies offers opportunities to create more gender equal world, but we must also be vigilant against Technology Buys engendered disinformation that risks excessive gender inequalities and violence, undermining stabilities and strengthening our core values. Nato once again recognizes that Significant Impact that instability happen to women and girls. This shift in Security Landscape underscores the need for a comprehensive and Strategic Response here we certainly believe the complexity of the geopolitical challenges we face today demonstrates throughout agenda led. In line with this commitment nato allies update policy set to be endorsed at this years summit in washington, d. C. The new policy will set a a cr vision for advances of nato Deputy Eskridge and allowing the alliance to better navigate current threats and challenges and to contribute to more gender equal future. We will deliver new policy that that reflects our strategic concept which already underlined gender equality as reflection of our values as an alliance and integration of the wps legend across nato three cortes, terror and defense, cooperative security. Wps is as relevant now as it has ever been. Resilience in face of this ever evolving security environment requires the active involvement of full segment including women and Women Civil Society organizations. They play a vital role in preparing for, resisting, responding to, and quickly recovery. Exchange with Civil Society organizations is vital to prevent us as a work in silos and to ensure natos approach wps align with the global wps agenda. This is why in january you have open consultation with newly nominated Civil Society advisor, and integrated the policy update as a major part of the first annual meeting. Functioning as an independent advisor offers critical perspectives from the very grassroots of society. This insight plays a a crucial role in helping us identify and preventing blindfold. Nato acknowledges women are often at the forefront to support societal resilience, mitigate conflict. In addition to women contributions to all peace and security efforts their full and meaningful participation in Decision Making and implementation of solutions related to all aspects of peace and security are critical to achieving natos mandate and promoting peace and stability in the euro atlantic area. As we confront, shift and Security Landscape it is crucial to uphold natos values, reinforcing alliance unity, and readiness to protect citizens, safeguard freedom and democracy, and work toward a just, occlusive and lasting peace here i extend my best wishes for a productive at insightful Panel Discussion. Thank you for your commitment to advancing women, peace, and security in this challenging time. Thank you so much, chris and irene for helping a set the stage for todays conversation, ahead of Womens National date, march 8. With a very wonderful and thoughtprovoking conversation ahead of us and im really glad to share the stage with my colleague. My name is sahana dharmapuri, Vice President of our secure future women make the difference. Really excited for you who are watching and all of you in the room today with us. I i want to begin by quickly introducing our panelists and then jumping into the conversation. First id like to introduce jenna benyehuda his executive Vice President at Atlantic Council. She has previously served as the president and chief executive officer of the Truman National security project and the Truman Center for national policy. Were also joined by Vice President for advocacy and external relations at the Womens Refugee Commission, melanie nezer. She and her team share Womens Refugee Commission research and recommendations, policymakers, media and supporters to the wider public and in the u. S. Were also joined by ms. Moira whelan, director for democracy and technology at the National Democratic institute here in washington, washington, d. C. And her role at ndi she helps bridge the gap between technology, policy and democracy and is a regular contributor to the Foster Digital ecosystem that supports democracy worldwide. Thank you, ladies. Its really a pleasure to share the stage with you and will appreciate your thought leadership in this area. So we heard remarks about the nato upcoming summit and some plans of integrating women, peace, and security more deeply into natos priorities, but jenna, i would like to start with you too may be give us some reflection but also maybe confection lies the 75th anniversary summit thats going to be held in d. C. Thanks, thank you and welcome back to the council. Great to be a benevolent today at at a special thanks to our secure future for your partnership. We are really delighted. In many ways it feels somewhat like full circle moments with a serious anniversary bishopric were coming up on the 25th resolution 1325 which are ushered him this movement of women, peace, and security, and with that the National Action plan, miller states around the world. We have of course the 75th anniversary of nato coming, and washington will host the summit this summer, a date we are tracking very closely at Atlantic Council because we will play a really Important Role in the public form which is a Civil Society beating for that this summer. We do that of course amidst open war in europe, a war which is in ukraine but is in many ways a war that is being contributed to, supplied by many countries around the world, the United States probably. The backdrop against which were having these conversations i think is one of particular urgency and poignancy because of russias war in ukraine, which is really i think russias war with the west more probably get we also went with a the expression of what i think is especially critical wps nato moments with sweden and finland. We think in particular of course about former foreign minister Margaret Wahlstrom legacy of a feminist Foreign Policy in sweden, and even though it was revoked recently, i think it was in 2022, we know undoubtedly there is this legacy of feminism integration with Security Movement in sweden that will become a part of this conversation as they enter nato here can likewise with finland. Huge legacy of womens equality and genderbased equity. So curious to see how the accession of these two Member States changed the the complexion of some of the conversation. Its an important moment and especially as we hopefully begin to i ukraines reconstruction over the horizon, port remember to have his voice at the table for not just the war fighting but the peace table as well. Thank you. Im going to jump to sahana. So in your reflection countries because your work on democracy and democracy promotion and technology, your reflections on ms. Fellin comments. Jenna was talk about alliances, et cetera. Would love to hear your perspective. And thank you, sahana, for having me joining to today. Its always a pleasure to be a with two of my my favorite organizations come Atlantic Council and i think the remarks which stood out to me is a transition over the 75 years and this evolution of watching one of the most enduring multilateral organizations in the world will embrace this concept of multistakeholder ism, which is inherently women, peace, and security of the full participation of all people in decisionmaking to make us more secure. So the absolute redefinition of security, and as were going into, or we are a quarter into this year more election goodwill than weve ever seen before at the threats to democracy both on the periphery of nato but also in the balkans, from authoritarian actors in asia. We are seeing a rise in the need for all of us to Pay Attention to these issues especially around emerging technology. Not just an Information Space when you see when its full chilled in elections and in their ability to access information, but we are also seeing it in increasing the security threats, increase threats to surveillance. So the very tools that democracies that nato is using to potential help make us more secure can also pose a threat to 50 of the global population in particular. So these conversations cant be more critical than coming to the table and figuring out how to rectify those differences, how we ensure that we over time and try to protect ourselves in trying to secure the direction of free enterprise, free societies, we dont inherit, we dont destroy that from the inside by increasing the use of these technologies to threaten our very security that we are trying to achieve. Yeah. Melanie, you work on a lot of these conflicts that we are talking about from the womens refugee perspective. What are your reflections on some of, irene talked about the inclusions of society and voices. How much of those voices do you think are being included in the conversation . Well, thanks youre going to last is like echoing everybody saying, do that in shorthand way to grow great to be with you, sahana. Always appreciate your partnership and great to be with Atlantic Council. Pretty new to wrc such a great way to get a kick off my tenure here. In terms of money for small yes, important wps has a a recognin that it has in nato and in the upcoming summit. I think what we really see some challenges are two areas and help with time to talk more about them. One is related to what you said about in the interest of protecting women, because the face of so many security threats, particularly women who were displaced by conflict and crisis, we kind of default and use it as an excuse to exclude them from leadership. Because want to prioritize keeping people safe. So thats a real issue, and are some solutions, women are doig Amazing Things run the world particularly forcibly displaced women, refugees, women who are displaced by conflict and crisis, but they need our help and support and we need to follow their lead because they r excellent recommendations and ideas of how to build peace. So again saying it is great and there been many strides over the last 25 25 years and includig women in decisionmaking and following the lead of women but theyre so much what we can do from the kind of mundane. Women cannot be literally be at the table if they cant get on the bus because its unsafe for them to get on the bus to go to the meeting, right . Things like that that address womens security. In less women are safe were not going to have security, and that particularly to a displaced. So thats one point. The other one is ongoing, this is not really and anniversary but were pretty close to him going to throw it in there come is the anniversary of the 1951 convention on the status of refugees which followed world war ii which is really our framework for protecting people who are fleeing persecution. It doesnt address all of our modern challenges. It addresses a very specific, we talk about climate refugees. Its not really, i knew we know what that means of refugees is a legal term. Established in 1951 convention, people are fleeing persecution based on race, religion, nationality, membership in a social group or political opinion. Thats where refugee is. In the 1951 convention, obligated states to protect refugees. Puts some requirements on refugees themselves on how they must support themselves, but basically its about the states protecting refugees. What were seeing now is kind of a race to the bottom. We have this massive crisis. We have people millions of people millions more who will be displaced by conflict, by Climate Change, by the conflict accomplice and Climate Change, and we are taking a very deterrence enforcement only approach. So some of the recommendations will be including women in addressing some of these challenges, and the world kind of coming together in a more kind of coordinated way to address these challenges that are not walls and blockades because we know thats not going to work. I think what you have all said really underscoring the fact that okay, now we know, its almost 25 years for women, peace, and security, we know now we need women at the decisionmaking table. Its been for a lot of good reasons but not quite happening, but this multilateralism, the push towards multilateralism and strengthening alliances