More than a quarter century after the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda faces renewed urgency amid democratic backsliding and declining international support for gender equality. Yet its implementation is under increasing strain: in many conflict-affected contexts, women peacebuilders, women-led organisations and other civil society actors face shrinking civic space, increasing insecurity and intensified backlash against gender equality and human rights.
What does it take in practice to strengthen the Women, Peace and Security agenda in fragile and conflict-affected contexts? How can German development cooperation better support women-led and local organisations working on peacebuilding, protection and responses to gender-based violence? What can be learned from contexts such as South Sudan about grassroots action, access to funding and the realities of implementation on the ground?
The Berlin Summer Dialogue 2026 aims to identify practical entry points for strengthening the WPS agenda under difficult political conditions. Simone Wisotzki contributes to a panel discussion on the topic „Women, Peace and Security in Practice: Local Responses, Policy Lessons and Partnerships“.
PD Dr. Simone Wisotzki is a Board Member at PRIF and Project Leader at the Research Department International Security. This year, Simone Wisotzki published together with Clara Perras a PRIF Blog series on “25 Years of Women, Peace and Security. Promises, Backlash, and Feminist Reimagining” with many insightful contributions that will inform our discussion.
When: May 27, 2026, 5pm
Where: Berlin Global Village, Am Sudhaus 2, 12053 Berlin
The Berlin Summer Dialogue is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. The full program and the link for registration can be found on the website of the Development and Peace Foundation.