‘Reinforcing Resilience: The Role of Women, Peace and Security in NATO’s Eastern Border Security’ has been organised by Dr Katharine Wright, Senior Lecturer in International Politics, to bring together policy makers, diplomats, military leaders, and women’s rights experts. 

Dr Wright is a member of NATO’s Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Civil Society Advisory Panel and will co-host the event with partners from the WO=MEN Dutch Gender Platform and King’s College, London.

She said: “If NATO is serious about resilience, how can it afford to sideline Women, Peace and Security? This event is a reminder that the Women, Peace and Security agenda is not an add-on: it must be central to how the Alliance understands and responds to today’s security threats.

“NATO and its member states, including the UK as a leading ally, must step up, not step back. Yet this Summit offers a stark reminder that the political will to do so is faltering and the pushback on Women, Peace and Security as a backbone of democracy is real, from funding cuts to active dismantling.”

The event, which Newcastle doctoral researcher Amy Hill has also been involved in organising, will share insights, experiences, and perspectives from NATO’s borders on the role of the WPS agenda in today’s security environment, particularly in the context of Russia’s war in Ukraine, and underscore its value in strengthening NATO’s readiness and responsiveness to security threats in the region. Speakers include:

• Irene Fellin, NATO Special Representative on WPS
• Koen Davidse, Director General Policy, Dutch Ministry of Defence
• Colonel Neyvana Miteva, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs in Bulgaria
• Olena Suslova, founder of the Women’s Information Consultative Centre (WICC) in Ukraine

NATO formalised its ambitious WPS policy in 2024 and the event will highlight the ongoing relevance of WPS in addressing current geopolitical challenges and provide an opportunity for states to reaffirm their commitment to WPS to ensure it remains a central part of NATO’s strategic conversations.

It will also mark the 25th anniversary of the landmark UN Security Council Resolution 1325, which acknowledges the disproportionate and unique impact of armed conflict on women and girls and urges states to increase the participation of women and incorporate gender perspectives in all peace and security efforts.

The event has been supported through ESRC IAA funding and will take place in the Netherlands on 23 June ahead of the NATO Summit in The Hague, where the Alliance’s 32 member countries are expected to deliberate on a new defence spending target and the language of a statement addressing Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine.