On Thursday 22 September 2016, WOSCAP's partner Escola de Cultura de Pau (ECP) organises a seminar on gender, peace and security. It aims to reflect on lessons learned and good practices to strengthen the EU's capacities in introducing a gender perspective to peace processes.

Since UN Security Council Resolution 1325 was passed in 2000, the international gender, peace and security agenda has highlighted the need to analyse conflicts' impacts from a gender perspective, the important role played by women in conflict prevention and peacebuilding and the importance of women's participation in decision-making spaces in this area.

Implementation of this gender, peace and security agenda is obligatory for international stakeholders and the European Union (EU) has promoted the development of policies and the establishment of an architecture of actors responsible for its implementation.

The EU has adopted several commitments in terms of mediation and dialogue, such as promoting women's participation in peace processes, increasing the number of female mediators and supporting local women's organisations in their peacebuilding efforts. But like in other areas, implementation of the gender, peace and security agenda faces a series of challenges. Such us the gap between political commitments and practice, the persistence of gender inequality in high-level positions, the need for better coordination between European institutions and member states, the deficit in human and financial resources and insufficient clarity about how to transfer the gender, peace and security agenda to the EU's different areas of external action.

Given the situation, this seminar aims to reflect on lessons learned and good practices to strengthen the EU's capacities in introducing a gender perspective to peace processes. The agenda will include the following presentations:

• Civil society perspectives on introducing a gender perspective into mediation and dialogue initiatives: experiences and lessons for the EU. Speaker: Irina Bratosin, European Peacebuilding Liaison Office (EPLO)

• The role of third parties in promoting the gender, peace and security agenda in peace processes: the cases of Colombia and the Philippines. Speaker: Kristian Herbolzheimer, Conciliation Resources

• Reflections on Norway's experience in facilitating peace processes with a gender perspective. Speaker: Laura Mitchell, Norwegian Centre for Conflict Resolution (NOREF)