2020-08-26

Associate Research Fellow Presents the Global Peace Index 2020 and Case Study of Women, Peace, and Security Agenda

On 26 August the Associate Research Fellow of the OSCE Academy, Dr. Ana Belen Perianes, presented the Global Peace Index 2020 and Case Study of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda in Its 20 Anniversary. The aim of this virtual talk was to present the Global Peace Index (GPI) 2020 outputs, produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP). The GPI ranks 163 independent states and territories according to their level of peacefulness and presents comprehensive data-driven analysis to-date on trends in peace, its economic value, and how to develop peaceful societies. This presentation included an analysis of the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on peace, including Positive Peace. It examined how the impact of the pandemic, in particular its economic consequences, will increase the risk of severe deteriorations in Positive Peace over the next few years and also which countries are best placed to recover from the shock.

The second part of the presentation was about the study case of the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda in its 20th Anniversary, as the gender equality and peace are very closely linked. The Women, Peace, and Security Agenda has not led yet to significant results in its 20-year long existence. Moreover, it is particularly being affected by the implications of the COVID-19 outbreak because this pandemic is exacerbating gender inequality in conflict-affected settings, post-conflict, and humanitarian crises contexts.

In conclusion, Dr. Perianes underlined that in order to achieve gender equality and the Women, Peace, and Security goals, it is essential to increase effective women´s social, political, and economic empowerment at all levels of the decision-making processes through the engagement of the whole of society and especially, the involvement of local communities.

Recording of the lecture is available on the OSCE Academy YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/OVpj9T2X3v4

Bio: Dr. Perianes is a Spanish Political Scientist, she holds a PhD in Peace and International Security and a University specialized degree in Mediterranean, Near and Middle Eastern Security. At present, she works as Postdoctoral Researcher on Peace, Security and Defense affairs at The University Institute General Gutiérrez Mellado-UNED in Madrid. Furthermore, she is an Associate Research Fellow at the OSCE Academy in Bishkek, where she is developing a research on Women, Peace and Security in Western and Central Asian Countries, an overview of the current situation and implications for women and societies. She is also a member of the Institute for Economics & Peace´s 2020 Cohort of Ambassadors Program. Regarding her fields of specialisation, she is particularly focused on Women, Peace and Security; EU Security and Defense; EU-Central Asia relations and the Belt and Road Initiative; US Foreign Policy; Sahel; human security; human rights and democratic governance.