On 10 September, SIPRI convened an online event focused on integrating the women, peace and security (WPS) agenda into peacebuilding. The event was held through the Community of Practice on Human Security (CoP), an initiative by SIPRI and the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security (UNTFHS).
The event featured three case studies—on Colombia, Syria and Iraq—exploring the relationship between human security and the WPS agenda in post-conflict settings. Participants, including practitioners and researchers, examined how communities, local authorities and stakeholders can advance these outcomes in the long term by addressing gendered dimensions of peacebuilding.
This session highlighted UN Development Programme efforts in Colombia and Syria, illustrating how human security and the WPS agenda can intersect to support peacebuilding by using the success of WPS integration in post-conflict Colombia as a model for contemporary Syria. A presentation on Iraq focused on how to engage men and boys as stakeholders in advancing WPS outcomes. Despite divergent contexts, all three cases underlined the necessity of integrating a gendered lens into sustainable peacebuilding.
About the Community of Practice
Launched jointly by SIPRI and UNTFHS in June 2026, the CoP provides a virtual global forum for researchers and practitioners to connect theory with practice, exchange knowledge, disseminate evidence and advance the application of human security and other human-centred approaches across diverse contexts. The September session was the third CoP event.
Each virtual webinar focuses on one theme, consisting of short case studies from an array of organizational perspectives followed by interactive discussion among smaller working groups. During sessions, attendees share experiences and emerging evidence to foster partnerships that seek to transform knowledge into collective action. The CoP is open to policymakers, practitioners, researchers, youth and emerging professionals interested in human security.
The next CoP will be held in mid-October 2026 and focus on digital technologies and human security. Interested parties can email major.initiaitves@sipri.org for more information.