Women, Peace and Security Network - Canada

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Women, Peace and Security Network - Canada

The WPSN-C is a network of over 60 Canadian organizations & individuals committed to addressing issues of women, peace & security.

The Women, Peace and Security Network – Canada (WPSN-C) is a network of over 60 Canadian organizations and individuals committed to addressing issues of women, peace and security. The network has two main functions:

1) To promote and monitor the efforts of the Government of Canada to implement and support the United Nation Security Council Resolutions on women, peace and security; and,

2) To pr

ovide a forum for exchange and action by Canadian civil society on issues related to women, peace and security. To help us function as a network, membership is open to Canadian women and men, as well as organizations. Members state their agreement with the network’s commitments (above) and identify a contribution to the network (time or in kind). Members also sign on to advocacy products, such as letters, new releases and events, as they are able. The WPSN-C’s current organizational members include:

• Canadian Federation of University Women (https://www.facebook.com/groups/2232370205/)
• International Women’s Rights Project (http://iwrp.org/)
• MATCH International Women’s Fund (https://www.facebook.com/matchinternational)
• National Council of Women of Canada (https://www.facebook.com/thencwc?sk=wall)
• Nobel Women’s Initiative (https://www.facebook.com/nobelwomen)
• World Federalist Movement-Canada (https://www.facebook.com/pages/World-Federalist-Movement-Canada/146944501995183)
• Kairos: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kairos-Canadian-Ecumenical-Justice-Initiatives/19277141685)

More information is available on the WPSN-C website and on Twitter.

08/12/2026

Young people are not only the future of peacebuilding—they are shaping it today.

This International Youth Day, we’re proud to amplify the voices of young peacebuilders, advocates, and leaders from across our Network who are advancing more inclusive, just, and sustainable approaches to peace and security.

A sincere thank you to Danielle Kamtié (KAIROS CANADA), Imogen Fraser (Canadian Coalition for Youth, Peace & Security (CCYPS)), Ajmal Ramyar (APT Andishawaran), Shayne Wong, and Alexandria Bohémier for sharing their reflections and reminding us why youth leadership matters.

On International Youth Day—and every day—we are reminded of the importance of intersectional commitments to advancing the agenda, recognizing that sustainable peace requires inclusive leadership across generations.

Happy International Youth Day! 🧡

07/09/2026

🌏🌿 Research Report | Finding 2

Climate-related disasters are reshaping economies, livelihoods, and security across the . Women are not only disproportionately affected—they are leading adaptation, disaster preparedness, and recovery efforts.

Our second finding from Adaptive Leadership, Resilient Economies shows that women’s economic participation strengthens resilience only when enabling conditions are in place. Access to finance, land rights, insurance, social protection, and decision-making power determine whether participation reduces vulnerability or deepens it.

Participation alone is not enough. The conditions matter.

🌏🌿 Rapport de recherche | Constat 2

Les catastrophes liées aux changements climatiques transforment les économies, les moyens de subsistance et les dynamiques de sécurité dans l’ . Les femmes ne sont pas seulement touchées de manière disproportionnée : elles jouent un rôle clé dans l’adaptation, la préparation et le relèvement.

Notre deuxième constat démontre que la participation économique des femmes ne renforce la résilience que lorsque les conditions nécessaires sont réunies. L’accès au financement, aux droits fonciers, à l’assurance, à la protection sociale et aux espaces décisionnels est essentiel.

La participation seule ne suffit pas. Les conditions comptent.

📖 Read the report / Lire le rapport: wpsn-canada.org/adaptive-leadership-resilient-economies/

07/06/2026

🌏🌿 Research Report | Research Finding 1

Climate-related disasters are increasingly reshaping economies, livelihoods, and security dynamics across the . Yet while women are often framed primarily as populations disproportionately affected by climate shocks, they are also leading adaptation, disaster preparedness, and recovery efforts at community, national, and regional levels.

Commissioned by Global Affairs Canada, and developed by a WPSN-C Working Group, Adaptive Leadership, Resilient Economies examines how women’s leadership contributes to economic resilience in climate- and disaster-affected contexts.

Our first finding is clear: women’s leadership is a driver of economic resilience, not only a matter of inclusion. Across the Indo-Pacific, women are helping stabilize livelihoods, reduce economic losses, and accelerate recovery following climate-related disasters.

🌏🌿 Rapport de recherche | Constat 1

Les catastrophes liées aux changements climatiques transforment de plus en plus les économies, les moyens de subsistance et les dynamiques de sécurité dans l’ . Pourtant, si les femmes sont souvent présentées comme étant particulièrement touchées par ces crises, elles jouent également un rôle de premier plan dans l’adaptation, la préparation et le relèvement face aux catastrophes aux niveaux communautaire, national et régional.

Commandé par Affaires mondiales Canada et élaboré par un groupe de travail convoqué par le WPSN-C, Leadership adaptatif, économies résilientes examine comment le leadership des femmes contribue à la résilience économique dans des contextes touchés par les changements climatiques et les catastrophes.

Notre premier constat est clair : le leadership des femmes est un moteur de résilience économique, et non seulement une question d’inclusion. À travers l’Indo-Pacifique, les femmes contribuent à stabiliser les moyens de subsistance, à réduire les pertes économiques et à accélérer le relèvement après les catastrophes climatiques.

📖 Read the report / Lire le rapport : wpsn-canada.org/adaptive-leadership-resilient-economies/

06/24/2026

Last week, the WPSN-C Sudan Working Group hosted a screening of Hind Meddeb’s “Sudan, Remember Us.” 📽️🇸🇩

The film captures a pivotal moment in Sudan’s recent history, following young Sudanese activists who mobilized for democratic change and documenting the violence, uncertainty, and resilience that followed. At a time when Sudan continues to face devastating violence and displacement, the screening offered an important opportunity to come together in solidarity and to reflect on the urgency of sustaining attention to Sudan, centring Sudanese voices, and supporting women and civil society actors working toward peace, justice, and human rights.

We are deeply grateful to everyone who joined us for the evening, and to our members at Amnesty International Canada, Inter Pares, and HRREC for helping make this event possible.

06/23/2026

🌈 | New blog

As part of our Pride Month series, today we are pleased to share the latest contribution in : “Lives Without Record: Q***r Erasure and Persecution in the Caucasus” by Mariam Karmazanashvili.

The blog examines the persecution of LGBTQI+ communities in the Caucasus, with a particular focus on the documented disappearances, detention, and violence targeting LGBTQI+ individuals in Chechnya. It explores how violence can operate not only through physical harm, but also through erasure from official records, legal recognition, and public acknowledgment.

Drawing on examples from the region, the piece reflects on what these realities reveal about the limitations of existing peace and security frameworks, including the agenda, when entire communities remain politically invisible. It also highlights the work of activists and organizations challenging exclusion and advocating for more inclusive approaches to peace, security, and human rights.

Read the blog here ➡️ wpsn-canada.org/tag/wpsbeyondthebinaries/

Stay tuned — a new contribution in the series will be shared every week throughout June 🌈

06/17/2026

On Monday, WPSN-C Chair Dr. Katrina Leclerc and Steering Committee member Shayne Wong attended a briefing hosted by Global Affairs Canada in partnership with Canadian Int'l Council - WPG on Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy and Canada’s approach to China.

The discussion provided an opportunity to hear directly from government officials on current foreign policy priorities and Canada’s engagement in the Indo-Pacific region.

As part of its ongoing policy engagement work, WPSN-C recently completed Global Affairs Canada-commissioned research examining women’s leadership in climate and disaster preparedness and recovery across the Indo-Pacific region.

Check out our Network Working Group’s findings and recommendations: wpsn-canada.org/adaptive-leadership-resilient-economies/

06/16/2026

🌈 | New blog

As part of our Pride Month series, today we are pleased to share the next contribution in : “Who Counts in Women, Peace and Security? LGBTQI+ Across National Action Plans” by Network Chair, Katrina Leclerc, PhD.

Twenty-five years after the adoption of UNSCR 1325, important questions remain about who is included — and who remains excluded — within the agenda.

Drawing on a review of 208 National Action Plans on WPS, this blog examines how + communities are represented across national frameworks. The findings are striking: fewer than 10% of the plans reviewed contained explicit references to LGBTQI+ communities or broader -inclusive language, while more than 90% contained no explicit references at all.

The piece explores what these patterns reveal about visibility, inclusion, and the broader assumptions that continue to shape peace and security policy. It also highlights examples of states beginning to move beyond binary understandings of gender within WPS frameworks.

Read the blog here ➡️ wpsn-canada.org/tag/wpsbeyondthebinaries/

Stay tuned — a new contribution in the WPSBeyondBinaries series will be shared every week throughout June 🌈

06/10/2026

On Monday, WPSN-C was pleased to co-host “Bridging Generations for Sustainable Peace: Advancing the Intersections of and ” alongside and .

Held in Rome in advance of the Women, Peace and Security Focal Points Network meeting, the event brought together government representatives, civil society leaders, researchers, and practitioners to explore how the and agendas can be advanced in a more coherent and mutually reinforcing way.

WPSN-C chair, Dr Katrina Leclerc, joined an international panel of experts to discuss opportunities and challenges in bridging these agendas, drawing on lessons from National Action Plans, civil society advocacy, and youth-led peacebuilding efforts. The event also featured closing reflections from Jacqueline O’Neill, Canada’s first Ambassador for WPS and current Director of Transnational Conflict Analysis and Support at .affairs.canada.

The discussion underscored the importance of moving beyond institutional silos and consultation-based approaches toward meaningful participation, reciprocity, and shared decision-making. Participants reflected on how young people and young women continue to shape peace and security efforts worldwide—not only as participants, but as knowledge producers, advocates, and political actors.

06/09/2026

🌈 | New blog

As part of our Pride Month series, today we are pleased to share the next contribution in : “2SLGBTQIA+ Military Sexual Trauma: A Women, Peace and Security Issue” by Sandra Biskupski-Mujanovic, PhD and Linna Tam-Seto, PhD.

Military sexual trauma (MST) remains a persistent issue within military institutions, yet far less attention has been paid to the experiences of + service members and veterans, whose experiences are also shaped by homophobia, transphobia, and broader systems of exclusion.

This piece examines why MST is also a issue, challenging assumptions that insecurity and gendered violence exist only “elsewhere” and highlighting how exclusionary institutional cultures shape experiences within military institutions at home.

Drawing on emerging research, the authors raise important questions about inclusion, accountability, institutional culture, and what transformative approaches to security might require.

Read the blog here ➡️ wpsn-canada.org/tag/wpsbeyondthebinaries/

Stay tuned — a new contribution in the series will be shared every week throughout June 🌈

06/04/2026

🌈 | New blog

As part of our Pride Month series, today we are pleased to share the first contribution in : “Canada’s National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security & 2SLGBTQI+ Priorities” by our Network Coordinator, Monique Cuillerier.

As Canada’s third National Action Plan on reaches its midpoint, this piece reflects on the evolution of + inclusion within Canada’s WPS commitments and traces how our Network members have engaged these questions across publications over the years.

The blog explores both areas of progress and ongoing gaps, while raising important questions about what meaningful inclusion, co-creation, and accountability could look like moving forward.

Read the blog here ➡️ wpsn-canada.org/tag/wpsbeyondthebinaries/

Stay tuned — a new contribution in the WPSBeyondBinaries series will be shared every week throughout June 🌈

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