Research Network on Women Peace and Security Supports Feminist Approaches to Peace and Security in a World in Crisis

Professor Rebecca Tiessen, a leading researcher at the University of Ottawa's Faculty of Social Sciences and Director of the University of Ottawa Gender, Peace and Security Collaboratory (uOGPS), has been named co-director of the national Research Network on Women Peace and Security (RN-WPS). This network has recently secured $750,000 in funding over three years from the Department of National Defence (DND) through the Mobilizing Insights in Defence and Security (MINDS) Program. This significant grant will support innovative research on feminist approaches to peace and security during a time of growing violence, conflicts and backlash around the world.

Rebecca Tiessen is a Full Professor in the School of International Development and Global Studies at the Faculty of Social Sciences. Her extensive background includes a previous position at the Royal Military College of Canada, where she held the prestigious Canada Research Chair in Global Studies. Professor Tiessen's research interests span a wide range of crucial topics, including feminist foreign policy, gender equality and development, human security, and the impact of Canadians working internationally. Her work has primarily focused on countries in sub-Saharan Africa, demonstrating a deep commitment to addressing global challenges.

The newly funded Research Network on Women Peace and Security (RN-WPS), co-directed by Professor Tiessen, aims to mobilize Canadian-based expertise on issues related to the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda. This bilingual research network will explore the intersections of militarism, (in)security, settler-colonialism, gender, race, sexuality, age, and ability. The network's core objectives include knowledge innovation on pressing global issues, fostering the next generation of feminist scholarship, and facilitating knowledge exchanges between academics, policymakers, civil society organizations, and community-based groups.

Specifically, the core objectives of the network include knowledge innovation in relation to pressing global issues that challenge the WPS agenda and link to MINDS Strategic Challenges; fostering the next generation of feminist scholarship and pedagogy on WPS through fellowships, policy labs, curriculum development, mentorship, and exchanges; and, generating knowledge exchanges between academic, policy makers, civil society organizations, and community based groups through symposiums, roundtables, workshops, and research presentations. 

One of the overarching contributions of the network will be to inform DND’s efforts to create internal cultural change, assess and address obstacles to attracting and retaining a diverse and excellent workforce, and strengthen its relationships with external communities and partners to advance gender equality. Another overarching commitment of the RN-WPS is to ensure the ongoing relevance and role of the WPS agenda at a moment when violence and conflict have increased, and military solutions and commitments have been elevated. The Network will explore ways to promote and support the meaningful participation of women in conflict prevention and conflict resolution mechanisms and institutions, and to mainstream gender perspectives in peace and security activities and strategies. Another major contribution of the Network will be to bring into conversation Arctic Defence and Security, Climate Change and the Environment, and Cybersecurity from a feminist perspective. By exploring ways to promote feminist innovations and women's meaningful participation in conflict prevention and resolution, and mainstreaming gender perspectives in peace and security activities, this research has the potential to significantly impact policy and practice in Canada and beyond.

To learn more about Professor Rebecca Tiessen's work and the research conducted by School of International Development and Global Studies, visit the research website of the Faculty of Social Sciences. Discover how UOttawa researchers are shaping the future of peace and security studies and contributing to a more equitable world.