EDITORIAL NOTE

The Inter-American Defense College is proud to have built a collaborative and hands-on workshop entitled Institutionalizing and Operationalizing Women, Peace and Security in the Western Hemisphere, where regional defense and security partners challenged themselves, learned from each other, and charted paths to advance the Women, Peace and Security agenda in their work. I was honored to be the Academic Lead for this event, working in close collaboration with Frieda García Castellanos, the Inter-American Defense College’s Gender Advisor, Brenda Oppermann, Lead Facilitator, US Southern Command, the fantastic research and events team at Inter-American Defense College, as well as volunteers from civilian and military organizations who made the workshop a great success.

The workshop brought together western hemispheric civilian and military partners with an interest in advancing Women, Peace and Security through defense education focused activities, including curriculum development, professional development, academic research, and collaborative network building. The workshop was designed to generate active participation and ongoing discussion to optimize the institutionalization and operationalization of Women, Peace and Security within and through defense and security organizations. Together, participants of the workshop demonstrated that diverse perspectives, experiences, and skill sets can propel enduring and concrete efforts to support the Women, Peace and Security agenda in the Western Hemisphere.

Drawing from the outcomes of this workshop, including this volume and the establishment of a formal collaborative network on institutionalizing and operationalizing Women, Peace and Security in the Western Hemisphere, it is with distinct pleasure that we offer research, insights, lived experiences, best practices and ways forward for the integration of gender perspectives to facilitate peace and security as well as the meaningful inclusion of women in defense and security decision-making processes in Latin America, the Caribbean, Canada, and the United States of America.

Dr. Vanessa Brown
Academic Lead