Gender, Conflict and Security: Perspectives from South Asia

GENDER, CONFLICT AND SECURITY: PERSPECTIVES FROM SOUTH ASIA

CONFERENCE DETAILS Dates: 23rd &24th April 2015

Venue South Asian University Day 1: Mezzanine Hall Day 2: FSI Hall DAY 1 April 23, 2015 (Thursday)

INAUGURAL SESSION Time: 9am -9.30 am

Speakers

Welcome Address Dr Kavita Sharma President, South Asian University

Opening Remarks/UN Women Dr Rebecca Reichmann Tavares UN Women’s Representative for India, Maldives, Bhutan and Sri Lanka.

Opening Remarks/ Faculty of Social Sciences Prof Sasanka Perera, Dean, Faculty of Social Science, South Asian University

Opening Remarks/ Department of International Relations Dr Siddarth Mallavarpu, Chairperson, Department of International Relations

Opening Remarks/ Conference Overview Dr Shweta Singh Conference Convenor, Department of International Relations & Ms Patricia Barandun, Deputy Representative UN Women/ Ms Smita Mira, UN Women (TBC)

1 PANEL I PLENARY PANEL GENDER, CONFLICT AND SECURITY: PERSPECTIVES FROM SOUTH ASIA Time: 9.30am -11.00 am

CHAIR Dr Meenakshi Gopinath Director, Women in Security Conflict Management and Peace (WISCOMP) New Delhi, India

SPEAKERS

Torture And Sexual Violence In Sri Lanka (2009-2014)/ TBC Dr Yasmin Sooka Executive Director Foundation for Human Rights, South Africa & Member Expert Advisory Panel on Sri Lanka to United Nations Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon

The Myth Of Demilitarization And The Woman Question: Perspectives From Bangladesh Prof Amina Mohsin Professor of International Relations University of Dhaka Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh

Why Are Women Not On The Peace Table? And How Do We Get There? Prof Anuradha Chenoy School of International Studies JNU, New Delhi

Diversity in Dialectics: A Methodological Quest For En-gendering Security Prof Imtiaz Ahmed Professor of International Relations University of Dhaka Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh

Title (TBC) Dr Rebecca Tavares UN Women’s Representative for India, Maldives, Bhutan and Sri Lanka.

TEA: 11 am -11.30 am

2 PANEL II IDENTITIES, VICTIMHOOD AND AGENCY Time: 11.30-1pm

Chair (TBC)

SPEAKERS

War Widows And Post War Livelihoods: A Case Study from Karaichi In The District Of Kilinochchi. Fazeeha Azmi & Thuvaraka, Rasaiah. Senior Lecturer Department of Geography University of Perendiya

Gender, Conflict and Forced Migration: Locating Women’s Experiences Among Afghan Refugees In Delhi Dr. Shelly Pandey Fellow, Nehru Memorial Museum and Library Teen Murti Bhavan New Delhi

Changing Gender Role, Women’s Livelihood And Post Conflict Security In Nepal Luna KC PhD Candidate Humanitarian Aid and Reconstruction Chair Group Wageningen University, Netherlands

Armed Conflict And Prolonged Exile Irony Of Sustaining “The Struggle”: A Case For Tibetan Women

Dr Joanna P Coehlo Assistant Professor Department of Sociology Goa University Goa, India & Dr. Ganesha Somayaji Professor and Head Department of Sociology Goa University, Goa, India

LUNCH 1-2pm

PANEL III JUSTICE AND RECONCILIATION IN POST CONFLICT SOCIETIES Time 2 pm- 3.30pm

CHAIR (TBC)

SPEAKERS

Counting The Cost: The Impact Of SNTV On Women In Afghanistan Jacky Sutton PhD scholar at the Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies Australian National University Canberra, Australia

Rule of Law Reform Initiatives: A Vehicle for Advancing Gender Justice In Fragile Post-Conflict States, The Case of Timor Leste

Dr Roisin Burke, Currently Visiting Scholar RegNet Australian National University, Canberra, Australia

& Attorney-at-Law, New York State, Government of Ireland Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Irish Centre for Human Rights, National University of Ireland, Galway, Galway, Ireland

Women And Traditional Dispute Resolution In Kunduz Afghanistan Mohammad Rafi Yousufzai Project Assistant International Organization for Migration (IOM) Kabul, Afghanistan

Re-thinking Justice Through The Gender Narratives In Communal Violence: Critical Perspectives On Judicial Inquiry Commissions Dr Rajeshwari Independent Researcher Bhatinda, India

3.30-3.45: TEA

4 PANEL IV The Fifteenth Year of UNSCR1325: Perspectives from South Asia Time: 3.45 pm- 5.15pm

CHAIR (TBC)

SPEAKERS

Gender and Conflict Prevention: Activism of Women’s Peace Brigade Ivy Dhar and Diksha Poddar

Ivy Dhar, Assistant Professor in School of Development Studies, Ambedkar University, Delhi (AUD), India

Diksha Poddar, Research student at the Centre for South Asian Studies, School of International Relations, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India

The Global South Writes 1325(too) Dr Soumita Basu Assistant Professor Department of International Relations South Asian University, New Delhi, India

Title/TBC Patricia Barandun, Deputy Representative, UN Women, New Delhi, India

Re-thinking UNSCR 1325 and Post War Sri Lanka: Agents Or Controlled Actors? Dr Shweta Singh Assistant Professor Department of International Relations South Asian University, New Delhi, India

5 DAY 2 PANEL I: RE-IMAGINING THE POLITICAL Time: 9.30-11 am

CHAIR (TBC)

SPEAKERS

Identity, Widows And Their Constructive World: Narratives From The Maoist Conflict in Nepal Dr Sujeet Karn PhD, Social Sciences (University of Hull) Lecturer (Part-time) Tribhuvan University Kathmandu, Nepal

Exploring Women’s Agency, Amidst The Politics Of Masculinity In The Kashmir Conflict Amya Agarwal PhD Scholar Department of Political Science University of Delhi.

Behind The Silences: Transformatory Role of Women Within The Kashmir Conflict Arshi Javed PhD Scholar South Asian Studies JNU

Securing Public (Spaces): Dangers in En-gendering Security Dr Rachna Chaudhary and Siddharth Singh

Dr Rachna Chaudhary Assistant Professor (Gender Studies), Ambedkar University, Delhi

& Siddharth Singh Social activist and independent researcher

11-11.30 TEA

PANEL II DIALOGIC EXPLORATIONS Her Stories: Mothers’ Voices of Resilience and Hope Time: 11.30 am -12.45 pm

CHAIR (TBC)

Speaker: Radhika Hettiarachchi, Her Stories Project Curator, Colombo, Sri Lanka

CLOSING SESSION/VOTE OF THANKS: 12.45 pm -1pm.