Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security

Contents

The Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS) is an academic research institute housed in the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. It conducts research and policy analysis on the role of women in peace and security, and publishes the biennial Women, Peace and Security Index with the Peace Research Institute Oslo.[1][2]

The institute was announced in December 2011 by Georgetown University president John J. DeGioia and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and was organized by Carol Lancaster, then dean of the School of Foreign Service.[3][4] It began operations in February 2013 under founding executive director Melanne Verveer, the first United States Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues.[5] Clinton serves as the institute's honorary founding chair.[6]

History

GIWPS was announced on 19 December 2011, when Clinton unveiled the first U.S. National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security at Georgetown University; President Barack Obama signed the executive order implementing the plan the same day.[4] The institute was organized by Carol Lancaster, then dean of the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, where it is housed.[3] Its remit draws on United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000), which affirmed the role of women in peacebuilding and security decision-making.[7]

The institute formally launched on 20 February 2013. Melanne Verveer, who had served as the first United States Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues and was a former chief of staff to Clinton, became its founding executive director.[5][6]

Publications

Women, Peace and Security Index

The institute's flagship publication is the Women, Peace and Security Index, produced biennially with the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO). The index scores and ranks countries on measures of women's inclusion, justice and security.[1][2] The first edition was launched in October 2017 at a side event to the United Nations Security Council open debate on women, peace and security and covered 153 countries; coverage expanded in subsequent editions to 167 (2019/20), 170 (2021/22), 177 (2023/24) and 181 in the 2025/26 edition.[1][8]

The 2025/26 edition ranked Denmark first and Afghanistan last of 181 countries, and reported that approximately 676 million women were living in conflict-affected settings in 2024, an increase of 74 percent since 2010.[8][9]

Conflict Tracker

GIWPS publishes the Women, Peace and Security Conflict Tracker, an online resource created in 2024 that monitors armed conflicts in 25 countries with a focus on their effects on women, drawing on more than 80 qualitative and quantitative data points and updated monthly.[10][11] The tracker informs an annual forecasting report, Women, Peace and Security: Conflicts and Trends to Watch.[12]

GIWPS also publishes research reports, policy briefs and toolkits on topics including armed conflict, economic empowerment, climate and gender-based violence.[13]

Research and policy areas

GIWPS organizes its policy work around several stated priorities: countries in crisis, climate security, conflict-related sexual violence, and networks of women peacebuilders.[14]

Its country-specific work focuses on states experiencing armed conflict or political crisis. The institute designates Ukraine, Afghanistan, Myanmar and Sudan as priority countries, alongside a regional initiative covering the Middle East and North Africa. In these settings it works with local women peacebuilders to analyze conflict dynamics and develop policy recommendations.[14]

Hillary Rodham Clinton Awards

In 2014, GIWPS established the Hillary Rodham Clinton Awards for Advancing Women in Peace and Security, presented at Georgetown to individuals recognized for contributions to women's roles in peacemaking and security.[15] The inaugural awards went to British Foreign Secretary William Hague, Congolese physician Denis Mukwege and NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.[15][16] Filipina diplomat Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, the first woman to sign a major peace agreement as chief negotiator, received the award in 2015.[17] Yazidi activist Nadia Murad, who later received the Nobel Peace Prize, was among the 2018 recipients.[18]

Leadership

Melanne Verveer is the institute's executive director.[5] Hillary Clinton is its honorary founding chair.[6] Carla Koppell, formerly chief strategy officer at USAID, is managing director.[19]

References

  1. 1.[1.2][1.3]"Global Women, Peace and Security Index". Peace Research Institute Oslo. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  2. 2.[2.2]Askew, Joshua (24 October 2023). "Where in Europe is it best to be a woman?". Euronews. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  3. 3.[3.2]"Carol J. Lancaster, dean of Georgetown's School of Foreign Service, dies at 72". The Washington Post. 1 November 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  4. 4.[4.2]"Clinton Kicks Off National Action Plan for Women". Georgetown University. 19 December 2011. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  5. 5.[5.2][5.3]"Obama Appointee, Hillary Clinton Advisor to Head New Georgetown Institute". Georgetown University. 7 February 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  6. 6.[6.2][6.3]"Hillary Clinton plays it safe with 'smart power' speech". MSNBC. 3 December 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  7. 7."Why Women, Peace and Security Matters". Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  8. 8.[8.2]"New report raises alarm on lack of progress globally for women's rights and wellbeing". Peace Research Institute Oslo. 27 October 2025. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  9. 9."Global Women's Index Puts Afghanistan At Bottom Of 181 Countries". Afghanistan International. 3 March 2026. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  10. 10.Sanchez, Liv (7 November 2025). "GIWPS Updates Global Gender Conflict Tracker". The Hoya. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  11. 11."Women, Peace and Security Conflict Tracker". Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  12. 12."Conflicts and Trends to Watch in 2026". Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  13. 13."Research". Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  14. 14.[14.2]"Priority Countries". Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  15. 15.[15.2]Jester, Julia (27 February 2014). "Clinton recognizes men for service to women and peace". The Georgetown Voice. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  16. 16.Hague, William (25 February 2014). "2014 Hillary Clinton Prize for Women, Peace and Security". GOV.UK. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  17. 17.Felongco, Gilbert P. (April 2015). "Philippine peace negotiator given Hillary Clinton Award". Gulf News. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  18. 18.Cawthorne, Cameron (31 January 2018). "Hillary Clinton to Present Human Rights Awards to Former ISIS Captive, Myanmar Prisoner at Georgetown Event". Washington Free Beacon. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  19. 19."Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security Names Carla Koppell as Managing Director". Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security. Retrieved 16 August 2026.