Welcome back to season 3 of Mind the GAPS - a Women Peace and Security podcast! On this podcast, we explore the world of Women, Peace and Security – or WPS – through speaking to experts and practitioners from around the world word working under the umbrella of WPS.
Join us as we release new episodes focusing on important aspects of the WPS Agenda, where we will be speaking to some brilliant guests who will share their takes and recommendations on this important topic.
For the final episode of season 3, our host Detmer Kremer - Policy Advocacy and Coordinations Coordinator - is joined by Shelagh Daley, Team Lead for Policy and Advocacy, and Lewis Brooks, UK Policy and Advocacy Adviser, both at Saferworld. Assessing the volatile times in the UK and around the world, this conversation provides a critical look at WPS: where it stands now and where the UK could provide innovative and genuine leadership on moving the agenda - and therefore gender justice - forward.
Resources
GAPS Shadow Reports: https://gaps-uk.org/category/policy-resources/themes/uk-national-action-plan-nap/
Beyond Consultations: https://beyondconsultations.org/
WPS Helpdesk: https://wpshelpdesk.org/
People Power Conference: https://www.saferworld-global.org/resources/news-and-analysis/post/1080-power-people-and-peace-reflections-from-the-2025-people-power-conference-
17 Mar 2025
Building pillars of peace in Libya
Ongoing conflict and fractured governance are immense challenges in Libya. In this environment, Libyan women human rights defenders and women’s rights organisations play an essential role in fostering social cohesion and providing crucial support and relief, such as disaster response to the devastating floods in Derna – whose severity was a direct consequence of the climate emergency. However, this crucial work is challenged by deeply entrenched patriarchal norms and discriminatory laws, exposing women and other marginalised groups to alarming levels of gender-based violence and significant barriers to meaningful participation. This episode emphasises the urgent need to advance the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda through a comprehensive and integrated approach—one that ensures women’s participation is not only encouraged but protected at its core.
In this episode, we joined by Catherine Turner, Professor of International Law and Deputy Director of the Durham Global Security Institute and Noura El Jerbi, a dedicated advocate focused on addressing online violence against women in Libya. Our guests explore the ecology of risk associated with women’s participation in Libya and identify opportunities for the WPS agenda to counter such harms, to advance a locally owned agenda.
Resources
Creating Enabling Environments for Women’s Participation in Libya: https://www.ipinst.org/2023/07/creating-enabling-environments-for-womens-participation-in-libya-paper (https://www.ipinst.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Full-Equal-Meaningful-and-Safe_2307.pdf)
Middle East Eye reporting on Derna floods: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/libya-floods-derna-women-invisible-needs-neglected-aftermath
21 Feb 2025
In focus: The Democratic Republic of the Congo
This episode was recorded on the 29th of January and reflects the situation in DRC at that time. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a multi-ethnic, bio-diverse and resource-rich country. Yet the legacy of Belgian colonialism and other western influences have contributed to prolonged and protracted violence. The majority of the current violence, fought between the Congolese army and a wide range of armed groups, including those like M23 who are backed by foreign powers such as Rwanda, the ADF and CODECO, is fought in the eastern part of the country. This has causes mass displacement, high rates of gender-based violence, and plundering of resources. Regional efforts towards peacebuilding have had limited success, and appear largely exclusive of the communities affected most. We are joined by Solange Lwashiga, who called in from Bukavu prior to the town being taken over by M23. Here she heads up South Kivu Congolese Women's Caucus for Peace (Caucus des Femmes Congolaises du Sud-Kivu pour la Paix). We were also joined by Karolina Sklebena, who is a global crisis analysis consultant with Mercy Corps.
Resources
MercyCorps’s Researchhttps://reliefweb.int/report/democratic-republic-congo/rapid-gender-analysis-kanyaruchina-displacement-site-goma-north-kivu-woman-has-do-anything-provide-her-family-march-2024 (https://reliefweb.int/report/democratic-republic-congo/rapid-gender-analysis-kanyaruchina-displacement-site-goma-north-kivu-woman-has-do-anything-provide-her-family-march-2024)
Statement from PeaceDirect on violence in DRC:https://www.peacedirect.org/statement-on-the-violence-in-north-and-south-kivu-drc/ (https://www.peacedirect.org/statement-on-the-violence-in-north-and-south-kivu-drc/)
Soundtrack to a Coup D’Etat
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14452174/ (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14452174/)
MSF’s reporting on sexual violence in DRC
https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/latest/msf-reports-unprecedented-number-sexual-violence-cases-dr-congo (https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/latest/msf-reports-unprecedented-number-sexual-violence-cases-dr-congo)
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
2 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
6 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 32 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
36
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
68
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