Making Policy Count to End Conflict-Related Sexual Violence: Progress and Barriers

Missing Peace Global Symposium on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence: Taking Action Together with Survivors, Policymakers, Practitioners and Scholars

From past conflicts in Vietnam and Bosnia and Herzegovina to today’s conflicts in Ukraine, Ethiopia, Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Colombia and Myanmar, state and nonstate actors have used sexual violence to intimidate and terrorize populations. What is missing from policy, research and practice to deter conflict-related sexual violence, mitigate ongoing harms, and heal from the intergenerational impacts? What are the implications for peace and global security when action falls short? These are among the questions at the forefront of the Missing Peace Initiative.

Join USIP, the Peace Research Institute Oslo, Washington University in St. Louis, and Women in International Security via livestream for the plenary sessions of the 10th anniversary Missing Peace Global Symposium. This symposium will bring together leading researchers from diverse disciplines, survivors of different conflicts, practitioners, and policymakers to advance a multi-pronged approach to ending the atrocity of conflict-related sexual violence.

Conflict-related sexual violence is increasingly recognized as not only a calculated strategy of warfare used by armed actors, but a threat to international peace and security. Scholars, practitioners and survivors are collaborating to challenge worn-out policy frameworks and dispel misconceptions that sexual violence in conflict is an inevitable consequence of war. It is not.

During the opening plenary, keynote remarks will highlight U.S. and international commitments to address the atrocity of wartime sexual violence. Panelists will discuss the opportunities and obstacles to advancing policies that make a difference to global security and to those most impacted.

For more information about this event, and to view the full threeday agenda, please visit

Welcome & Keynote Remarks:

Lise Grande, President, U.S. Institute of Peace

The Honorable Pramila Patten, U.N. Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict

Ambassador Geeta Rao Gupta, Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues, U.S. Department of State

Panel Discussion:

Ambassador Beth Van Schaack, Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice, U.S. Department of Justice

Tonderai Chikuhwa, Senior Policy Advisor, U.N. Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict

Kolbassia Haoussou, Director of Survivor Empowerment, Freedom from Torture and Survivor Champion, U.K. Prevention of Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative

Margot Wallstrom, Former U.N. Special Representative of the Secretary General on Sexual Violence in Conflict and former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden

Kim Thuy Seelinger, Special Advisor on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence, International Criminal Court & Research Associate Professor, Center for Human Rights, Gender and Migration, Washington University in St. Lous

Kathleen Kuehnast, Director, Women, Peace and Security, U.S. Institute of Peace

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The United States Institute of Peace is a national, nonpartisan, independent institute, founded by Congress and dedicated to the proposition that a world without violent conflict is possible, practical and essential for U.S. and global security. In conflict zones abroad, the Institute works with local partners to prevent, mitigate, and resolve violent conflict. To reduce future crises and the need for costly interventions, USIP works with governments and civil societies to build local capacities to manage conflict peacefully. The Institute pursues its mission by linking research, policy, training, analysis and direct action to support those who are working to build a more peaceful, inclusive world. Learn more about USIP