The initiative was developed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) in conjunction with the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI) and the Women in International Security (WIIS) Italia.
The project combines three of Italy’s top priorities within the UN Security Council: keep the focus on the Mediterranean area; support preventive diplomacy; and commit to bolster the role of women, especially in conflict prevention and resolution processes.
The initiative is listed among the activities envisaged in the National Plan to Implement UNSC Resolution 1325 on “Women, Peace and Security” (WPS), approved last 15 December by the Inter-Ministerial Committee for Human Rights and for whose implementation 2 million Euros have been allocated (over a three-year period) out of the 2017 Budget Bill. Italy will thus be listed among the few Countries that have allocated government funds to implement the WPS Agenda.
The medium-to-long-term aim is not only to extend and consolidate the network but also to create a link with other similar existing groups, such as the Nordic Women Mediators Network, the African Women Mediators for Peace Network within the African Union, and the Med-Med Initiative, promoted in 2015 by Spain and Morocco, of which also Italy is a partner. The Founding Conference will also leverage the synergy with the Rome MED Dialogues promoted by the MAECI and the Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI).
