RESDAL at the 29th IAPTC Annual Conference

Today, Ms. Marcela Donadio, Executive Secretary of the Latin American Security and Defence Network (RESDAL), participates in the session “Anniversaries of the WPS and YPS Agendas” at the 29th International Association of Peacekeeping Training Centres (IAPTC) Annual Conference, taking place in Vicenza, Italy. 

The panel was led by Major General Charles Lenjo Mwazighe, Director of the International Peace Support Training Centre (IPSTC), and included Under-Secretary-General Christian Saunders, Special Coordinator on Improving the United Nations’ Response to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse; Ms. Deborah Warren Smith, Manager, Elsie Initiative Fund for Uniformed Women in Peace Operations;  Ms. Becca Meadows, Director, Noura Leadership and  Ms. Marcela Donadio, Executive Secretary, RESDAL. 

This participation was part of RESDAL’s ongoing efforts under the project “Women in Peace Operations: Supporting Inclusive Environments through Interregional Collaboration and National Engagement,” supported by Global Affairs Canada.  Within this framework, RESDAL launched a publication titled “Practices and Progress in Addressing Sexual Harassment and Abuse in Security Institutions across the Global South – 20 years after the United Nations report that redefined the approach in peace operations.” 

The report examines how defence and security institutions in twenty countries across the African, Asian, Latin American, and MENA regions address sexual harassment and sexual abuse, analyzing national practices, institutional frameworks, and ongoing challenges in building safe and inclusive environments for personnel. 

Developed within the Women, Peace and Security collection, the study presents preliminary findings from twenty case studies—including Argentina, Brazil, Cameroon, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Türkiye, and Uruguay—and incorporates insights shared during the  international seminar “Women in Uniform and Peace Operations: Advances and Challenges in Creating Safe Environments,” organized in collaboration with REBRAPAZ and hosted by the Brazilian Army’s Land Operations Command (COTER). 

Through this initiative, RESDAL reaffirmed its commitment to promoting knowledge exchange and interregional collaboration to strengthen gender equality and professional integrity within defence and security institutions across the Global South.