Women, Peace and Security in Canada and the United States

Katrina Leclerc is a Postdoctoral Adjunct Research Fellow at Griffith University and a Sessional Lecturer at the University of Winnipeg. She earned a PhD from Saint-Paul University, Ottawa. She serves as chair of the Women, Peace and Security Network-Canada.Nisha Singh is the Senior Global Policy and Advocacy Manager at Women for Women International and serves as Co-chair for the US Civil Society Working Group on WPS. She holds an MA in Public Policy and a Gender, Peace and Security Certificate from Georgetown University.Shirley Graham is the Director of the Global Gender Policy Programme at the Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University, where she also leads the Athena Initiative: Advancing Human Security in International Affairs. She earned a PhD from the National University of Ireland, Maynooth.

“At a moment when decades of hard-won feminist policy gains are being tested by polarisation and political retreat, this volume does more than document friction – it offers a vital map for navigating it. By foregrounding the indispensable role of civil society, confronting policy neglect, and engaging emerging challenges such as Youth, Peace and Security and disruptive technologies, the contributors ensure that “security” remains grounded in human dignity rather than military lethality. Even in a fragmented peace, this book stands as a testament to the hard work of repair and the collective responsibility to build an inclusive global security architecture.”Kat Fotovat, Co-Founder, Peace Pays and (ret) Acting Ambassador for Global Women’s Issues, US Department of State“Comparing the WPS civil society movements in Canada and the US reveals the importance of our looking outside the UN to understand what can happen when the determined pursuit of genuine security and sustainable peace is investigated with feminist curiosity about diverse women's ideas and experiences. Leclerc and Singh and Graham have made me think afresh.”Cynthia Enloe, author of Twelve Feminist Lessons of War & Research Professor, Clark University"Both Canada and the US have played vital roles in sustaining the Women, Peace and Security agenda globally. This volume explores what is happening to this WPS leadership at a time of profound political and economic upheaval, as well as tension between these two close allies. The analysis shows that the fundamental driver of progress in meeting the ambitions of the WPS agenda is feminist civil society working with and beyond state institutions. This is timely and essential reading, authoritatively written by key activists and policymakers." Anne Marie Goetz, Clinical Professor, Center for Global Affairs, New York University & former Policy Director of Governance, Peace and Security, UN Women“This comprehensive collection brings together scholarly analysis and practitioner reflections on the Women, Peace and Security agenda across multiple countries, sectors, and themes. What I appreciated most from reading this book was the rich insight into challenges arising from contemporary polarisations and the significance of gender-inclusive strategies.”Rebecca Tiessen, Professor, School of International Development and Global Studies, University of Ottawa & Co-Director of the Research Network on Women, Peace and Security

• Preamble Chapter 1: Across a Shared Border: Feminist Solidarity and the State of WPS in Canada and the United States Section 1: Navigating Political Fragmentation: Reassessing WPS Amid Hyper-Polarisation, Militarisation, and Contemporary Security Challenges Chapter 2: Civil Society Under Pressure: Women, Peace and Security Implementation in Polarized Democracies Chapter 3: The WPS Agenda Beyond the UN: Reforming the Multilateral and Local Hierarchy Chapter 4: Between Policy and Polarisation: The WPS–Defence Nexus Through the Lens of Canadian Armed Forces Culture Change Chapter 5: Women, Peace and Security and 21st Century Security Challenges Section 2: Contextualising WPS Implementation: Regional and Country-Specific Perspectives on Progress and Challenges Chapter 6: Now You See It, Now You Don’t: Canada and the WPS Agenda Chapter 7: WPS in the United States: Legislating Peace Amidst Polarisation—The Pitfalls and Possibilities Chapter 8: WPS Implementation in Afghanistan: Lessons Learned and Call to Action Chapter 9: Local Power, Global Support: Rethinking WPS Partnerships in the Asia-Pacific Section 3: Broadening the WPS Framework: Emerging Themes, Intersecting Agendas, and Inclusive Pathways Chapter 10: Gender Essentialism in WPS: The Political Erasure of Trans Women in North American Security Discourse Chapter 11: Men and Masculinities in WPS: Gender Trauma as a Driver of Violence Chapter 12: Youth as Catalysts for De-polarisation: Leveraging the Youth, Peace and Security Agenda in North America Chapter 13: Beyond Vulnerability: Gender, Climate Change, and National Security