The CIC National Capital Branch, in cooperation with the SecDev Foundation, present a special panel on “Women, Violent Extremism and the Internet: Empowering Prevention; Dealing with Risk” on 6 March 2017 in Ottawa. 

Women can help prevent violent extremism. Women also commit violent extremist acts. Women can be cheerleaders, and women are often victims. These truths are made more complex as more and more women across the globe leapfrog onto the internet. Now more than ever, there is great potential for women to amplify their outreach and impact in preventing violent extremism. But with this empowerment comes increased risk.

Join us for a discussion on the complex role of women in the prevention of violent extremism, with a special focus on the role of the internet in amplifying this impact, and also in channeling the risks. This unique discussion will focus on the role that Canada can play in the context of UN Security Council 1325 strengthening the role of women in peace and security, and especially focus on counterterrorism and the prevention of violent extremism.

Our panel of experts will include:

• Dr. Sanam Naraghi-Anderlini is the Co-founder and Executive Director of the International Civil Society Action Network and an adjunct professor at Georgetown University. She has served on the Advisory Board of the UN Democracy Fund (UNDEF), and was appointed to the Civil Society Advisory Group (CSAG) on Resolution 1325, chaired by Mary Robinson in 2010, and was the first Senior Expert on Gender and Inclusion on the UN’s Mediation Standby Team. Since 2013, she has served in the Working Group on Gender and Inclusion of the Sustainable Development Network and provides guidance and training to senior personnel in UN agencies, governments and NGOs worldwide, and works is in conflict-affected countries globally.
• Dr. Sheema Khan writes a regular column for the Globe and Mail on Islam and Muslims. She is the author of “Of Hockey and Hijab: Reflections of a Canadian Muslim Woman” and is a regular speaker on issues pertaining to Islam, Muslims, and pluralism helping to foster bridges of understanding. One of her endeavours has been “The Family Honour Project”, a comprehensive, multinational approach towards combatting honour-based violence. In 2016, she was selected as a presenter for the prestigious TEDx series, and the Aga Khan Museum lecture series “Islam and the 21st century”. She completed a BSc in Chemistry at McGill, followed by a Master’s degree in Physics and a PhD in Chemical Physics at Harvard.
• Naureen Chowdhury Fink is a Policy Specialist on gender and counterterrorism/CVE at UN Women and CTED, and has spent over a decade focusing on the international and multilateral response to terrorism and the role of the United Nations and its partners. Previously, she worked for the Global Center on cooperative security and the International Peace Institute, where she developed the counterterrorism portfolio and published on international efforts to promote deradicalization and countering violent extremism, regional counterterrorism cooperation in South Asia, terrorism and political violence in Bangladesh, and the UN counterterrorism program. She has worked with the Middle East Programme in Chatham House and the World Intellectual Property Organization and World Trade Organization in Geneva. She holds a BA from the University of Pennsylvania, an MA from the Courtauld Institute of Art, and an MA in war studies from King’s College London.

The discussion will be moderated by our own Deirdre Collings co-founder and Executive Director of The SecDev Foundation. Previously, Deirdre worked for over two decades with the United Nations, NGOs, the University of Cambridge and the Canadian Institute for International Peace and Security, on, and in, countries affected by war and instability, in the Middle East, Africa and countries of the former Soviet Union.

This special panel is organized in cooperation with the United Nations Counterterrorism Executive Directorate (UNCTED), the ICT for Peace Foundation, the SecDev Foundation and supported by Public Safety Canada. For further information about violent extremism and the Internet, visit our portal on Preventing Violent Extremism and Social Media.

Event Information

DATE AND TIME:

Monday, March 6, 2017

5:00 pm: Registration, reception and cash bar

6:00 pm: Presentation, discussion

7:30 pm: Dinner (optional)

LOCATION:

Rideau room, Sheraton Hotel, 150 Albert Street, Ottawa
Deadline for registration and cancellation is noon on Saturday, March 4th.