Seeking Peace

In the final episode of the season, we bring you a fascinating conversation between Major General Maureen O’Brien, the Deputy Military Adviser in the United Nations Office of Military Affairs, Department of Peace Operations and Dr. Robert Egnell, a senior fellow with the Security Studies Program and the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security. General O’Brien’s extensive career began over forty years ago when she joined the Irish Defense Forces as one of only six women at the time. The two of them discuss her position as a pioneer throughout her career, the challenges women still face in the military and the pursuit of  full inclusion and meaningful participation of women in peacekeeping. This episode was produced by Alana Herlands, Alex Jhamb Burns, and Alesandra Tejeda. It was scored, mixed, and mastered by Alex Jhamb Burns and edited by Grace Lynch. Season three of Seeking Peace is produced by Georgetown University’s Institute for Women, Peace and Security and Wonder Media Network, in collaboration with the United Nations Department of Peace Operations and Our Secure Future.

The United Nations is the largest peacekeeping body in the world. In this episode, we explore the dynamic and interconnected world of peacekeeping. You’ll hear from uniformed women working in different positions in UN peacekeeping missions – one works in corrections and another serves in military affairs. These women discuss the technical nature of their jobs and reveal what it is like to work in male dominated fields where respect can be difficult to come by. They will help us understand why the inclusion of women is imperative for the success of peacekeeping operations. This episode was produced by Alana Herlands, Alex Jhamb Burns, and Alesandra Tejeda. It was scored, mixed, and mastered by Alesandra Tejeda and edited by Grace Lynch. Season three of Seeking Peace is produced by Georgetown University’s Institute for Women, Peace and Security and Wonder Media Network, in collaboration with the United Nations Department of Peace Operations and Our Secure Future.

Around the world, women face countless barriers to political participation. In this episode, you will hear from women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, and Kosovo—all of whom are engaged in politics. One works to ensure women’s meaningful participation in politics, another serves as a parliamentarian, and the other is a pioneering journalist who has built a career holding politicians to account. Season three of Seeking Peace is produced by Georgetown University’s Institute for Women, Peace and Security and Wonder Media Network, in collaboration with the United Nations Department of Peace Operations and Our Secure Future. The interviews in this podcast reflect the views of the participants and the United Nations does not necessarily endorse nor support the language used or views expressed. This episode was produced by Alana Herlands, Alex Jhamb Burns, and Alesandra Tejeda. It was scored, mixed, and mastered by Liz Smith and edited by Grace Lynch. 

Peace agreements are a formal means to pave the way for lasting peace. Women must play a critical role in shaping these agreements. In this episode, you’ll hear from several women who have worked on peace negotiations across the African continent. Women who have created a seat for themselves at the table when originally there was none. These peacebuilders discuss the importance of supporting women’s agency and the value of quotas in ensuring women have a seat at the negotiating table. This episode was produced by Alana Herlands, Alex Jhamb Burns, and Alesandra Tejeda. It was scored, mixed, and mastered by Alana Herlands and edited by Grace Lynch. Season three of Seeking Peace is produced by Georgetown University’s Institute for Women, Peace and Security and Wonder Media Network, in collaboration with the United Nations Department of Peace Operations and Our Secure Future.

You might think of peacebuilding as peace talks that take place in big rooms, between country officials. But peacebuilding takes many forms, including within communities, between coworkers, families, and neighbors. Around the world, women play central roles in the daily work of building peace. Their critical contributions to international peace and security were formally recognized by the UN Security Council in 2000 in a landmark resolution known as UNSCR 1325, from which the Women, Peace and Security Agenda has been created. Listen to the stories of two women building peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Cyprus who describe the challenges they face, what inspires them to keep pushing for change, and what unites their efforts.This episode was produced by Alana Herlands, Alex Jhamb Burns, and Alesandra Tejeda. It was scored, mixed, and mastered by Alesandra Tejeda and edited by Grace Lynch. Season three of Seeking Peace is produced by Georgetown University’s Institute for Women, Peace and Security and Wonder Media Network, in collaboration with the United Nations Department of Peace Operations and Our Secure Future.

Welcome to Season Three of Seeking Peace from Georgetown University’s Institute for Women, Peace and Security. This season, we are collaborating with the United Nations Department of Peace Operations and Our Secure Future to explore women’s roles in bringing lasting peace to communities - whether it be through grassroots activism, peace negotiations, journalism, politics, or as uniformed peacekeepers.Tune in on October 24th to listen to our first episode, available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find us at seekingpeacepodcast.comThis season is produced by Wonder Media Network.

In this episode, we hear about how women like Kenithia Alston are fighting for peace and security for Black lives in America. Ms. Alston’s son, Marqueese, was killed blocks away from the White House by the DC Metropolitan Police in 2018. Ms. Alston has spent the past two years seeking an explanation for her son’s death from the police and the mayor of Washington, and has filed a $100 million wrongful death lawsuit. She is currently represented by the Civil Rights Clinic at Georgetown University’s Law Center. She says she has faced hurdles to be heard and taken seriously in her pursuit for justice. This episode was produced by Erica Morrison, edited by David Alandete, mixed by Martine Chaussard, and mastered by Laurent Apffel. Our team includes lead producer Caro Rolando, assistant producer Laura Ubaté, production manager Luis Gil, and executive producer Martina Castro. Georgetown University's liaison to the podcast is Sarah Rutherford.Season two of Seeking Peace is produced by Georgetown University's Institute for Women, Peace and Security and Adonde Media, in collaboration with Our Secure Future. Find all of our episodes and transcripts at SeekingPeacePodcast.com.

Opal Tometi co-founded Black Lives Matter alongside activists Alicia Garza and Patrisse Cullors. Time Magazine named her as one of 2020’s 100 most influential people and BBC calls her one of the 100 most inspiring women. In this interview, Opal shares the origins of Black Lives Matter and her hopes for the future of the country under the Biden-Harris administration. She reminds us that human rights violations are not just something that happens abroad: the reality is the concerns are here in the United States. You can learn more about Tometi’s work at www.opaltometi.org.This episode was produced by Caro Rolando and Martina Castro, mixed by Martine Chaussard, edited by Martina Castro, and mastered by Laurent Apffel. Our team includes lead producer Caro Rolando, assistant producer Laura Ubaté, editor David Alandete and production manager Luis Gil. Georgetown University's liaison to the podcast is Sarah Rutherford.Season two of Seeking Peace is produced by Georgetown University's Institute for Women, Peace and Security and Adonde Media, in collaboration with Our Secure Future. Find all of our episodes and transcripts at SeekingPeacePodcast.com.

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan is a Tamil-Canadian actor known for her leading role in the Netflix comedy series Never Have I Ever, written by Mindy Kaling. This year she was named Global Celebrated Ambassador by Plan International Canada, to promote gender equality around the globe. In this conversation Maitreyi talks about representing a South Asian teenager on a hit Netflix show, her experience protesting from a young age, and how she is advocating for girls equality as a social media influencer. You can follow Maitreyi’s work at @maitreyiramakrishnan on Instagram or @ramakrishnannn on Twitter.This episode was produced by Laura Ubaté, edited by Martina Castro, mixed by Martine Chaussard, and mastered by Laurent Apffel. Our team includes lead producer Caro Rolando, editor David Alandete and production manager Luis Gil. Georgetown University's liaison to the podcast is Sarah Rutherford.Season two of Seeking Peace is produced by Georgetown University's Institute for Women, Peace and Security and Adonde Media, in collaboration with Our Secure Future. Find all of our episodes and transcripts at SeekingPeacePodcast.com.