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The Conversation

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Two women from different parts of the world share the stories of their lives

Two women from different parts of the world, united by a common passion, experience or expertise, share the stories of their lives.

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The Conversation: Negotiating peace

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Negotiating peace

BBC World Service - The Conversation, Negotiating peace

Two women who shaped the peace agreements in Colombia and Northern Ireland

Kim Chakanetsa brings together two women who helped bring an end to decades of violence in Northern Ireland and in Colombia.

What happens when women try to hammer out a peace deal? How does it differ from the way men do it? According to the United Nations, fewer than 3% of signatories to peace agreements are women. We meet two women who hope to change that. They made history in Northern Ireland and in Colombia by bringing the gender issue to the forefront of the peace process.

Monica McWilliams is a Northern Irish peace negotiator who played a key role in the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, which brought an end to the Troubles. Monica co-founded the Northern Ireland Women's Coalition in order to get female representatives at the negotiating table. She was subsequently involved in the implementation of the agreement as head of the country's Human Rights Commission. She now advises women around the world on how to negotiate peace deals in countries such as Syria and Myanmar.

Hilde Salvesen was part of Norwegian team which facilitated the recent peace negotiations in Colombia between the government and Farc rebels - the first of its kind to include a gender subcommittee to address the needs of women in the peace process. Hilde developed her strong understanding of Latin America when she travelled there as a student, and witnessed conflict first-hand in Guatemala and El Salvador. She currently works at the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights, part of the University of Oslo.

(L) Image and credit: Monica McWilliams
(R) Image: Hilde Salvesen. Credit: uio

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