The Women in Conflict 1325 Fellowship, run by Beyond Borders Scotland and the University of Edinbugh Law School, is based on the principles of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 which “reaffirms the role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflict, peace negotiations, peace-building, peacekeeping, humanitarian response and in post-conflict reconstruction, and stresses the importance of their equal participation in all efforts for the promotion of peace and security.”

The week-long residential Fellowship is held three times a year in Scotland, between Edinburgh and the Scottish Borders, and has so far involved over 400 women from 41 different countries and territories across the world. By bringing together women activists from a range of conflict affected countries the Fellowship facilitates sessions WPS, conflict analysis, mediation, transitional justice, the climate-gender-conflict nexus, the arts as a tool for peacebuilding, and trauma-informed practice and self-care. The Fellowship programme also gives an insight into Scottish culture, history, and experiences of political devolution.

Beyond Borders Scotland thanks the Scottish Government for its continued support of the project.

Objectives

The programme recognises the underrepresentation of women in peace negotiations despite women being the largest group to be affected by conflict. The Fellowship therefore focuses on advancing women’s meaningful participation across peace processes and other key sectors, promoting gender-sensitive negotiations and conflict analysis, and ensuring the long-term sustainability of peace through inclusive policies and practices. 

The Fellowship aims to:

• put women at the forefront of peace processes and to facilitate a platform for discussing the importance and challenges of the equal and meaningful participation of women in peace processes and more widely in society.
• enable the sharing of experiences in relation to UNSCR 1325 and the global Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda; women’s roles in peace building and conflict resolution; and gender equality;
• facilitate peer to peer learning, providing a safe space for Fellows to learn from each other through sharing experiences, ideas and challenges faced in their different contexts;
• explore the equal and meaningful participation of women in peace building, peace processes, and more widely in society, including identifying challenges and entry points;
• facilitate a network of women engaged in an on-going learning and experience-sharing process, building a sustainable and evolving Alumnae Network and Community of Practice;
• provide guidance, expert perspectives, and resources on various topics including: WPS, conflict analysis, mediation, transitional justice, the climate-gender-conflict nexus, the arts as a tool for peacebuilding, and trauma-informed practice and self-care;
• give an insight into Scottish culture, history, and experiences of political devolution.

Methodology

Workshop-style sessions are utilised rather than overly academic, theoretical and abstract approaches. Practical frameworks and strategies are discussed as well as their implementation and how they could be used in different settings and tracks of peace building. This allows the Fellows to connect their learning experience with their work in-country. The programme facilitates peer-to-peer learning, providing a safe space for fellows to learn from each other through sharing experiences, ideas and challenges faced in their different contexts. The connections established during programmes continue to be crucial in the implementation of future Fellowship programmes. The Fellowship continues to build sustainable networks of fellows from across the world and facilitates local and inter-regional networks and collaboration, especially through its Alumnae Network and Community of Practice.

The programme builds upon the pilot run in 2015 with Syrian, Iraqi, and Yemeni fellows, which established the need for a fellowship of this type, and also demonstrated the utility of bringing together female peacemakers from different conflicts. In 2016, the fellowship was officially launched through a partnership between the United Nations and the Scottish Government, supported by Beyond Borders Scotland, which brought 10 members of the Syrian Women’s Advisory Board of the Office of the Special Envoy to Syria to Scotland for four days of talks, including a two-day conference at the Scottish Parliament. Since 2017, the Fellowship has received multi-year funding from the Scottish Government. This was formalised under the Scottish Peace Programme from 2025-2028.