Women in Security covers a wide-range of issues as it explores the link between women, security, and development. As a forum to stimulate discussion and instructive debates, the NATO Association of Canada will examine the ways in which women both contribute to and are the focus of Canadian and NATO defence and security initiatives. This program also offers a critical look at the structures and institutions that shape the role of women in security at home and abroad.

Maya Gandhi Women in Security

Connection as Currency: Josée Touchette’s Key to Decision-making

What do multilateralism and human connection have in common? According to Josée Touchette, they both play a role in the solving the world’s most pressing issues. On January 24th, Josée Touchette, Executive Director of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), spoke at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy regarding multilateralism Read More…

Jordan McEwen and Diana Fodor Society, Culture, and Security Women in Security

NATO Needs to Act When Member States Curb LGBTQ+ Rights   

Hungary frequently discriminates against minority groups, including members of the LGBTQ+ community, violating standards of human rights. In this article, Jordan McEwen and Diana Fodor discuss why NATO should intervene to address Hungary’s rollbacks of LGBTQ+ rights.

Antalya Popatia Women in Security

Defying Stereotypes: The Growing Importance of Women in the Armed Forces of the Baltic States

In the northeastern region of Europe, on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea, are three small but critical NATO member-states: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Referred to collectively as the Baltic states, these countries are members of the European Union and have played an important role in NATO since they joined the alliance in 2004. Read More…

Juxhina Gjoni Women in Security

Examining the Setbacks in Women Leadership in the Context of the Albanian Armed Forces

Women in positions of leadership has been a subject of debate recently in the Albanian Armed Forces. However, a new political improvement was the commitment to the adoption of the UN resolution on Women Peace and Security, which served as the benchmark for the forthcoming Albanian National Action Plan (ANAP) Despite the ongoing progress made in ten years, the figures on paper differ from reality.

Afghanistan Women in Security

The Crisis in Afghanistan: An Interview with Journalist and Human Rights Activist, Sally Armstrong

On the streets of Kabul, advertisements depicting the faces of women are sprayed painted over. In a fitting metaphor for the regression of the gains made in the last 20 years, it took only days for years of progress to unravel following the withdrawal of American operations on August 31st and the Taliban’s sweeping takeover. In the following interview, NATO Association of Canada Junior Research Fellow Brynn Hopper sat down with Sally Armstrong to discuss the unfolding crisis in Afghanistan, its implications for women’s rights, and the international security threat it poses.

Uncategorized Women in Security

A Brief History of Canada’s Armed Forces and its Indigenous Peoples

As the country observes its first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Caleigh Wong explores the history between Canada’s Armed Forces and its Indigenous peoples. From Oka to the Proud Boys, repeated disappointments in the Forces’ commitment to protect all Canadians demands greater efforts for reconciliation in the military and across all federal institutions.

Canadian Armed Forces NATO and Canada Women in Security

Intersectionality and Lived Experience in the CAF: The Role of Identity in Institutional Legitimacy

Intersectionality and lived experience, though standard concepts within many policy areas, has been largely absent from military diversity and inclusivity initiatives. In this article, Caleigh Wong explores the Canadian Armed Forces’ current leadership crisis through this lens to understand how a broader understanding of identity may help inform long-overdue institutional reform.