Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon launched the Women in Conflict Peace Initiative at the Beyond Borders International Festival at Traquair House on Saturday August 22. This year’s Festival also saw Nicola Sturgeon take to the stage in a session that featured former BBC special correspondent Allan Little leading a conversation about her life and work, and her hopes and fears for Scotland and the UK.

On her participation in the Festival, the First Minister said, “It’s a great pleasure to visit the Beyond Borders festival. It is an event that brings the rest of the world to Scotland to discuss politics and world affairs and to celebrate Scotland as a place for international and intercultural dialogue.

“I’m especially pleased to help Beyond Borders and the European Institute of Peace launch their Women in Conflict Initiative. It highlights the different experiences of women in times of war and oppression. Moreover, it actively supports their role in peace-making by training eight women from affected regions in methods of conflict resolution.  I’m honoured to help to launch this initiative and I wish all at Beyond Borders the best for the festival.”

The inaugural Women in Conflict Peace Initiative – a joint venture between Beyond Borders Scotland, the European Institute of Peace and Edinburgh’s Summerhall – seeks to highlight and capture the experiences and diverse roles that women play in conflict. The Initiative takes the form of a number of cultural events in Edinburgh and the Scottish Borders, employing a number of different mediums as well as a residential fellowship programme, which took place over the Beyond Borders International Festival.

The Women in Conflict Fellowship focused particularly upon issues facing women involved conflict around the world, and featured renowned facilitators, mediators and gender specialists. Fellowship sessions included discussions with Scottish and international politicians, mediators, diplomats, authors and artists. The aim of the Fellowship is to build and support a sustainable community of women activists working in mediation and dialogue, or issues relating to gender based violence in countries affected by the Arab Spring, including Syria, Yemen and Iraq.

In addition to this Fellowship, there will also be a number of film screenings, exhibitions and performing arts installations at Edinburgh’s Summerhall and the Filmhouse throughout August and September. These include screenings of the 5-part documentary series Women, War and Peace, which highlights stories about women in various conflict zones around the world, and photography exhibitions featuring Manal al-Dowayan’s I AM series, and photographs from the ICRC, Heidi Levine and Jacob Russell.

Beyond Borders Executive Director Mark Muller Stuart KC said, “Beyond Borders is delighted that the First Minister has found time to help launch its Women in Conflict Peace Initiative at the Beyond Borders International Festival. This initiative is important as it captures the different experiences of women caught up in conflict and reminds us of the contribution they can make in the field of conflict resolution and humanitarian relief. We are particularly proud to have brought to the Festival women peacemakers from Iraq, Syria and Yemen with a view to developing Scotland’s first Women Peace and Recovery Fellowship Programme.”

For more information about the Women in Conflict Peace Initiative andfurther details of the full Beyond Borders Summer Events Programme – including events at Summerhall and the Filmhouse – visit www.beyondbordersscotland.com