Researches – Nesreen Barwari

Building Holistic Security: Addressing Security Risks of Women Peacebuilders Through Partnerships

Co-Author: Dr. Nesreen Barwari, Kroc Institute for Peace, San Diego University 2023

Women peacebuilders inevitably face risks and insecurity in their daily work. International partners have an important role to play in supporting their safety and protection. Understanding women peacebuilders’ roles and the types of risks they face is the first step in ensuring an adequate response. The diversity of roles that women peacebuilders play, as well as the multiple factors that impact the types of risks they might face, need to be taken into account by international partners from the very beginning of a partnership.

Building Holistic Security: Addressing Security Risks of Women Peacebuilders Through Partnerships addresses how international partners who wish to work with women peacebuilders and support them in addressing the risks and insecurity they face need to recognize the scope and nature of peacebuilding work, which is often cross-cutting, overlapping with humanitarian response and development work. Understanding the nuances and breadth of women peacebuilders’ work is crucial to identifying the risks they face and providing them with effective legal, political and financial protection — and is thereby essential to creating partnerships that mitigate and address these risks. Through case studies, the report identifies challenges and opportunities drawn directly from the lived realities of women peacebuilders and their partners, as well as from experts working in the Women, Peace and Security field.

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November 15, 2025/by Dr. Nesreen Barwari

Researches

Toward a Sustainable Water and Sanitation Strategy for Duhok Governorate

This article focuses on building a resilient sector based on a unified approach for a comprehensive social, economic, and environmentally viable water and sanitation sector development for Duhok Governorate.

The article highlights the challenges of meeting the growing water demand, the impact of water scarcity, the changing geopolitical scenarios, the sanitation policy of Duhok, and the need to prepare for a water-secure future for all citizens and residents of Duhok Governorate.

To achieve an integrated approach to manage water resources and sustainable water and sanitation services in light of future sector imperatives, there is a need to protect our water resources while ensuring equitable and efficient water allocations to meet all social and economic development needs, with secured wastewater and sanitation services to our populations.

Furthermore, there is a need to revise the institutional and legal frameworks to streamline sector management and administration. The management and protection of water is a shared responsibility among various government sectors, municipalities, businesses, industry, and individuals.

Residents need to be aware of how much water they use, practice water conservation, and respect the environment. Water and sanitation management could include developing a better understanding of water resources and using this information to support sustainable economic development; implementing improved long-term management developed through the joint work of all stakeholders; and evaluating opportunities to share more information with the public.

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November 2, 2025/by Dr. Nesreen Barwari