g house gop investigations into president biden. see spans "washington journal" of "washington journal" join in the conversation alive at 7:00 a.m. eastern tuesday morning on c-span c spend our free mobile app or online at c-span.org. ♪ c-span is your unfiltered view of government. funded by these television companies and more including charter communications. ♪ charter is proud to be recognized as one of the best internet providers. and we are just getting started. building a 100,000 miles of new infrastructure to reach those who need it most. >> the charter coms service along with these other television providers for giving it a front row seat to democracy. women's rights activist took part in a discussion on how to address geopolitical challenges to the lens ofr. including security and being part of the decision-making. this event was hosted by the

atlantic council. >> good morning thank you for joining us for today's events. i am christopher director of the transatlantic security initiative here at the atlantic council. it's my distinct pleasure to welcome you women peace and security and shifting security landscapes. today's event is cohosted by the atlantic council transatlantic initiative and the strategy and security. our secure future women make a difference. the center works to sustainable outline partisan strategies to address the most important security challenges facing the united states its allies and partners we honor the legacy this ethos of nonpartisan commitment to the cause of security support for u.s. leadership cooperation partners and dedication to the mentorship of the next generation of leaders. in keeping with this mission are trans atlantic security initiative shapes and influences

a debate the greatest security challenger space in the north atlantic and lions alliance and its key partners. our partners for today's event are secure future women make the difference was founded to strengthen i'm sorry our partners women make the difference the security agenda to build a more peaceful world to ensure full participation inat governance the organization works to ensure the effective incorporation into the peace and security and decision-making at the national and international level which leads to greater securityor for everyone. today's event kicks off the council international security women state weeklong programming. as we reflect on milestones including nearly 25 years the united nations security council resolution 1325 on peace and security as well as nato 70th anniversary the discussion will coider emergent geopo challenges should be addressed and prioritized o this event is part of the

transatlantic 2024 wallace on twitter. today's conversation will be moderated of our secure future vice president. before return to our discussion i'm pleased for key remarks provided by special representative for women peace and security nato. >> allow me too express my gratitude for the opportunity to address youou today. on this a timely discussion organized by alongside our securities to all equipment and security landscape. while i regret i cannot be there in person, i am keen to share with you on this crucial subject. today's discussion was particulate value as we reflect nato's 75th anniversary this

year and that nearly 20 year anniversary of the united nations security council nc resolution on women's and security. sthis milestone serves as a reminder on the collective commitment to advancing gender equality promoting peace and ensuring the security of all individuals regardless of their gender. as we sadlyud know europe is not at peace we find ourselves in a secure environment and the unprovoked aggression ukraine violated principles that once contributed to a stable and predictable european security order. shattering the peace manyook for granted. terrorists have been mostt direct poses a significant challenge for the security of our citizens. it's in it impediment to international peace and

prosperity. increasingly face threats continue to face barriers. the resolution 1325 adopted 24 years ago are not on that yet to be fully implemented but increasingly challenged are reflecting tactics cheaper destabilize. targeting of civilians and the nfdestruction of civilian infrastructure in ukraine highlights the city or severe consequences of these actions. women remain target of violence including gender based violence exploitationon and abuse and trafficking. we also face numerous crllenges. one of these is climate change. more andirls experience an

impasse and climate change in climate change which amplifies existing gender inequality and poses unique threats to theireld, health and safety. embracing the technologies offers opportunities to create a more gender equal world. we must be vigilant and engender misinformation that risks excessive agenda inequality and violence undermining and threatening our core values. once again recognize the significantmp instability and t situations happen with women and girls. the shifting security landscape underscores the need for comprehensive and strategicresponse. we believe the complexity of the geopolitical challenges we facee today throughout agenda lens. we have two update the policy

the new policy will set a clear vision for advances allowing the alliance to navigate current threats and challenges to a more gender equal future. to deliver a new policy that better reflects our strategic concept majority gender inequalities as a reflection of our values and alliance. across crisis prevention and management and security. wps is as relevant now as it has ever been. resilience in theace of this ever evolving security environment requires active involvement of allme segments including women and women societal organization. they play a vital role in preparing for resisting and

responding to quickly strategic. exchange with organization is vital too prevent and ensure nato's approach with global w ps agenda. that's why a general you have open i with the newly nominated civil society and integrated a policy update is a major part. the independent advisor critical perspective to the very grassroots of society. help us identify pitfalls in preventing blind spots. acknowledges swim at the forefront to support society and build peace. in addition to women's contributions to all peace and security there meaningful

participation in t decision-making of solutions related to all aspects of peace and security are critical to achieving this mandate promoting peace and stability area. as we confront today shift and security landscape it is crucial to uphold nato'sd values while forcing alliance uct citizens safeguard our freedom anddemocracy work toward a just inclusive and lasting peace. i extend my best wishes for a productive and insightful discussion. thank you for yourent to advancing women's peace and security in this challenging time. thank you so much chris and irene for helping us set the stage for today's conversation ahead off international women's day, march 8 we have a very a

wonderful and thought-provoad of us. i am it really glad to share the stage with my colleagues here i am the vice president of secure future women make the difference. really excited for you who are watching and all of you in the room today with us. i went to begin by quickly introducing our panel jumping into the conversation. first i would like to introduce the executive vice president the atlantic council. she has p president and chief executive officer of the treatment national security project and the truman center for national policy. we are also joined by melody, vice president for advocacy and external relations at the women's refugee commission. she and her team share commission research and recommendation policy makers media and supporters to the wider public inli the u.s. and a global level. are also joined director

for democracy and technology at the national democratic institute here in washington d.c. and her role she helps bridge the gap between technology, policy and democracy is a regular contributor to the global conversati fostering a digital ecosystem that supports democracy worldwide. thank you it's really a pleasure to show the stage with you. when we appreciate your thought leadership in this area. we heard remarks of the upcoming summitit i would like to start with t you to maybe give us some reflections and contextualize the 75th anniversary summit that's going to be held here in d.c. >> thank you and welcome back to the council's great to be here with everyone today. special thanks to our secure

future for your partnership we are delighted. in many ways it feels somewhat like full circle moments weave a series of anniversaries we are coming up onp the 25th which in this movement of women, peace and security in a national action plan for members around the world. we have of course the 75th anniversary of nato cominggton will host the summits. this summer at a are tracking very closely here at the atlantic v council will play an important role of the public form whiche is a civil society convening for that the summer. and we do so of course amidst open war in europe a in ukraine but is in many ways a war being contributed to, acquired by many countries on the world of the united states. the back drop of which we are

having these con is one aoneof particular urgency and poignancy. because of her rushers were in ukraine which is precious well worth the west. we have withbl that too especially nato secession moments. we think in particular about the former foreign minister legacy of a feminist foreign policy even though it was revoked recently i think it was in 2022 we know undoubtedly there is a legacy of a security movement in sweden we will become a part of this conversation as they enter nato. likewise with finland a huge legacy of women's equality. i am curious to see how the succession of these to member states change this conversation.

it's an important moment. as especially as we begin to eyes ukraine's reconstruction over the horizon important to table not just the war fighting but the peace table as well. >> thank you. i'm going to jump. in your reflections i am curious. your work on democracy technology. your reflections on the comments talk about the increase in multilateral alliances et cetera. let's hear your perspective for. >> thank you for having me join you today it's always a pleasure to be here with two of my favorite organizations. cii think the remarks what stood out to me is the transition over the 75 years this evolution of watching one of the most enduring multi- lateral organizations in the world really embrace this concept of multi- stakeholder which is

inherently when the peace and security of the fullnd participation of people in decision-making to make us more secure. the absolute redefinition of security and as we are going into it or we are a quarter into this year of more elections than we have ever seen before the threats to democracy on the periphery from authoritarian actors in asia we are seeing a rise to pay attention to these issues especially around emergingss technology not just in the information space port we see f it being chilled in electionsnd in their ability to access information. we a also seeing it in cyber and cybersecurity threats to surveillance. the very tools and democracy nato is using to make us more secure can also pose a threat to 50% of the global population in

particular. so thesese conversations cannot be coming to the table and figuringl out how we rectify those differences how we insure t over time we try to protect ourselves and try to secure the direction of free enterprise free society we don't destroy that from the inside by increasing the use of these technologies to threaten our very security we are trying to achieve. melanie you work on a lot of these conflicts that from that women's refugee perspective. what are your reflections irene talked about the inclusion of the society voices. how much of those voices do you think are being included. >> thanks going to last, echoing what everyone saying i do say

that shorthand white really great to be with you. always it's great to be at the atlantic council pretty new to wrc a great way to kick off my tenure here. first about yes it is super important wps has that recognition it has in nato and the upcoming summit. we really see some challenges are in two areas and one is said in the interest of protecting women because they face is so many security threats particulate particularly crisis we default use that as an excuse to exclude them from leadership and want to you want to prioritize keeping people safe. that is a real issue there are solutions women are a doing amazing things around the world refugees women who are displaced by conflict and crisis. but they need our help and need to follow their lead we have excellent

recommendations and ideas of how to build peace. again saying it is great there have been many stridesding women and decision-making in decision-making follow the lead of women but there is so much more we can do fm the mundane. women cannot literally be at the table because they can't getet on the bus is too unsafe for them to get on the bus and go to the meeting. it's things address women security and less women are safe or not going to have security that is par true of people who are displaced. that is one point. the other one this is not really an anniversary bar pretty close to him and throat in there. he anniversary of the convention on the status of refugees. which followed world war which does not address all of our modern challenges. it addresses specific we talk specifically talk about climate refugees means. it's a legal term was established applies to people

fleeing persecution based on race religion nationality membership in a social group or political opinion. that's what refugee is the protect refugees. put some requirements on verefugees themselves how they must comport themselves but basically it states protecting refugees. what we are seeing now is a race to the bottom. we have a massive crisis. we havee millions of people mins by conflict fight climate change that comes from climate change. we are taking a deterrence recommendations will be includingng women and addressing some of these challenges and the world kind of coming together in a more coordinated way to address these challenges that but not while some blockades because rid of it's not going to work.

>> what you have ally underscoring the fact that now we know it's been almost 25 years for peace and security we know we need to have women at the decision-making table on for a lot of good reasons but it's not quite push towards multilateralism and strengthening alliances can really be an entry point for that particularly nato. being aoror leader in advancing the goals. this is an interesting point to turn back to you. how can nato better integrates these perspectives? they are talking about creating new policies. asking the civil society groups to add their perspectives. but can you give us some examples or how are these countries actually doing this? >> there's a number of important points raisedse here. we begin to address some of

those having civil society's structurally on these conversations is a really importantti one. nato like many multilateral institutions and noth having its processes in its own diplomacy be accessible to parties. so extending a logical structured entry point for that women's peace and security agenda into nato as an important point part of this. the other piece of this is so much of the dialogue around nato has been reaching 2% commitment for defense spending. one of the things we know from our w say some of the right thing to do it's a smart a thing today. if you are talk about a moment youu address we have an unprecedented level -- make a globee many respects. a tremendous number of people forcibly displaced andle t move at a time globally our institutions are unable to meet

that demand. that is especially the time to ensure these resources are used really wisely. we know that by including women and the decision moments not because are disproportionately impacted by conflict but also because there is a durable peace it also needs to be a part of the way we think about resourcing when it comes to addressing these crises. this is one of the important roles are secure future and s some of the organization's plate is reminding these not just the right imperative but the fiscal imperative to equity. that is a big part of what will be on the table for conversations around nato's as we approach. >> you want to see not just a commitment to wellness peace and security but from signaling and resourcing at the summit at least a discussion about that. >> teshe dominated the war in ukraine we are in the midst of her own

u.s. congressional continued in battle over funding this ukraine supplemental as nato partners continue to try to reach their own commitments and things of that nature. we need to be thinking about how we continue to provide for not just in the conflict but in that reagan for construction phase and as we look at the data we know women at the table in these moments of conflict table create a more durable and long lasting peace. that is one element of t addressing the resort constraint environment. >> absolutely absolutely. something else you have mentioned all of you have role of women as agents. advancing broad-based order. i would like to turn to you about this because she worked in the democracy and technology field. it would be really interesting for our audienceo hear more

about how women are leading responses to what you've raised earlier. >> that is one thing that has been very positive about these moment look at the technology space we saw governments understand the opportunities and the threats of social media. now we are in the age of look at generative ai we are seeing governments respond very quickly.ly to the point we h 50, 60 global conversations happening about the issue right now. arand the heart of that is the bias we know exists in the data set that are used to protect us but also used to help create the information space we want to see. one great example of where we're seeing forward action is in the globalio partnership for action endinger online harassment and abuse the 14 member countries and many are nato countries.

they are working together to redefine the space to give u definitions around gender ldisinformation. also saying what you countries need to do? we cannot have this be the people versus technology companies they do have a responsibility we need to have shapedshape thebu future. it's an opportunity and a challenge for organizations like nato. what is the outcome of what what is a durable peace look like and how do we acknowledge for instance in the information space the harm done to women this is not about going from online to off-line. do we see what we see on our social media pages then reflected in the streets? this is about the conversation the stalling of the peace the spread of disinformation democratic systems that's happening online. and soan what we are going to need and what we see women doing around the world is leading in that conversation.

we can point to ukraine we saw one of the most durable counter disinformation efforts to authoritarian actors predominantly led by women and looke see it in taiwan which is a secondary major concern ofar nato. we see threats coming to taiwanese businesswomen for taiwanese and political leaders. the threats they are experiencing threatening the full participation of women. this is all by design. i think we have to look to these overlapping alliances as a global partnership of the freedom online coalition. a where we can build onpp each other's energyim lane in a sense. do what they are s best at and work together but having a clear understanding of where we are trying to get too. that means not just in the streets are we are secure and safe in our house is as we duck

and cover but really we able to freely participate in elections, and political discourse and be actively driving forward to an inclusive society and inclusive democracy that nato and other organizations stand for. >> thank you. you mentioned examples from ukraine in taiwan. would you mind giving one of the examples as an illustration for the audience? sometimes it's hard to hear it disinformation to hear women's movements, we hear this is robichaux agency. but what does tha like? >> this is hard. this is where i think about i'm reflecting on the fact that nato first went online with social media companies and now we are seeing social media companies being a constituency in part to pout natoapayout nato brings companies to the table it away we see defense contractors in the defense industry but even in the munich security conference we saw

companies coming to thed talking about elections. but in real terms or sell the former president of regularly attacked for her relationship status. for the weight she led and the approaches. these things are often difficult for algorithms to pick up. there they are gendered. it's used to undermine leadership undermine confidence among the population. we've seen it very quickly and diplomatic time over the past two or three years we stopped looking at this and said is that just the price of doing business of what women face by being leaders in this space and move to looking at it as a systemic problem authoritarian actors are using to undermine the leadership of women which is again not just aimed at one moment in this case the

president of taiwan but also to undermine the participation by other women they do not want to expense the samexp harm. and it is working that is why they do it. what we are doing by protecting ourselves in protecting that participation. in that case throughout the balkans, throughout europe is really draw attention to ukraine the depth space we want to see. putting the action from companies from governments and global alliances into play so that we can create that. what i really want to underscore from what you said and what i am hearing is that it is very clear that democracy the kinds of alliance and nato is interested in the countries that are joining are supporting a rules -based order for everyone can fully participate

in a democracy authoritarian regime are actively targeting women in particular and women in leadership and in particular. not just to undermine the individual woman but to undermine a rules -based system of democracy if that's what i'm hearing. >> absolutely we have seen this happen with european leaders as well they are on the verge of joining and nato nato all the sudden videos come out questioning a leadership andleadership in undermining that confidence. i think we need to be able to step back in what we're seeing it's not salacious gossi agenda. >> thank you. moving from that really connects in my thoughts to what you said earlier, melanie really powerful recommendation to address for the next issue.

for that women's refugee commission. women and some of the recommendations that have come forward. >> i want to say it so interesting but we are looking at completely different things. but the themes are exactly the same. it is this intent to marginalize women keep the engagement. i think thats so interesting i did not make the connection so much before. but now everything you're saying applies and applies even more who were forcibly. whether they are activists and advocates or whether they are women in their communities. far from everything they know trying t to make a life for themselves in a place they might not have legal status. who would face persecution. in return to place they cannot see their families. they relied on crops for

generations or thousands of years so all of those risks and all of that instability. laid on top of as the gender issues lack of access to healthcare. that is specific to women. lack of protection from gender based violence and layered upon that is the demonization of migrants of refugees when the world sees countries like ours do it, countries i have to disagree at some of us have the capacity to absorb refugees and migrants. u.s. countries in europe's is a challenge but we have the resources we have the capacity we have volunteers to care about these issues. what does it look like to the rest of the world countries like chad it is a fight for resources we are saying it no more we cannot handle it were not going to welcome you.

a lot of that does fall in women. now investing in women and women led organizations makes huge difference. itbecause of any investment women and pays many dividends women's are the one responsible for taking care of theirir kids who are investing in the communities were tasked with doing a lot of the work.ng some of the things we could do particularly in terms of women led organizations ukraine is an exact example. it's going to be in york for the next couple of weeks. rankfrank them to high levelg meetingsuv we a to little ngos seven an amazing activist amazing activist issues affecting women lgbt refugees that have fled ukraine. there's so much capacity around the world and countries that level of developed civil society like ukraine has we are just on investing in. all these organizations need, and he who work for ngos need a flexible multi- year that trust

leadership.like i said earlier we need to get them to the table. they are safe and secure and can come to the table and participate leadership pipeline once the form where it may be we can make some progress there. >> when you are thinking about -- will have the nato summit this june. where would you like to see the voices of women refugee come in? what kind of priorities would they like to put on the table if they were involved? >> echoes across all the nato priorities for rebuilding, recovery all of those things. i will say broader mostly displaced women not all women who are displaced are refugees. there are many, many millions of being

displaced for other reasons can talk about the impact of climate change the insecurity that leads to, what they are doing in their own communities to try to make lives better for their families. investments like healthcare.how do it most effectively deliver healthcare? community-based health providers in af conflict when her doctors and nurses available? do you train local people to provide those services to women? there are all kinds of all this are big to small lead to more security for women therefore more security. conflict and migration is not at the border anymore it's global. all of us is for global security. >> what we need to think about and what women wives are s you just

said. security is not just about border and territory anymore. it occurs online which has no borders what you're talking about. we can be safe over here what you are unsafe over there. >> is not the reality anymore right?re >> will be really interesting what would be a key recommendation for nato to take under consideration in this regard? >> it is so interesting as wheat natureandsweet nature of warfare is shifted. i was in india last week talk about gray's own conflict. we are far past the days of armies coming over hills having out warfare plan kind of conflict. we have gray's own conflict with

the right of cooperation. we hf conflict that has expanded dramatically. increasing of online conflict nato has some room for growth and reflection. nato like other multilate institutions has come to grips with how we think about security in the online space. how do we think about it? how do we approach security in a multilateral i sense and online space these are tough questions. where are borders when it comes to weaponize ai and cyber attacks and things of that nature how do you think about escalation quest mccarty think about proportionality? we also know women the forefront of abuse abuses especially from the far right governments more terroristme that nature and how how these violent

moments catch online whether it's the president of taiwan specifically to degrade the leadership program of a seniorle leader or by in large t stoke and fuel the flames of online kate which are bleeding into interpersonal violence in the real t world. it's something that's going to be a really important strategic question for nato especially as we get into theroliferation of large language models. we know ai on these and generative models the data is only good as what is contributed. women's voices invoices are marginalized online. women write part fewer pieces you look at the wikipedia. women's voices online are not representative of women's in the world. we begin to think about how the nature of the bias becomes literally and figuratively encoded and our security systems these are the big questions are

security alliance nato fir and foremosten need to take into consideration as we think about the future of warfare second or third order effect especially for women. >> that's really interesting. that's directly to peace and security women were saying post- conflict fluency part of the constitution writing. mood part of the institution building on the design of the world what you are saying is the same point in the digital ecosystem. with tech and technology companies multilateral alliances like this one. >> it's true. we have so much conflictoing to develop in development of physical gathering around a piece table ine might have. it becomes incumbent upon us all of those opportunities for decision making it is so much

more fractured and diffused to have a conference of strategy to approach a becomes a very critical. nice to we have structured peace talks. who is coming to these talks? i work on that national on the national action plan several years ago as a physical moment a convening of peace. we don't have a lot of moments like that.uch nature ofhe conflict is the gray's own kind of conflict that is short of war. how do we think about women peace and security in this era of gray's own conflict this is something we we've got to contend with. >> melanie what are your thoughts? >> i'm not sure i don't know if if i member the question. [laughter] >> if you want to go back to key recommendations at the nato summit. >> the biggest and this is something advocates for refugees

and migrants have been sent for many years. security does not equal deterrence and enforcement. security does not mean again fortifying a borders security involves talking to civil society.y organizations that can talk about the issues that directly affected them and they have been engaged in trying to address because no one else is coming to help them.tinue down this path of whipping out the foundation of our modern humanitarian law which is 81951 refugee convention is just going to lead to more chaos. more migrant and refugees arriving at the u.s. border. that's a globalized phenomenon. that's not mexicans at some it's mostly people from all over the world chinese ecuadorians encouraging at our our borders that's

also true in europe. what goes to what you are saying ths v globalized chaotic phenomenon with no international cooperation beyond deterrence.w much mor engagement of civil society to come upith some real solutions to build peace and maintain more of an order. when we have chaos that invites fear and that's what makes society reject demonize the newcomer it's all because no one likes a feeling of chaos does not like there's a comprehensive approach of dealing with it. we are at a really critical moment with how the world is going to respond to >> i would be a little optimistic. we have organizations like in nato and others acknowledge that

we are doing it wrong if we limit conversations to silicon valley we open up and realize the most effective solutions we have found in the evolution come from the women in the global south who have developed plans strategies, who have redefined security in their own sense if you have seen it first seen the problems happen first identified them long before others got there. we can look at this and say guns the the things we see on the news, we all know there's a lot going on underneath we can look at another anniversary up and talk about a lot ofni them. recently passed anniversary of the resolution of the conflict in northern ireland. the women who provided the common ground for how to redefined security at a very local level.

because that is another point. this is an edge for all these organizations to include nato. going back to the beginning we heard about new civil society. to have these consultations. but, we have got to redefined thatel whole relationship and bring people more to the table. it looks like it take time. look at massie as democracies en feel. but ultimately that makes us develop the resilient solutions that are going to lead us to the durable peace we have accidents thus far. the world is changing us great deceit nato and other organizations recognize that. but developing the mechanics to change it is a gap leave behind world's population as we do that. >> are doing to get to q. i want to end with this question for all of you which is what has

surprised you the most working on this issue with peace and security? >> sorry. how hard you have to fight to just get in the room? that's another hilary clinton imagine what we could do if we didn't have to fight this hard to just get in the room. it would be great to spend less of my time admiring problems and more of my time solving them. >> i have one. [laughter] i do not want to say but completely inspired and awed by the resilience of women who continue to engage in this despite the challenges. on imaginable persistence in the face of again especially thinking about those we are forcibly displaced women.

in light of all they are facing is a lack of legal status, demonization violence. all of thosense things. orient counseling about their kids and lack of employment, that may show up that they go to the meetings. make progress. i don't know if i want to say surprising but i think it's something we should all keep remembering it is a frustrating living in her messy democracy and as worried as some of us may be about the future of our own country these women every day with what they have it they put committee safer. so again that is surprising but something we should keep at the front of our minds. >> thank you. >> i am a little surpris the same conversations i feel like i've been havingik for 25 years. [laughter] so on the one hand it's the

impossible. on the other hand, having just conference everyone knows what it is but everyone knows why it matters. we are still having the conversation we have to be having the conversation. there is much less education that is happening. so i do fee like i will concede the point there has been progress made i faster. but these things do take time. that said i'm oh so many female heads of states in munich. so many women chief of so manyrs ministers to whom this is obvious a t part of their strategy and it is disintegrated. it is not the first national action plan is not their second as part of the fabric of the way they are doing their strategy work. as we continue in this moment were thinking about democracy on

its back pressure of authoritarianism around thed world we have to remember equity and inclusion are enemies of authoritarian. this is not a conversation that's just for women. this is a a conversation for all peaceloving people. and for all societies to seek security endurable access to a livelihoodlivelihoodosperity. so it feels more urgent than ever before to get this right because it is also an insurance policy against the societal underpinnings that bring stability over the long term. >> would you say when women are bringing up issues -- and many of them you talked about in conflict or online that in fact these are early warning signs that nato and others should be

into account? because as you are saying this is a moment we are in. how can we better integrate those early warning signs into the conversation coming up in nato? >> you can look at any society and the way it treats its mos vulnerable as an indicator of what cleavages exist more broadly where the trust deficits ally for the crooks exist that might be exploited by a powers. it is certainly a warning sign. there are long of really strong voices at the table now. we think about the cost of war relative to the piece we have to be attentive to those signals as we hear >> okay great sperm going to try to move to q na we do have a few minutes let me take a loo and see what we have from the audience.

okay let's see. this isck a little tricky i think you guys can handle what has nay out learn from the current situation and afghanistan were decades of efforts to promote women's rights and security have failed? how does nader view and promoting peace and security women security inwomen's security in the region? that also goes to, the reason i chosee that we have partners and end of pacific region or countries who want to be partners ofbe nato. i think this challenge of working in conflict zones with allies and partners or are places where we don't have partners in protecting women's rights is a good one. so what have we learned or what can you say it nato has learned?

>> specifically with respect to afghanistan?ly >> yes. >> in my experience working with host governments on conflict stabilization efforts the one lesson i have taken away that the change is most durable when their strong buy in on all sides. countries have to wanted. there has to be a local strong constituency that is committed to that. if you look at the successes of columbia on the nature of that country's commitment to securing its peace they outspent u.s. effortsrt by a longshot. there is a broad base civil society commitments peace for all of the extraordinary work that has been done in advancing the right of women and girls to school, to access to education so many other things and it is heartbreaking to see how quickly that has receded.

i think what we are missing and there are so many things lacking is a broad based commitment locally to enshrine those rights it. there is only so much that can be done to force that kind of change externally. we look at the money extended there it's tremendously heartbreaking. so many of us i worked otan issues over the last 20 plus years feel that really deeply and personally. i think that kind of durable change has to require local ongoing commitment to ensure it is sustained. >> there is a lesson and questioning the word culture. what's allowed to take place in the name of culture. cultural understanding. i meant the repression of women. to start with that when you

first see it as a decision maker. and not accepted have that moment let the hair go by the back of your neck and know what you are seeing. and note maybe you need to look at policy options that will allow us to avoid what janet is jon is talking about. don't have anything. [laughter] cooks i might add my 2 cents here on nato. one think the women of afghanistan did give to the rest of us is the importance of having a gender perspective. i think that something that did not exist before. that time had in afghanistan. and as you say it more familiar to people you don't necessary have to do a lot of explaining you have to get more people to [laughter]

i think we have time for just one really quick question i guess not that quick. maybe a couple of examples about disinformation and gender. we had a question about examples from ukraine. anyin the examples will be really useful. >> i hesitate on this to protect the women involved i do not want to exploited too much. but i recently returned from kenya where i was able to do a consultation with groups of the civil society women who were engaged in this. looking for solutions. i would point to some local political leaders who are regularly attacked for their status for their religion for

their ability as a mother. very little about their public record. there is another legislature we work with in tanzania who talks about when the agenda becomes my gender. we have missed the point. and then you can talk about higher profile cases one of the winners of the nobel prize who regularly was experiencing online abuse. having her voice repeatedly silenced.il so the moral of this story is this is affecting women very locally, very personally we look at iraq, we l aook number one issue we train a lot of democratic activists. we go around the world helping them equip themselves and it's the number it went recent women

said they're not going to run. the threat to violence they know will come. it is online abuse that is the deterrent of what they do to their families. what it does to their ability to earn an income. what it does with her personal reputation and credibility and how hard they have to work just to have a voice. and so there are way too many examples to count. and i think the other thing to note what we've seen on a global scalen experience this in europe or i'm thinking in new this isn't when they want to spend their time talking about. they want to talk about the issues. i am thinking of the refugee communities forced to confront this. not only what they're transnationally from authar locally and among local leaders.

want to talk about their g achieve peace all caps and secure outcomes. >> i see we are out of time for more questions but it has been a us conversation. we have so many questions that hopefully will get to another time. i would like to thank all of you for your attendance and participation in this conversation and i more, it's a pleasure to moderate and i encourage you to stay tuned. and we look forward to seeing you again soon. thank you. [applause] the former chief financial

officer of donald trump's company pleaded guilty in new york to p with testimony he gave in the civil fraud case. he pleaded guilty to two counts of perjury and sentenced to five months in jail. they are related to testimony he gave in a july the 2020 deposition and the new york attorney general case against the former president. the prosecutor's accused him of lying under oath about allegations and mr. trump lied about his wealth on financial statements given to banks and insurance companies. the plea agreement comes weeks before the president will stand trial on unrelated criminal charge a hush money payments made to an adult film star during the 2016 presidential

one of the most important issues for me is the fentanyl crisis and how he is dealing with that and also the large mental health>> i am a fellow in johns hopkins and research and

intellectual history and i think the most important issue the danger artificial intelligence poses to our civilization in ways it might undermine our ability to have a fully unemoyed our culture. >> i'm from st. louis missouri and i'd like the president to take care of the border because we are giving too many people daily goals in here and it' overwhelming a lot of crimes. >> i'm from new jersey and i would like to see anything related to israel and gaza and palestine. it. thursday at 8 p.m.

eastern on the c-span, c-span now, the free app or online on an the greatest town on earth is the place you call home and at spark light it's our home to and we are all greatest challenge. that's why spark light is working around the clock to keep you conne we are doing our part so it's a little easier to do yours. >> service along with these other television providers giving you a front row seat into democracy. >> a discussion on efforts to prevent conflict and foster peace in the countries of congo syria and kenya with the winner and finalist of the peace award. the honorees talk about the conf