Title:Institute launches first gender-specific conflict tracker

In March 2024, the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS) launched the Women, Peace and Security Conflict Tracker (WPS Conflict Tracker), the first tracker developed to provide gender-sensitive insights into today’s global conflicts.

Spearheaded by Ambassador Melanne Verveer (SLL’66, G’69, Parent’94), executive director of GIWPS, the WPS Conflict Tracker brings together real-time data points and original analysis for 25 countries around the world that are at risk of, currently experiencing, or transitioning from armed conflict.

“Our world is beset by a lot of terrible challenges. It’s almost as if conflict and war are the new normal,” says Verveer, who previously served as the first U.S. Ambassador for Global Women’s Issues. “Since working at Georgetown, I’ve found myself thinking a lot about how useful it could be to track these crises, wars, and conflicts from a gender perspective.”

Verveer notes that other organizations track wars and other crises, but none do so “from the specific point of view of women.” The WPS Conflict Tracker “analyzes what’s going on, informs us of how it’s affecting women, and then examines critical intervention points.”