"Unyielding Voices" From Conflict Zones to Digital Frontlines: Faith In Action for the Women, Peace and Security Agenda

Aligning with the Women, Peace and Security framework and the UN Women 2025 theme “UNiTE to End Digital Violence Against All Women and Girls,” this webinar addresses digital violence as a contemporary peace and security challenge. Online spaces - once seen as enablers of connection - have become new arenas of conflict, where gender-based abuse, misinformation, and digital harassment silence women mediators and peacebuilders. “Unyielding Voices” will draw attention to the enduring gap between policy frameworks and lived realities: women remain instrumentalized in conflict while structural change and sustainable peace remain elusive.
Yet across regions and realities, women continue to lead with commitment, resilience, and impact. This webinar celebrates that courage and calls on a global audience to become active supporters of the Women, Peace and Security agenda, advocating for digital safety, accountability, and inclusion as essential components of women’s participation and protection.

The 90-minute session combines storytelling, dialogue, and policy exchange. A moderated fireside conversation with a KAICIID Fellow mediator and a policy advocate will explore how digital and structural violence intersect in peacebuilding contexts through a faith-informed lens. Their discussion will lead into a high-level panel featuring representatives of KAICIID partner organizations and institutions, connecting lived experience with policy frameworks. This design ensures both depth of reflection and concrete outcomes in support of the Women, Peace and Security agenda.

SPEAKERS

Mohammad Naciri

Keynote Speaker

Chief of Staff, UN Women

Representative of the International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN)

The International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN) is a global organisation supporting women peacebuilders and human rights defenders in conflict-affected contexts. Through its Women’s Alliance for Security Leadership (WASL), active in more than 40 countries, ICAN strengthens women’s protection, leadership, and influence in peace and security. The organization links local expertise with international policy, addressing challenges such as violent extremism, digital harm, and shrinking civic space while promoting inclusive, gender-responsive approaches to sustainable peace.

Ambassador António de Almeida-Ribeiro

Closing Remarks

Ambassador António de Almeida-Ribeiro was born in Lisbon and graduated in 1976 from the Faculty of Law (Legal and Political Sciences), University of Coimbra.

He joined the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1979, where he has held a variety of positions, among which Director General for Administration, Political Director and Secretary General.

Throughout his career, he has served as Ambassador of Portugal to Argentina, Egypt, the Holy See, the Sovereign Order of Malta and Austria, where he was also Permanent Representative to the International Organizations based in Vienna, among other appointments around the world.

Mariateresa Garrido Villareal

Dr Mariateresa Garrido, a KAICIID Fellow and originally from Venezuela, serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of International Law at the United Nations-mandated University for Peace (UPEACE) in Costa Rica, where she also coordinates the university’s Doctoral Committee. An international lawyer with a doctorate from UPEACE, her work focuses on freedom of expression, the safety of journalists across Latin America, and the evolving links between human rights and Information and Communication Technologies.

Since 2021, she has led UNESCO-supported UPEACE projects that strengthen the capacities of journalists in Central America, including research on the security of women journalists and providing legal support to media professionals in Costa Rica. She is also the host of the podcast Floreciendo MG, where she reflects on Christian teachings.

Raghad Mohammed Jabar

A KAICIID Fellow, Raghad Mohammed Jabar, is a social activist and human rights defender from Iraq. She holds a diploma from the Technical Institute of Al Basra and certificates from the United Nations, UNICEF, and the International Peace Institute. As President of Al-Weyam Organization for Human Rights, she leads initiatives promoting equality, peace, and non-violence, training hundreds on human rights and raising awareness on violence against women. Her guiding belief is that “humanity is the highest objective.

MODERATOR(S)

Joseph Atang

Joseph Atang is KAICIID’s Country Expert in Nigeria, supporting interreligious dialogue platforms and peace initiatives across the Africa Programme. An experienced mediator and facilitator active since 1999, he has worked with Search for Common Ground, UNDP, the Nigerian National Peace Committee, the Presidential Reconciliation Commission (Ogoni/Shell), and the HD Centre. He holds a master’s in conflict resolution from the University of Massachusetts Boston.
Atang oversees KAICIID’s national dialogue and peacebuilding initiatives, engaging women faith leaders and peacebuilders through activities such as peace talks in Kaduna uniting Christian and Muslim women to reduce intercommunal tensions, and hate speech awareness workshops empowering women to promote social cohesion. As moderator, he bridges grassroots realities and policy dialogue with clear, inclusive facilitation.