Women Police Security Masterclass

MASTERCLASS ON WOMEN, POLICE AND SECURITY:
GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES AND CHALLENGES

#LEPH2025 PRE-CONFERENCE EVENT
12-13 JULY 2025, OTTAWA

The Masterclass on Women, Police and Security: Global Perspectives and Challenges will deliver a crucial contribution to advancing the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, initiated by UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR 1325), in its 25th anniversary year in 2025.

Hosted in-person and online out of the University of Ottawa, this Masterclass is an opportunity for practitioners, professionals, scholars and students to engage in meaningful discussions regarding progress, challenges and lessons learned from diverse international perspectives.

The Masterclass has a special focus on policing as it is held in conjunction with the Seventh International Law Enforcement and Public Health Conference (LEPH2025), while also addressing the wider peace and security aspects of UNSCR 1325.

Convenor and facilitator, Melissa Jardine, PhD, will introduce participants to an Appreciative Inquiry framework through which the key topics will be explored during group sharing and developing outputs from the Masterclass at an individual and group level.

1. Ethical leadership, partnership-building, and community-led initiatives

What does ethical and inclusive leadership look like in practice, and how can partnerships and community-driven approaches strengthen safety and security outcomes, both locally and globally?

2. Expanding knowledge production

Who produces knowledge in the fields of policing, safety and gender, and how can we diversify both the voices and the methods involved?

3. Promising practices in policy, systems, and structural reform

What are some examples of effective policy and system-level initiatives for advancing gender responsiveness in policing and security, and how can they be adapted across contexts?

4. Intersectional approaches to improving responses to gender-based violence

How can we address gender-based violence through an intersectional lens that reflects diverse identities and experiences?

5. Using Appreciative Inquiry to re-energise and advance the Women, Police/Peace and Security agenda

How can a strengths-based, participatory approach like Appreciative Inquiry help reinvigorate efforts to realise the goals of the WPS agenda in its 25th anniversary year and beyond?

Benefits for Registered Participants

In-person participation is limited to 50 participants, with an option to join online.

Gain full access to all Masterclass sessions, either in-person or online, with opportunities for live interaction and dialogue.

Hear from a diverse lineup of 14 distinguished speakers from Australia, Canada, Pakistan, India, the UK, US and South Africa

Receive an exclusive Pre-Masterclass Program Guide and Interactive Workbook to support preparation, reflection, and note-taking.

Be awarded a Certificate of Participation, acknowledging your engagement in advancing gender equality and the Women, Peace and Security agenda.

Contribute meaningfully to global impact through support for our designated donation beneficiaries: the Amuka Foundation (Kenya) and HopeBox (Vietnam)—two organisations empowering women (and girls) who are affected by discrimination and gender-based violence to access education and meaningful work.

Receive the Post-Masterclass Report by email, summarising key insights, group outputs, and the co-created Masterclass commitments, for future use in advocacy, training, and policy development.

Audience

The main audience for the Masterclass includes local and international delegates who are also likely joining the main LEPH2025 conference, including police and law enforcement officials, academics, civil society representatives and a range of experts on gender equality, human rights and gender-based violence.