Each year in spring, a member of WIIS-Canada hosts the Annual Workshop at a university campus. The Annual Workshop is our flagship event, bringing together students, established scholars, members of the armed forces, policy-makers and representatives of civil society. The Workshop has two main aims: to provide a platform for women’s voices in the fields of peace and security; and to mainstream gender issues and gender-based analyses within the field. A central focus each year is the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.

Students members of WIIS-Canada from around the country are selected to present their research in peace and security, to disseminate their findings to those already working in these fields. A major part of the program is the mentoring provided by our professional members to student participants, as well as skill building workshops and professional training.

Our Annual Workshop offers a rejoinder to typical conferences in the field that are highly gender imbalanced. While we welcome participants of any gender, this workshop emphasizes the work of women in the field of international security in an effort to challenge the male-dominated status quo.