Surendrini Wijeyaratne

"Peace processes and women's participation: Lessons for Canadian policy" - Executive Summary - Afghanistan discussion paper - Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) discussion paper - Northern Uganda discussion paper (forthcoming) - Southern Sudan discussion paper (forthcoming) - transcript from Surendrini’s testimony to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development

Bio

For the past seven years, Surendrini has been working with non-governmental organizations active in peacebuilding, development and human rights. She feels fortunate to have lived with, and learned from, people in Nigeria, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Austria, Thailand, Slovenia, Canada and the U.S. After volunteering and working with Human Rights organizations in Canada with a focus on issues of child rights and commercial sexual exploitation, she had the opportunity to volunteer and travel in Nepal for a year. Volunteering with local human rights activists and those involved in conflict resolution work in Nepal inspired her to go back to school to study peace and conflict with a few lingering questions on her mind. She is particularly concerned with conflict prevention and effective peace-making and peacebuilding strategies.

Surendrini has pursued her passion for peace-building through her work with organizations in Canada including the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre, the Canadian Peacebuilding Coordinating Committee and, most recently, in her new role as a Program Officer in Peace and Conflict with the Canadian Council for International Cooperation.

Surendrini holds an M.A. in Peace and Conflict Studies from the European University for Peace Studies and a B.A. from York University in Interdisciplinary Cultural Studies. She has also studied at the University of Ottawa, and Tufts University in Boston.

Issue of Investigation

As a 2007 Gordon Global Fellowship recipient Surendrini examined Canada's international policies on peacebuilding with particular focus on support for peace processes at the official level and with local communities. She studied this through a gender equality lens taking into consideration the rights of girls and women and the extent to which they are supported in Canada's peacebuilding policies and in Canada's support for peace processes.