Edinburgh Law School hosts the Women in Conflict 1325 Fellowship

As part of the Scottish Peacebuilding Programme, Edinburgh Law School hosted the Women in Conflict 1325 Fellowship from 2 - 3 February 2026. 

The Women in Conflict 1325 Fellowship Programme, which has trained more than 360 women peacebuilders from 40 plus conflict-affected countries across the Middle East, Africa, South Asia, Europe, and Latin America since 2017. Run by Beyond Borders Scotland in partnership with Edinburgh Law School and funded by the Scottish Government, the Fellowship supports women peacebuilders and the critical work they do to end and transform violent and nonviolent conflict.

The February Fellowship welcomed women peacebuilders, researchers, lawyers, humanitarians, and leaders from 11 countries, all of whom drew on their professional and personal experiences as women working for peace and gender equality. During their time at Edinburgh Law School, the Fellows took part in thematic workshops on ‘the Women, Peace and Security agenda’ and ‘Inclusive Mediation in Contemporary Conflict’ led by Senior Research Fellow Laura Wise, drawing on findings from the PeaceRep programme, a research consortium led by Edinburgh Law School. 

Throughout the course of the week, Fellows also discussed and practiced mediation training, transitional justice, the climate-conflict-gender nexus, and the use of arts as a tool for peacebuilding. Scottish-focused experiences included a meeting at the Scottish Parliament with Minister for Equalities Kaukab Stewart MSP, Edinburgh’s Forgotten Women’s Tour, a visit to Traquair House in the Scottish Borders, and a ceilidh! 

Senior Research Fellow Laura Wise said, “As always, we feel honoured to be a part of the unique Women in Conflict 1325 Fellowship programme, and to meet such incredible women. 2026 looks set to be another challenging year for all those working to advance peace and gender equality, so spaces that enable women peacebuilders to share their experiences from across diverse contents, is more important than ever. We are grateful to the Scottish Government for their continued funding to support the Fellowship programme.” 

Read more about the 1325 Fellowship and the Scottish Peace Platform

Photo credit: Shona McCallum - Beyond Borders Scotland