Pacific Woman Heads Global Peace Network

Fijian, Sharon Bhagwan Rolls, is known as a "suitcase radio" pioneer.

She is the founder/Executive Director of the non-government organisation FemLINKPACIFIC, and was recently elected as new Chair of the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflicts(GPPAC) Board; replacing Emmanuel Bombande, who has completed his tenure on the Board.

This is a volunteer position, which Ms Bhagwan Rolls undertakes in her capacity as the Regional Representative of GPPAC, a position she has held since FemLINKPACIFIC assumed the role of GPPAC Pacific Secretariat in October 2009.

“GPPAC remains connected to peacebuilding practice from the local to the global and we have an opportunity to find ways to reflect our collective priorities while also ensuring regional and local priorities have the visibility and space and voice,” said Ms Bhagwan Rolls.

“As a Pacific Islander, our issues and conflicts, our experiences as small island developing states sometimes do not make it on the global agenda – and when to add the gender dynamics and the voice of prevention, it can sometimes feel like a lone voice in the wilderness – so thank you GPPAC for embracing the Pacific in a holistic way – and for providing our region with the opportunity to contribute to the leadership of the network,” she added.

She is also the gender liaison of the Board and has been instrumental in guiding the development and implementation of GPPAC’s gender policy and programme including the convening of gender focal points across the 15 regions of the GPPAC Global Network

GPPAC is a global member led network of civil society organisations (CSOs) who actively work on conflict prevention and peacebuilding.

GPPAC’s  mission is to promote a global shift in peacebuilding from solely reacting to conflict to preventing conflicts from turning violent. This is done through multi-actor collaboration and local ownership of strategies for peace and security.

Together, the GPPAC Global Network aims to achieve greater national, regional and global synergy in the field of conflict prevention and peacebuilding, and to strengthen the role of local members in the regions affected by conflict.

Bhagwan Rolls is also a member of the UN Advisory Group on the global study on the 15 Year Implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (Women, Peace and Security) and is a CSO member of the Pacific Islands Forum reference group on Women, Peace and Security which is tasked to provide oversight and guidance on the implementation of the Pacific Regional Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (2012 – 2015) for which she was co-chair of the drafting group (2010 – 2011).

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