Growing up in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq where she often had to be very careful of what she said, Azhin Ihsan Abdulkarim, Johns Hopkins SAIS class of 2018, never imagined that one day she would be speaking publically about the important role women can play in diplomacy.
A recipient of the Leadership in Emerging and Advancing Democracies (LEAD) Fellowship, Abdulkarim is participating in the Johns Hopkins SAIS Women Lead practicum, a pilot program to empower more women in the political sphere.
“It’s an amazing opportunity as a girl and as a woman from that area to have my voice heard,” says Abdulkarim who speaks Kurdish, Arabic, English, and French. Through the practicum, Abdulkarim and other SAIS students have been collaborating with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the UAE Diplomatic Academy on a project to build programming that draws more women into diplomatic fields.
On April 22, members of Abdulkarim’s research team shared their results at the academy’s conference on the role of gender in foreign and security policy.
At Johns Hopkins SAIS, Abdulkarim has also been studying the United Nation’s Resolution 1325, which was established in 2000 to provide greater protection for women and to acknowledge their role in the prevention and resolution of conflicts. And as a volunteer at the Syrian camp near her hometown of Sulaymaniyah, helping refugees communicate more effectively with the UN’s refugee agency, Abdulkarim was also struck by the number of women and children present and how much they are affected by war in the region.
“I think that’s one of the main reasons that it’s important to bring more women voices into the political sphere,” she said, acknowledging past barriers for their involvement and recent studies that show more peaceful outcomes occur when women are included in the diplomatic conversation.
For herself, Abdulkarim credits her fellowship – created by the Bologna class of 1983 to mark their 20th reunion and augmented for their 30th – as an important factor in her attending the school, first in Bologna and now in DC.
“It was crucial to being able to attend graduate school because of the economic situation that is currently still happening in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq,” according to Abdulkarim whose concentration is in conflict management and international development. She adds that the two are entwined, that having basic human needs met is a key factor to avoiding future conflict.
“Looking at the Middle East, we’ve seen a lot of turbulence and violent decisions. So, I feel a kind of sense of responsibility to study more about conflict management,” says Abdulkarim. “I hope my work can lead to better reconciliation efforts and contribute to a more peaceful, resilient society.”
Abdulkarim also recently spoke at the annual Johns Hopkins SAIS Global Women in Leadership Conference and the International Women’s Day on the Homewood Campus.
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Topics: School of Advanced International Studies, Support Scholars