Female protesters in Yerevan, Armenia.
Female protesters in Yerevan, Armenia. © Nazik Armenakyan/4plus
March protesting domestic violence, Chisinau 8 March, 2020.
March protesting domestic violence, Chisinau 8 March, 2020. © Life without Violence in the Family – national coalition
The Pankisi Gorge lies in the foothills of the Caucasus. Most of Pankisi's residents belong to the Kist ethnic group.
The Pankisi Gorge lies in the foothills of the Caucasus. Most of Pankisi's residents belong to the Kist ethnic group. © Onnik Krikorian
Protesters demanding that Roman Protasevich be freed in Warsaw, Poland.
Protesters demanding that Roman Protasevich be freed in Warsaw, Poland. © Kuba Kaminski
A rally in Tbilisi in support of greater female participation in politics.
A rally in Tbilisi in support of greater female participation in politics. © Regina Jegorova-Askerova

Focus

Building Resilience in the Eastern Neighbourhood (BREN)

BREN supports civil society and women’s rights organisations in Eastern Neighbourhood countries.

Years active: BREN I: 2021-2025 - BREN II: 2025-ongoing

The BREN I project, delivered by IWPR in partnership with the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders (GNWP), was designed to build the resilience of CSOs to promote human security, peace and stability in the Eastern Neighbourhood countries, focused on women and other marginalised groups. Its successor project - BREN II - launched in summer 2025.

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Societies in the South Caucasus and Moldova face a range of systemic internal and external threats, including protracted conflicts leading to internally displaced people. These conflicts have a disproportionate impact on women and other marginalised groups, yet their voices are often excluded in security and stabilisation processes.

The BREN II project builds on IWPR’s regional experience to support these excluded voices and build resilience among civil society (CSO) and women’s rights organisations (WRO) to foster peace, security and stability for all. 
 

The BREN project is designed to deliver these outcomes:

  • CSOs have strengthened women’s and marginalised groups’ agency in achieving relevant Women, Peace and Security objectives in the Eastern Neighbourhood. CSOs are more effective and resilient in their internal operational and external delivery capacities.

The project activities include:

  • Awarding grants to CSOs  to support projects to increase the participation of women in the peace and security processes across the region.
  • Providing technical assistance through training and mentoring to build the capacity and strengthen the resilience of civil society.

Featured

Through a series of workshops in August, Roma women community mediators in Chișinău strengthened their skills in legal advocacy, peace and security promotion, inclusive governance, and personal safety. These inspiring leaders are now better equipped to support and protect their communities, both online and offline. © BREN
Through a series of workshops in August, Roma women community mediators in Chișinău strengthened their skills in legal advocacy, peace and security promotion, inclusive governance, and personal safety. These inspiring leaders are now better equipped to support and protect their communities, both online and offline. © BREN
PROJECT HIGHLIGHT

Moldova: Roma Women Driving Change

Capacity-building programme aims to ultimately increase participation in wider peace and security decision-making processes.

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BREN was launched in October 2021 and continued until May 2025 . The project was supported by the Integrated Security Fund of the United Kingdom and was implemented in partnership with the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders (GNWP). As of September 2025, BREN II is supporting programming in Armenia and Moldova only.  

Project funded by the UK Integrated Security Fund
Integrated Security Fund, UK
Implemented in partnership with the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders (GNWP)
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