Bologna, 30th April 2026 — How do women rebuild their lives after armed conflict? What does reintegration look like beyond policy language, statistics and formal peace agreements? These are the questions at the heart of “HE[R]EAL – Her Reality: Reclaiming DDR Through Women’s Eyes”, the exhibition opening in Bologna from 6 to 20 May 2026 at Palazzo Hercolani. 

Co-hosted by the Agency for Peacebuilding (AP), the Folke Bernadotte Academy (FBA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the exhibition brings together powerful visual narratives from conflict-affected contexts including Ethiopia, Colombia, the Philippines and Ukraine, highlighting women’s voices and realities in disarmament, demobilization and reintegration processes, commonly known as DDR. 

At a time when armed conflicts continue to shape global security, the exhibition uses photography and personal stories to challenge the way women are often represented in war-to-peace transitions. Too often, women affected by armed conflict are portrayed only as victims, or left invisible in conversations about security and peacebuilding. HE[R]EAL offers another perspective: women as survivors, former combatants, community members, caregivers, leaders and agents of change. 

The exhibition highlights the long and complex journey of reintegration after conflict. It sheds light on the challenges faced by women ex-combatants and women formerly associated with armed forces and groups, including stigma, social acceptance, trauma, economic insecurity and access to support. It also shows how age, disability and exclusion can create additional barriers to recovery and inclusion. 

“These images remind us that peace is not only negotiated at the table, but lived in communities,” said AP, FBA and UNDP. “When women are seen, heard and receive reintegration support, they do not just rebuild their own lives, they help rebuild the very fabric of their communities.” 

Although the exhibition documents experiences from conflict-affected regions around the world, its message resonates far beyond them. In a time of growing global instability, HE[R]EAL calls for an understanding of peace grounded in people’s lived realities. By bringing these stories to Palazzo Hercolani in Bologna, a city known for academic inquiry and civic engagement, the exhibition invites policymakers, practitionersand the public alike to engage with a central insight: reintegration shapes the durability of peace, and women’s experiences are essential to getting it right. 

Exhibition details 

Title: HE[R]EAL – Her Reality: Reclaiming DDR Through Women’s Eyes 

Location: Palazzo Hercolani, Chiostro, Bologna 
Dates: 6-20 May 2026 

Open to: Public 
Opening event and guided tour: 6 May 2026, 17:30 – 18:30, at the Palazzo Hercolani, Chiostro, 

Workshop: Reclaiming DDR through Women’s Eyes, 6 May 2026, 15:00 – 17:00 at Palazzo Hercolani, Aula Ardigò,   

About the partners  

Agency for Peacebuilding (AP) 
The Agency for Peacebuilding is an Italian organisation dedicated to fostering sustainable peace through research and practice. It works across Europe and globally, creating conditions for lasting peace. 

Folke Bernadotte Academy (FBA) 
As the Swedish agency for peace, security and development, FBA works closely with international organisations, public institutions, and civil society in conflict-affected countries in a range of areas related to building resilience to conflict and strengthening democratic and inclusive societies. 

UNDP 
UNDP supports national and local institutions to advance DDR by grounding reintegration in inclusive development systems that respond to the diverse realities of women, men and youth leaving armed forces and groups. 

Media contact 

Nadia Paleari 
n.paleari@peaceagency.org 
Communication Officer, Agency for Peacebuilding