FIRST Minister Nicola Sturgeon, BBC Correspondent Lyse Doucet, and Special Envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura will all appear at Beyond Borders this weekend.

And they will be supported at Traquair House by a thought-provoking cast for the international festival of literature and thought.

Sunday's panel, which will be taking place at 1pm, will see the BBC’s Chief International Correspondent Lyse Doucet lead a discussion with the First Minister and the Special Envoy on the diverse roles that women can play in the realms of politics and peace making.

This will be followed by a Q&A session, which will allow the audience to put their questions to this experienced panel.

Building upon a successful collaboration between the Scottish Government and the United Nations, which brought 10 members of the Syrian Women’s Advisory Board to Scotland for four days of talks in May, and also upon the inaugural Women in Conflict Peace Initiative’ programme that took place in 2015, Beyond Borders Scotland will run the first 1325 Fellowship this August.

This Fellowship will bring around 20 female peace making activists from conflict-affected regions such as Syria, Yemen, and Libya, to Edinburgh and the Scottish Borders, and seeks to support female peacemakers around the world through building a sustainable community of activists working in mediation, dialogue, and reconciliation.

The First Minister said: “I am delighted to be returning to Traquair House this year and discussing the important role that women can play in the peace making process.

"In any war there is a human cost, as we have seen all too often. It is more vital than ever that the international community tries to resolve conflict with peace settlements which have been shaped by women as well as men.”

Beyond Borders sees Traquair House also play host to a number of visual arts exhibitions and performing arts pieces, featuring local and international artists as they showcase new perspectives on a series of domestic and international issues.

Mark Muller Stuart, Executive Director of Beyond Borders Scotland, told us: “We seek to provide a platform to artists from both at home and abroad, allowing space for engagement with a wide variety of issues across many diverse mediums.

"Whether it’s an art exhibition, a performing arts piece, or a more participatory artistic event, we believe the programme encourages those with many different interests and experiences to participate in these cultural events.”

Artists and exhibitions on display at the Beyond Borders include prints by Palestinian artist Leena Nammari, in which she explores the beauty of the Palestinian landscape and people, seeking to highlight the aspects of Palestine that are often overlooked.

Also featured are photographs from Yemeni photographer Thana Faroq’s series ‘Women Like Us”, which capture the portraits of Yemeni women alongside their stories and experiences of the war. This exhibition is support by the British Council Yemen.

‘The Writer’s Eye’ – a series of photographs taken by author and historian William Dalrymple, who is appearing at the Beyond Borders International Festival again this year – will also be featured, in addition to an exhibition of drawings created by Scottish artist Sylvia Woodcock-Clarke for her book Stories of a Stranger.

Beyond Borders Scotland is also proud to present the launch of ice&fire Theatre’s new verbatim script exploring the experience of asylum seekers in Scotland.

Their production will take place at the Beyond Borders, as well as at the Eastgate Theatre in Peebles, and at Edinburgh’s Summerhall.

Also paying homage to the stories and lives of people from all over the world are Borders-based artists Inge Paneels and Mark Timmins’ ‘Ship of Souls’.

This collaborative project invites quiet engagement with the topic of the refugee crisis through the simple act of folding a paper boat, a collection of which will then be sent out into the water at the end of the Festival weekend.

Tickets, priced at £45 for the weekend and £24 for a day pass, are still available from info@beyondbordersscotland.com or 0131 557 7775.

Beyond Borders Scotland is dedicated to fostering peace and greater understanding between peoples, small nations and different cultures from around the world.