Amplifying Voices of Women Peace Leaders: Year in Review
By Naimah Hakim
Hivin Kako, Executive Director of the Bihar Relief Organisation, speaks at WILPF and MADRE’s symposium during CSW 60 on March 15th. (Photo: WILPF / Marta Bautista)
In 2016 WILPF/PeaceWomen continued to amplify the voices of grassroots women peace activists from the local to the global level and call for concrete action, especially in key gap areas of conflict prevention, disarmament, and financing. We have organised and co-hosted a variety of initiatives focused on feminist mobilising at the local level throughout the year.
In March, 40 WILPF activists from around the globe have joined our partners and other members of the feminist movement at the 60th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) to advocate for transformational change that moves from a political economy of war to a political economy of gender justice, demilitarisation, and peace. In this vein, we co-launched a symposium that created space for civil society organisations to mobilise around recommendations from the Global Study and identify next steps for effective implementation of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda.
In September 2016, WILPF delegation of 19 activists attended the 2016 AWID Forum in Brazil to build a common ground for a nonviolent world for all and share our messages about the importance of disarmament and peace for feminist futures. We contributed to six events including a Feminist Playbook for Peace and launched our #MoveTheMoney Toolkit during the forum. This toolkit includes a range of materials - including a motion graphics explainer video available in five languages - intended to boost action on Women, Peace and Security Financing.
At the 16th anniversary of UNSCR 1325, WILPF worked with grassroots partners and international policymakers to call for concrete action, especially on key gap areas of conflict prevention, disarmament, and financing. WILPF hosted and contributed to multiple initiatives and events along with our partners from the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region who highlighted regional patterns in how gender blind institutions with militarised responses result in ongoing challenges to women’s rights and their meaningful participation in peace efforts and provided strong recommendations for strengthening the implementation of UNSCR1325 in the region.
We are looking forward to 2017 and upcoming opportunities to support grassroots feminist action. Join us!
Find the Analysis of the 60th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women here.
Find the #MoveTheMoney toolkit here.
Find the Policy Recommendations on the the Implementation of UNSCR1325 in the MENA Region here.