Empowerment, Engagement, Equality – these are the driving forces behind the Young WILPF Network. As a global platform, WILPF unites individuals from different backgrounds under the age of 35, to create a powerful voice for peace, justice, and gender equality. In a world that yearns for transformation, the energy and perspective of young activists are indispensable. The Young WILPF Network celebrates the vital role that youth engagement plays in advancing peace and justice. Through fresh insights and innovative approaches, young activists ignite change, dismantling barriers, and pioneering new solutions.
The WILPF Youth Network is a space for people under the age of 35 to network, organise and advance the goals of WILPF’s younger members. The WILPF Youth Network includes young people from Asia Pacific, Europe, the Americas, Africa and South Asia; geographically diverse, but united by the goals of gender equality, peace and disarmament.
Young WILPF is led by Global Convenors, which seeks to strengthen the network, connect young activists from all over the world and organise meetings and conferences to bring the youth perspective into the debate.
We are always looking for young people who want to join the movement to promote and advocate for feminist peace, human rights, disarmament and the environment! If you would like to join the Young WILPF network, please fill up the form below.
We can be contacted at young.wilpf@wilpf.org.
Marta is an activist in the field of humanitarian and nuclear disarmament. She is passionate about social communication and human rights protection. In particular, she believes that the way we tell the story shapes the future and the way we act, and she wants to take part in this process by telling about those who every day defend human rights and strive for a more peaceful and just world with fewer weapons. In her free time she is a crystal therapist, reads tarot cards and experiments with Reiki energy.
Pauline is a digital activist dedicated to youth empowerment. She is passionate about communication, graphic design, and research, and aims to demonstrate the commitment of young leaders by sharing awareness content on social media. She is concerned about addressing the proliferation of weapons and promoting the protection of human rights. In her free time, she enjoys reading, drawing, and exploring new cultures through tourism.
Daniela Philipson García is a Ph.D. candidate in Politics and International Relations at Monash University. Her research focuses on the effects of militarization on gender-based violence in Mexico from a feminist political economy lens. Daniela has several years of experience as a feminist mixed-methods researcher focusing on reducing gender-based violence and racial disparities in policing. In 2019, she was a Women, Peace and Security Fellow at the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom headquarters in New York City. In her free time, Daniela enjoys running, playing tennis and walking her dog, Perri.
Join the Young WILPF Network to unlock worldwide prospects for personal and professional growth through networking, mentorship, and collaborative youth initiatives.
Gain access to tailored information, resources, and representation opportunities as a Young WILPF member, ensuring you stay informed and impactful in your activism journey.
Connect with like minded individuals globally, breaking barriers to collaborate on impactful youth driven initiatives through the Young WILPF network’s Slack channel.
Any paid member of WILPF, seeking to channel their enthusiasm into constructive change, can join the Young WILPF Network. Not a member yet? Join us now and be part of the transformation! If your country hosts a WILPF Section or Group, you can play a pivotal role in establishing your own national Young WILPF Network, nurturing change wherever you’re located!
Ready to make your mark? Joining the Young WILPF Network is easy. Express your interest by filling out our online membership application form or reaching out through our contact email. Your journey towards empowerment begins here.
Interested in joining the network? Fill up the form below and we’ll get back to you shortly!
Youth Corner is your space, our space, everyone’s space! In a world where so much is happening every day in every country in the world, we decided to create this space to tell what it means to be a youth activist in today’s society! Young WILPFers from all over the world talk about what it means for them to be activists in their country, what the challenges and possibilities are.
Are you interested in joining a Working Group? Or do you want to start another working group? Email young.wilpf@wilpf.org we are happy to welcome you and hear your ideas!
We envision the Young WILPF Network as a formidable global movement, embracing diversity and inclusivity as its guiding principles. With members hailing from different continents and speaking various languages, we aim to gain deeper insights into the membership of the Network, including its size, geographical distribution, and the unique ideas, needs, and concerns of our diverse community. In order to facilitate the regional exchange, Young WILPF Regional Liaisons collaborate closely with WILPF Regional Representatives to strengthen young WILPF engagement at the regional level. Discover our regional liaisons!
🌎 Americas (coming soon)
🌍 Europe (coming soon)
🌍 Africa (coming soon)
🌏 MENA (coming soon)
🌏 South-Asia (coming soon)
🌏 Asia-Pacific (coming soon)
Host: Young WILPF Network Open to: Members of WILPF, UNOY, and Service Civic International About: In collaboration with the Gender and Protection Team of United Network of Young Peacebuilders (UNOY) and Service Civil […]
Host: MenEngage Alliance Description: MenEngage Alliance, in collaboration with the Global Youth Reference Group, MenEngage South Asia, WILPF Young Leaders, and ATHENA #WhatGirlsWant Leaders, invites you to a special International […]
Host: Young WILPF Network Open to: Public When? Thursday 28 August at 9:00 AM New York | 1: 00 PM Dakar | 3:00 PM Geneva | 11:00 PM Melbourne (check your time zone). […]
About: International Youth Day is commemorated every year on 12 August to highlight the challenges young people face, celebrate their contributions to society, and promote their meaningful engagement in building a […]
Host: Young WILPF & WILPF Yemen Open to: public When? Monday, 14 July, 8:00 AM New York | 2:00 PM Geneva | 3:00 PM Aden (check your time zone) What? Join us for a […]
Join us for the first Young WILPF Network meeting of 2025! During this meeting, young members will be able to connect and recharge. Space will be made for: 1) socialising […]
Joining the Young WILPF Network is easy. Express your interest by filling out our online membership application form or reaching out through our contact email. Your journey towards empowerment begins here. Fill up the form below and we’ll get back to you shortly!
Matt Mahmoudi (he/him) is a lecturer, researcher, and organizer. He’s been leading the “Ban the Scan” campaign, Amnesty International’s research and advocacy efforts on banning facial recognition technologies and exposing their uses against racialized communities, from New York City to the occupied Palestinian territories.
More about Hanne Peterson coming soon.
Your donation isn’t just a financial transaction; it’s a step toward a more compassionate and equitable world. With your support, we’re poised to achieve lasting change that echoes through generations. Thank you!
Diana María Salcedo López holds a degree in Political Science from the National University of Colombia, a Master’s degree in Women’s, Gender and Citizenship Studies from the University of Barcelona, and a Master’s degree in Human Rights, the Rule of Law and Democratisation from the University of Alcalá de Henares in Madrid. A feminist and anti-militarist, she has a solid track record spanning two decades working as a consultant for non-governmental organisations, international cooperation agencies, the United Nations and state bodies in Colombia.
Her work has focused on safeguarding women’s rights, incorporating a gender and intersectional perspective into public policy, strengthening the social fabric amongst women who are victims of the armed conflict, and consolidating local peace-building processes.
She currently serves as director of the Colombian section of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (LIMPAL Colombia), where she leads initiatives on issues such as feminist approaches to the energy transition, the protection of women human rights defenders, the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda, and advocacy in international forums. She also represents the organisation on the Special Women’s Body for Monitoring the Peace Agreement and on the Intersectoral Commission on Security Guarantees for Women Human Rights Defenders and Women Leaders in Colombia.
Desirée Sterner currently serves as President of the Swedish Section (IKFF), a role she has held since 2023. Her engagement with WILPF began at the grassroots level through the local branch in Lund/Malmö during her university years. Desirée brings a deep substantive understanding of WILPF’s core issues, rooted in academic training in gender, peace and security (LSE), war studies (Swedish Defence University), peace and conflict studies, and human rights (Lund University), combined with several years of practical advocacy, movement-building and organisational leadership work in Swedish civil society.
Sylvie Ndongmo, is a Cameroonian peacebuilder, feminist leader, civil society actor and Women, Peace and Security expert with over 30 years of experience in peacebuilding, mediation, and gender equality advocacy. She serves as International President of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) and is the founder of WILPF Cameroon and Executive Secretary of Women Peace Initiatives. She coordinates the Women and Youth Early Warning Monitoring Room in Cameroon and was recently appointed to the African Union Advisory Panel on Democratic Elections and Governance in Africa. Her work focuses on advancing women’s leadership, conflict prevention, and sustainable peace through feminist, inclusive, and intergenerational approaches.
In response to the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban and its targeted attacks on civil society members, WILPF Afghanistan issued several statements calling on the international community to stand in solidarity with Afghan people and ensure that their rights be upheld, including access to aid. The Section also published 100 Untold Stories of War and Peace, a compilation of true stories that highlight the effects of war and militarisation on the region.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Mauris facilisis luctus rhoncus. Praesent eget tellus sit amet enim consectetur condimentum et vel ante. Nulla facilisi. Suspendisse et nunc sem. Vivamus ullamcorper vestibulum neque, a interdum nisl accumsan ac. Cras ut condimentum turpis. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia curae; Curabitur efficitur gravida ipsum, quis ultricies erat iaculis pellentesque. Nulla congue iaculis feugiat. Suspendisse euismod congue ultricies. Sed blandit neque in libero ultricies aliquam. Donec euismod eget diam vitae vehicula. Fusce hendrerit purus leo. Aenean malesuada, ante eu aliquet mollis, diam erat suscipit eros, in.
WILPF uses feminist analysis to argue that militarisation is a counter-productive and ill-conceived response to establishing security in the world. The more society becomes militarised, the more violence and injustice are likely to grow locally and worldwide.
Sixteen states are believed to have supplied weapons to Afghanistan from 2001 to 2020 with the US supplying 74 % of weapons, followed by Russia. Much of this equipment was left behind by the US military and is being used to inflate Taliban’s arsenal. WILPF is calling for better oversight on arms movement, for compensating affected Afghan people and for an end to all militarised systems.
Mobilising men and boys around feminist peace has been one way of deconstructing and redefining masculinities. WILPF shares a feminist analysis on the links between militarism, masculinities, peace and security. We explore opportunities for strengthening activists’ action to build equal partnerships among women and men for gender equality.
WILPF has been working on challenging the prevailing notion of masculinity based on men’s physical and social superiority to, and dominance of, women in Afghanistan. It recognizes that these notions are not representative of all Afghan men, contrary to the publicly prevailing notion.
In WILPF’s view, any process towards establishing peace that has not been partly designed by women remains deficient. Beyond bringing perspectives that encapsulate the views of half of the society and unlike the men only designed processes, women’s true and meaningful participation allows the situation to improve.
In Afghanistan, WILPF has been demanding that women occupy the front seats at the negotiating tables. The experience of the past 20 has shown that women’s presence produces more sustainable solutions when they are empowered and enabled to play a role.
