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Defending the Implementation of the Peace Agreement in Colombia

Members of WILPF European Sections drafted a petition for the implementation of the Peace Agreement, which was brought to the European Parliament on 9 April.

Image credit: WILPF
WILPF International Secretariat
26 April 2018

Members of WILPF European Sections meeting in Brussels from 6 to 9 April 2018 drafted the following petition in collaboration with the president of WILPF/LIMPAL Colombia, Katherine Ronderos. The petition was brought to the European Parliament on 9 April on behalf of members of WILPF Germany, Spain, Denmark, Italy, United Kingdom, Norway, Finland, Switzerland, Sweden, The Netherlands, and France.


Petition to the European Parliament – The Peace Agreement in Colombia

“Acuerdo Final para la Terminación del Conflicto y la Construcción de una Paz Estable y Duradera​”

Members of European Sections of the Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom (WILPF) meeting in Brussels, from 6th to 9th April 2018 resolved to petition Members of the EU Parliament.

Taking into consideration,

  1. That the Colombian Peace Process put to an end a 53-year armed conflict, responsible of thousands of deaths and millions of forcedly displaced people, with an Agreement signed by the FARC-EP and the Colombian Government in November 2016;
  2. That this is the first peace agreement in the world that included a gender and women’s rights perspective, in the framework of UNSCR 1325;
  3. That WILPF participated, through the President of WILPF Spain, in the International Peace Verification Mission, organised by Peace Brigades International (PBI) and Mundubat, in which they corroborated the facts collected in the Mission Final Report (links included at the end);
  4. That the Mission corroborated the achievements and gaps over the Agreement’s implementation, worryingly outlining the large amount of human rights leaders (women and men) assassinated since the signature of the agreement (more than 200 hundred people, after the Agreement was signed);
  5. That the election campaigns and the whole electoral process can increase violence in the regions affected by the armed conflict, putting at risks the implementation of the Agreement;
  6. That despite women played a vital role in the negotiation process and that the inclusion of women’s rights and a gender perspective into the Agreement was seen as breakthrough from all previous peace agreements, the implementation process has been very slow for guaranteeing women’s participation at local level in policy and decision-making spaces.

Request the Members of the European Parliament,

  1. To express, before the Colombian Government and the International Community, their active concern about the slow Implementation of the Colombian Final Agreement, the worrying numbers of women and men human rights defenders assassinated, and stronger mechanisms to combat corruption and impunity in the most affected regions of Colombia;
  2. To call the forthcoming Colombian Government once the Presidential elections has been decided, to continue the implementation process of the Final Peace Agreement, in order to protect the lives of the Colombian population, victims, and ex-combatants, and in order to maintain the credibility and recognition from the international Community that has supported this peace process.

Signed by

Heidi Meinzolt (European WILPF Coordinator)

On behalf of Members of WILPF Germany, Spain, Denmark, Italy, United Kingdom, Norway, Finland, Switzerland, Sweden, The Netherlands and France.


International Verification Mission – Executive Summary

International Verification Mission – Full report

Peace Brigades International (PBI) – Video “It doesn’t feel like peace, but there is still hope”

Download and share the petition by WILPF European Sections on the Colombian Peace Agreement

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WILPF International Secretariat

WILPF International Secretariat, with offices in Geneva and New York, liaises with the International Board and the National Sections and Groups for the implementation of WILPF International Programme, resolutions and policies as adopted by the International Congress. Under the direction of the Secretary-General, the Secretariat also provides support in areas of advocacy, communications, and financial operations.

Matt Mahmoudi

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.

Berit Aasen

Europe Alternate Regional Representative

Berit Aasen is a sociologist by training and has worked at the OsloMet Metropolitan University on Oslo. She has 40 years of experience in research and consultancy in development studies, including women, peace, and security, and in later years in asylum and refugee studies. Berit Aasen joined WILPF Norway five years ago. She is an alternate member of the National Board of WILPF Norway, and representing WILPF Norway in the UN Association of Norway, the Norwegian 1325 network and the Norwegian Women’s Lobby. Berit Aasen has been active in the WILPF European Liaison group and is committed to strengthening WILPF sections and membership both in Europe and relations across continents.

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Melissa Torres

VICE-PRESIDENT

Prior to being elected Vice-President, Melissa Torres was the WILPF US International Board Member from 2015 to 2018. Melissa joined WILPF in 2011 when she was selected as a Delegate to the Commission on the Status of Women as part of the WILPF US’ Practicum in Advocacy Programme at the United Nations, which she later led. She holds a PhD in Social Work and is a professor and Global Health Scholar at Baylor College of Medicine and research lead at BCM Anti-Human Trafficking Program. Of Mexican descent and a native of the US/Mexico border, Melissa is mostly concerned with the protection of displaced Latinxs in the Americas. Her work includes training, research, and service provision with the American Red Cross, the National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance Centre, and refugee resettlement programs in the U.S. Some of her goals as Vice-President are to highlight intersectionality and increase diversity by fostering inclusive spaces for mentorship and leadership. She also contributes to WILPF’s emerging work on the topic of displacement and migration.

Jamila Afghani

VICE-PRESIDENT

Jamila Afghani is the President of WILPF Afghanistan which she started in 2015. She is also an active member and founder of several organisations including the Noor Educational and Capacity Development Organisation (NECDO). Elected in 2018 as South Asia Regional Representative to WILPF’s International Board, WILPF benefits from Jamila’s work experience in education, migration, gender, including gender-based violence and democratic governance in post-conflict and transitional countries.

A woman in a blue, black, and white dress smiles radiantly in front of a leafy green background.

Sylvie Jacqueline Ndongmo

PRESIDENT

Sylvie Jacqueline NDONGMO is a human rights and peace leader with over 27 years experience including ten within WILPF. She has a multi-disciplinary background with a track record of multiple socio-economic development projects implemented to improve policies, practices and peace-oriented actions. Sylvie is the founder of WILPF Cameroon and was the Section’s president until 2022. She co-coordinated the African Working Group before her election as Africa Representative to WILPF’s International Board in 2018. A teacher by profession and an African Union Trainer in peace support operations, Sylvie has extensive experience advocating for the political and social rights of women in Africa and worldwide.

WILPF Afghanistan

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. 

IPB Congress Barcelona

WILPF Germany (+Young WILPF network), WILPF Spain and MENA Regional Representative

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Demilitarisation

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.

Militarised masculinity

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.

Feminist peace​

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.