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Get to Know WILPF Australia, Host of WILPF’s 33rd International Congress

As WILPF prepares to welcome members from around the world to the 33rd International Congress, we spoke to WILPF Australia – host of this year’s Congress – to learn more about the Section’s history, focus areas, and plans for the future.

Image credit: Painting by Aunty Rhonda Collard-Spratt, Yamatji-Noongar artist and elder, currently living in the land of the Jagera peoples (Ipswich, Queensland) – where she created this specially commissioned artwork for WILPF.
WILPF International Secretariat
13 July 2022

Established in 1919, WILPF Australia is one of WILPF’s oldest Sections.

Over the years, the Section has been heavily involved in activism and advocacy calling for demilitarisation and denuclearisation. It is also a leading voice for the advancement of the Women, Peace and Security agenda, and more recently has joined the campaign by women’s groups for climate justice in Australia.

From 16 to 24 July, WILPF Australia will host WILPF’s 33rd International Congress! To learn more about the Section’s history, its current priorities, and its hopes and expectations for Congress, we spoke with Janette McLeod. A member of WILPF Australia and WILPF’s International Board, Janette also serves as WILPF’s Asia Pacific Alternate Representative.

Q: Can you tell us about the history of WILPF Australia?

A: WILPF Australia’s history goes back to 1915, the same year WILPF was initially founded as the International Women’s Congress.

During the First World War, two women’s peace groups were formed in Australia to oppose the country’s participation in the conflict, especially conscription for overseas service, and to advocate for a negotiated peace.

Representatives of both groups attended the 1919 Congress, which officially formed WILPF, and on their return to Australia the Australian Section of WILPF was established. Because of the size of the country, WILPF groups were established separately in several Australian cities; while they worked together where possible, it wasn’t until 1962 that they all formally joined together to form a National Section.

Between the two World Wars, WILPF Australia participated heavily in the disarmament work of the international organisation – including collecting 117,740 signatures for the world disarmament petition initiated by WILPF, the highest percentage per capita in the world!

After the Second World War, opposition to nuclear weapons was one of the Section’s main priorities, as central Australia – in particular remote Aboriginal communities – was used for nuclear testing, as were many Pacific Island countries. WILPF branches also joined with the anti-Vietnam movement, holding silent vigils in most states.

WILPF also supported the rights of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples from the 1950s onwards.

Today there are approximately 150 members in seven of Australia’s eight states and territories and virtual communications enable active participation by members outside the capital cities.

Q: What are some of the Section’s current focus areas? Have your priorities had to shift and change in light of the pandemic, the climate crisis, and other emerging challenges?

A: All of our work is guided by WILPF’s International Programme, with several key focus areas including militarism, climate change, and Women, Peace and Security.

In 2019, WILPF sponsored research into the increasing militarisation of Australian society and the resulting report – Militarisation in Australia: Normalisation and Mythology – provided the impetus for our current demilitarisation campaign, which is one of our primary areas of focus.

The report highlighted the dramatic increase in defence spending in recent years and the parallel militarisation of Australian society, evident in the increasing use of domestic military operations in government responses to natural disasters, such as bushfires and floods, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Section also recognises that climate change is driving the increased natural disasters in our country and several members have joined WILPF’s international Environment Working Group.

We are recognised as one of the leaders of the Women, Peace and Security agenda in Australia. Our work in recent years has built on WILPF’s initial direct advocacy around UNSCR 1325 to advance engagement with and inclusion of civil society in the drafting of Australia’s first National Action Plan (NAP) on Women, Peace and Security. The previous conservative government did not see this as a priority, and it has been difficult to engage the women’s movement more broadly with this issue.

Moving forward, one of our biggest priorities in this area is the need to reframe Women, Peace, and Security – and for feminist analysis to raise awareness of the impacts of climate change on peace and security for Australia and regionally, as well as help people see that climate change is one of the greatest threats to our overall security.

Opposition to nuclear weapons and nuclear power also continues to be a priority for WILPF Australia. The Section works closely with ICAN to advocate for Australia to sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). Most recently, WILPF has become part of the broader movement opposed to the military’s purchase of nuclear-powered submarines, which will be stationed in Australia as part of the new (2021) AUKUS military agreement between Australia, America, and the United Kingdom.

During the national election in May 2022, WILPF Australia advocated for voters to consider foreign policy priorities when making their choice at the ballot box and sought responses from government and opposition on our priorities. And in terms of WILPF governance, many members of WILPF Australia continue to be heavily involved in the governance side of the organisation.

COVID-19 restrictions on travel, both within and to/from Australia, meant that activism was reduced in 2020 and 2021, but the Section moved to increased virtual communication for Board, Branch, and member meetings. Restrictions are now lifted and in-person meetings have resumed as much as possible.

Q: WILPF Australia is hosting Congress this year! What does this opportunity mean to you and what are you most looking forward to?

A: This will be our second time hosting Congress – the first was in 1989!

Although it’s not the opportunity we thought it would be when it was originally scheduled to be in person, we’re throwing our energy into preparing for a successful online Congress.

In particular, we have so enjoyed working with Aunty Rhonda Collard-Spratt, a Yamatji-Noongar artist and elder on the land of the Jagera peoples in the state of Queensland. Aunty Rhonda created a special painting for Congress which reflects its theme as an inspiration for everyone attending.

Several of our members have been closely involved in preparations for Congress, including serving on standing committees for the formal decision-making part of the event and developing a panel discussion called “Voices from the Asian Pacific: Working for Peace, Denuclearisation, and Demilitarisation,” which will include representatives from WILPF Sections in Japan, Australia, and Aotearoa/New Zealand and members from Polynesia.

Our delegates and other attendees are very much looking forward to seeing the other workshops during the week between formal sessions.

Q: What do you want to see for WILPF coming out of Congress?

A: I hope WILPF emerges from Congress with an even stronger sense of its vision and mission and how they can be achieved through the actions taking place at the Section level. We have a lot of new Sections and Groups joining WILPF, and I would love to see the renewed vision and mission truly shared by all as we work towards our collective goals.

I also hope we will be able to strengthen some of WILPF’s governance functions, which play a crucial role in ensuring the organisation is able to work effectively towards its vision and mission.

Q: What’s next for WILPF Australia?

WILPF Australia will continue to be guided by the new International Programme, which is set to be approved at Congress.

We’ll continue to push forward our advocacy related to demilitarisation, Women, Peace and Security, and denuclearisation, including our ongoing work with ICAN. We’ll engage in advocacy to demand our new national government move (at least some of) the money from military to disaster mitigation – including responding to climate change and disaster mitigation. And we will continue to lobby the new government for robust and transparent debate around the need for a more inclusive foreign policy, which recognises the complexities of regional and international relationships.

WILPF Australia also recognises that we must work on building a more diverse membership. While in recent years we have maintained a steady younger membership of 10 to 12 members, the Section continues to be mostly comprised of white women over the age of 50. A minority of members are first- or second-generation migrants or refugees from continental Europe and Indigenous members over the years have been a very small proportion. So we will place a special focus on enhancing member diversity in the months and years ahead.

Learn more about WILPF Australia by visiting their website. If you’re interested in getting involved with WILPF, consider joining your local Group or Section or starting one in your country! If you want to stay in touch with WILPF, subscribe to our newsletters and follow us on social media: Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

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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.