History

On 28 April 1915, during World War I, a unique group of 1,136 women from warring and neutral nations gathered in The Hague, the Netherlands, to discuss how to end the war and ensure permanent peace. The meeting ended with the foundation of the Women’s International League of Peace and Freedom.

The organisers of the congress were prominent suffragists, who saw the link between their struggle for women’s right and the struggle for peace. They believed that the full and equal participation of women in the decision-making processes was necessary to achieve sustainable peace.

And they were right.

Today, more than 100 years later, WILPF is still advocating that women lead the way to change, and that peace is only possible when more women with feminist approaches will hold more positions of power, responsibility, and influence.