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#InternationalPeaceDay

International Day of Peace 2022: End Racism. Build Peace – A Message from Sylvie Jacqueline Ndongmo, International President

Today is International Day of Peace. Let’s celebrate this day with a message from our President, Sylvie Jacqueline Ndongmo.

Image credit: Alice Donovan Rouse
  • 6 min
Sylvie Jacqueline Ndongmo, International President WILPF
21 September 2022

On this International Day of Peace, we celebrate a special occasion that resonates with more than a hundred years of action, reflection, and cooperation at the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF). Altogether, across the world, we dedicate 24 hours to a single goal, one that drives us every day and that we will never stop advocating for: a world of permanent peace for all.

This day is not just a celebration, and we at WILPF, are aware of how much work remains to be done to achieve this cherished goal. With our long and abundant heritage, we are fortunate enough to be able to read between the lines of our past to find solutions for our future.

Every decision made, every step out of our comfort zone, every challenge, every coalition has brought us to this day. I am proud to represent all the feminist peace activists who have led the way as WILPF’s International President, and today I pay tribute to them. Your commitment has paved the path for peace, and all WILPFers pledge to continue it until our ideals become reality.

WILPF reaffirms its commitment to ending racism and building peace

This year, the International Day of Peace is centred on a subject that is key to us at WILPF: End Racism. Build Peace. We recognise the extreme necessity of eradicating racism for the achievement of true peace – for a peace that is conditioned by our race is only an illusion.

Our movement is based on a diverse coalition of women coming from all continents (we are present in many countries around the world: 32 Sections and 13 Groups across Africa, the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe, MENA and the South Asia region). As a feminist peace movement, we are committed to taking action to identify, address, and counter both the causes and the manifestations of structural racism within our movement, so we are in a better position to fight it in the world. As we outlined in our 2020 statement on systemic racism and police brutality, we consider racism/colonialism as a root cause of violence, and by challenging patriarchy we challenge racism/white supremacy.

Let’s continue to use the spaces available to us to create systems and cultures of equality through collective power to remedy the suffering of those who don’t share our privileges.

Today, more than ever before, we pledge to always do better, be better, to end racism. In our new International Programme for the period of 2022–2025, we have expressed our collective anti-racism values, our vision of a decolonised and anti-racist world, and how we want to strengthen feminist peace activism by decolonising systems and eliminating racism.

This day of calling for peace is also an opportunity for me to highlight the situation that is taking place at this very moment in my own country, Cameroon. I am a witness to violence that I wish had never taken place, not here, not elsewhere, and I cannot bear to remain silent.

Cameroon: Local crisis rooted in global challenges

The current socio-political crisis in Cameroon is having a negative impact on the civilian population and curbing the enjoyment of basic human rights in the affected regions of Cameroon, with the impacts being felt primarily by women and girls.
Arbitrary arrests and illegal detentions, torture and inhuman treatment, killing of civilians, abductions, and extortion and destruction of property and goods are all on the rise. Within this tense atmosphere, women and girls often experience gender-based violence expressed through denial of resources and opportunities as well as sexual and physical violence.

More than half a million people – mostly women – are estimated to be displaced across the country, with most living in host communities scattered in other parts of Cameroon. Internally displaced women and girls – whether in cities, forest, or farm areas – are in dire need of assistance and protection. Their deteriorating living conditions are impacting their health and well-being, preventing girls from attending school, and increasing their risk of experiencing all forms of gender-based violence, including early pregnancy. They require urgent humanitarian support before their situation becomes even more critical.

The situation in Cameroon is a threat to world peace

Cameroon has a geostrategic position in Central Africa because of its access to the sea and its level of development in the sub-region, which is why some major powers have an interest in and maintain control over the country. The crisis in Cameroon automatically impacts these countries as well as other countries bordering Cameroon because of their dependence on the country for access to the sea and for agro-pastoral products.

The conflict in Cameroon also threatens world peace as it escalates, increasing the risk of spreading to other neighbouring countries and leading many young people to resort to illegal migration.
The agricultural sector has also slowed down its production and exportation. For example, the Cameroon Development Corporation, which is the main producer and exporter of plantation products and rubber, has had its operations impacted by the on-going crisis, thereby causing food shortages. Similarly, cash crop production in the northwest, southwest has been affected while the export of raw materials in the far north, such as cotton, has been limited due to the conflict.

Silence is violence

Silence can perpetuate violence. If we never talk about the problem or try to stop the problem, those creating violence will think it’s okay – and they may even encourage others to start acting that way.

Whether we remain silent about the situation in Cameroon or in any other area of the world, silence demoralizes the victim, as in the majority of cases, impunity enables the attacks to go unchecked. The authorities are obliged to guarantee that people are fully able to exercise their human rights, yet they have failed to do so in many countries. This is why impunity and rampant lawlessness, particularly in conflict-affected areas, work against community development and, by extension, access to essential services, including health care and justice mechanisms.

Fear of reprisal leads victims not to denounce their perpetrators. This perpetuates the cycle of violence because it leads the perpetrator to believe that he is super powerful and cannot be touched – and he tends to reproduce these acts of violence in other areas. In fact, what could have stopped him has simply not been put into action.

When victims do report harassment, threat, or attack, they often share that inadequate attention is given by authorities to their cases. Women feel that the lack of action by authorities serves to reinforce the view that perpetrators of violence are immune from punishment. In many countries, women have repeatedly reported a loss of faith in law enforcement and that they consider judicial institutions to be ineffective and corrupt.

Taking action for a future of peace – together

Peace is the fruit of a collective effort. It is the result of dialogue, active listening, and the interweaving of thoughts and actions. Peace is the blossom of a seed planted in a soil of diversity, and we want you to be a part of that.

You may have been led to believe that peacebuilding belongs only to a small group of privileged people who have access to the power of change, but look at us. 107 years ago a group of women filled with dreams and willpower got their foot in the door, and today we hold it wide open, ready to welcome you to our side. Mark this day with a meaningful and impactful action: join WILPF.

In Peace and Sorority,
Sylvie Jacqueline Ndongmo
International President
WILPF

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Sylvie Jacqueline Ndongmo, International President WILPF

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.

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.

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. 

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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.