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Join WILPF’s Advocacy on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons!

From 21 to 23 June, the First Meeting of State Parties (1MSP) of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) will take place in Vienna, Austria.

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  • 3 min
WILPF International Secretariat
16 June 2022

Many WILPF members from around the world and the Reaching Critical Will (RCW) team will be in Vienna campaigning, connecting, and monitoring the negotiations.

Over the past weeks, WILPF Austria and RCW have also organised and coordinated members’ participation in Vienna and planned many events for WILPFers. 

Please scroll down to the bottom of this article for a full list of events that you can join – either from home or in person! 

In the run-up to the conference, WILPF Sections are also keeping the momentum on the process of banning nuclear weapons. 

WILPF Spain, for example, campaigned for the Spanish government to attend the First Meeting of State Parties as an observer state and WILPF Italy contributed to a book on the presence of nuclear weapons in Italy. Many WILPFers from the Austrian, German, Italian, Danish, Zimbabwean, Cameroonian, and Lebanese Sections have also come together to coordinate their participation in Vienna.

We hope you’ll join us as we advocate for a nuclear-free future! 

What is the TPNW and what makes it unique?

In January 2021, the Treaty – which bans the development, testing, production, transfer, possession, stationing, stockpiling, use, and threat to use nuclear weapons – entered into force and became international law. 

Since its adoption in July 2017, 86 states have signed and 61 ratified the Treaty – and more are on their way! 

The TPNW is the first Treaty to completely outlaw nuclear weapons. It’s also the first nuclear-related treaty to recognise the disproportionate impact of nuclear weapons on Indigenous Peoples and on women. It is the result of years of hard work and decades of campaigning by WILPF, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), Hibakusha (survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki), diplomats from non-nuclear-armed countries, and so many more. 

With many European states increasing their military budgets in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it is now more important than ever to advocate for the universalisation and full implementation of the TPNW. 

WILPF is encouraged that some NATO members – like Germany and Norway – will come to the First Meeting of States Parties as observers, and we hope more governments will finally start to uphold their long-held commitments to nuclear disarmament.

How to get involved from home or in person

A lot is happening and we hope you’ll join us! There are many ways to get involved, from online events to in-person participation in Vienna. If you have any questions or would like more information, please email membership@wilpf.org. 

Are you or your Section also organising events or activities for the First Meeting of State Parties? Let us know by sending an email to membership@wilpf.org. 

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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.

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.

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