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Keep Space for Peace Week Wrap-up

10 October 2015

The annual Keep Space for Peace Week 2015 is coming to an end. As a co-sponsor, WILPF’s disarmament programme Reaching Critical Will posted facts, updates, and news related to disarmament activities on outer space on our Facebook page.

Space and Disarmament

Keeping space for peace is more crucial than ever before. Modern life on earth has become increasingly dependent on space because of rapidly developing space technology. Today, societies across the globe rely on space-innovations for everything from farming, communication, and resource management to development and disaster mitigation. As our dependency on satellites continues to grow, so do our concerns over the vulnerability of satellites. The destruction of which could have negative consequences for humanity.

Space weapons are any objects, either placed in space or on earth, with the capability of destroying space assets. Today a number of states have developed anti-satellite systems, which are used to take down objects in space. In 2007 and 2008 respectively, China and the United States successfully tested these on their own satellites. This development raises concerns. Although space itself is heavily militarised, meaning military are using space for purposes such as communication, information and navigation needed on the ground to carry out military operation, it is not yet weaponised. It is crucial that this remains the case in the future both due to the vulnerability of satellites in the event of an act of aggression but because of the increasing risk of accidents. The placing of one single weapon in space can easily spiral into an arms race posing a threat to the peaceful uses of space.

Towards an international agreement?

An overwhelming majority of states have expressed concerns about the increasing militarisation of Outer Space and each year the UN General Assembly adopts resolutions promoting transparency, cooperation and peaceful uses of space. Currently, five treaties regulate state activity, the most prominent one being the Outer Space Treaty 1967, prohibiting the placing of weapons of mass destruction in space. There is, as of today, no prohibition against neither the placing of conventional weapons in space, nor the development and production of anti-satellite weapons.

A number of initiatives have been taken in order to improve security of and transparency in Outer Space activities. In 2008, the European Union initiated the development of the voluntary International Code of Conduct for Outer Space Activities. Russia and China have jointly presented two draft treaties, in 2008 and 2014 respectively on the prevention of the placement of weapons in outer space, the threat or use of force against outer space object. Despite a large support for such a treaty no agreement has been possible due to rejection of the United States and Israel.

Read more about militarisation of outer space here.

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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. 

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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