Mobilising Men for Feminist Peace

WILPF’s Mobilising Men for Feminist Peace project works with partners in Afghanistan, Cameroon, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Nigeria and Yemen, as well as a global network of activists, programme implementers and researchers.

Together, we draw attention to the political economy and broader structural conditions and forces that contribute to men’s violence and exacerbate patriarchal norms: colonialism, trauma, poverty and inequalities, land dispossession, climate change, food insecurity, the arms industry, corruption, militarism and the war on drugs.

Through advocacy, awareness and activism, we strive to mobilise men to join the feminist peace movement and create a more just and equitable future for everyone.

Why Mobilising Men?

As feminist scholar Cynthia Cockburn has stated, “If gender relations are one of the root causes of war, a feminist programme of gender transformation is a necessary component of the pursuit of peace.”

Violence is gendered in complex ways. Violent masculinities shape institutions, communities and intimate lives. They reduce space for participation and foster exclusion. These norms are enabled by institutions that heroise violence and fund the war system.

To transform currently accepted gender norms and practices, we must meaningfully engage men and boys to identify, address and challenge the structural causes of gender inequality and men’s use of violence and involvement in armed conflict.

What We Do

Through research, advocacy at the local, national and international levels, community education and creative projects, we aim to strengthen the collective understanding of the causes and impacts of militarised masculinities and identify strategies to mobilise men as allies in developing effective peace-building approaches toward the achievement of feminist peace. 

Our strategies include:

  • Building and expanding alliances and networks of organisations working to mobilise men for feminist peace, grounded in accountable practices
  • Conducting, disseminating and making use of local and global research
  • Conducting national, regional and global advocacy
  • Convening peer exchanges to support leadership development
  • Communications and media engagement

Key Focus Areas

Movement Building

We convene learning exchanges, coordinate a community of practice amongst organisations working to end men’s violence and mobilise men for feminist peace and plan joint advocacy.

Advocacy

We are currently involved in advocacy to address the gender exploitative marketing of the gun and arms industries and the collusion between the entertainment sector and war profiteers. We also work to hold the UN, its Member States and regional bodies to the commitments they have made to engaging men and boys in 1325 National Action Plans and in other peace related policies and plans. In addition, we work to support the advocacy done by all of WILPF’s other programmes.

Research and Knowledge Dissemination

Our rich body of research seeks to strengthen our understanding of the causes and impacts of militarised masculinities and of strategies that can effectively mobilise men to take action for feminist peace.

We share knowledge through our tailored repository of hard to locate resources related to millitarised masculinities.

Video

Power on Patrol, a documentary produced in 2022 spotlights the men working with female activists in conflict areas around the world to challenge notions of militarised masculinities and advance feminist peace.

Photography

We explore the relationships between masculinities, conflict and peace through our annual photography competition.

Podcasts

Hear from activists, academics, practitioners, fighters and peacemakers — the people in all their diversity who live and breathe this work to understand what militarised masculinities are, and how we are seeking to mobilise men for feminist peace. Available soon.

Focus Countries

Explore some of the key projects and research emerging from our partners in our key focus countries.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo

Colombia

Cameroon

Afghanistan

Yemen

Nigeria

Latest News

Partnerships and Collaborations

Meet the Team

Dean Peacock

Project Director
Dean.Peacock (a) wilpf.org

Angelica Pino

Project Coordinator
Angelica.Pino (a) wilpf.org

Contact Us

Your donation isn’t just a financial transaction; it’s a step toward a more compassionate and equitable world. With your support, we’re poised to achieve lasting change that echoes through generations. Thank you!

Thank you!

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

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Mauris facilisis luctus rhoncus. Praesent eget tellus sit amet enim consectetur condimentum et vel ante. Nulla facilisi. Suspendisse et nunc sem. Vivamus ullamcorper vestibulum neque, a interdum nisl accumsan ac. Cras ut condimentum turpis. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia curae; Curabitur efficitur gravida ipsum, quis ultricies erat iaculis pellentesque. Nulla congue iaculis feugiat. Suspendisse euismod congue ultricies. Sed blandit neque in libero ultricies aliquam. Donec euismod eget diam vitae vehicula. Fusce hendrerit purus leo. Aenean malesuada, ante eu aliquet mollis, diam erat suscipit eros, in.

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.