Community of Practice

This Community of Practice, co-convened by the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) and PAX brings together individuals from all over the world for joint advocacy, research and programming.

What is a Community of Practice (CoP)?

First convened in early 2022, the Men, Gender Equality and Peacebuilding CoP is co-coordinated by WILPF, the oldest women’s peacebuilding organisation, and PAX, the largest peace organisation in the Netherlands. It includes nearly three dozen organisations and nearly 100 researchers, advocates and activists from across the world working on or interested in men, masculinities, conflict prevention and peacebuilding. 
Communities of practice (or inquiry) are systems of collective critical inquiry and reflection focused on building a shared identity and a collective intelligence garnered over time. (From the Connected Educator, by Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach and Lani Ritter Hall. )

How was our CoP founded?

We were first brought together in 2021 when we organised a virtual meeting on “Mobilising Men for Feminist Peace in Work on Peacebuilding, Non-Violence, Conflict Prevention and Women’s Rights”” during the COVID-19 lockdown. In 2023, when it became easier to travel and gather, we met in Tblisi, Georgia, for a peer exchange on Men, Masculinities and Feminist Peace. 
Our CoP is a platform for support, for sharing ideas and for sharing research that requires more development, it is a place to share opportunities and identify challenges facing our field such as the ongoing backlash against women’s rights. It is a place for mentorship and for personal and professional growth as it brings together professionals at different stages of their careers. 

Who is involved?

The CoP brings together colleagues from many organisations and universities and research centers and this includes: the Geneva Graduate Institute, the United States Institute for Peace,  Safer World, International Peace Institute (IPI), Men Engage Alliance, Sonke Gender Justice, ABAAD- Resource Center for Gender Equality in Lebanon, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Swiss Peace, Conciliation Resources, the Collective Action of Conscientious Objectors (Colombia) , the Foundation for Innovative Social Development, New York University and the University of San Diego, Georgetown University, the University of Sheffield, Peace Track Initiative (Yemen), ODI,  Reform (Norway) and the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD) and many others.
The CoP also includes members from WILPF sections such as WILPF Cameroon, WILPF DRC , WILP Nigeria  and WILPF Colombia (LIMPAL). 

How do we connect?

We speak many languages, but we mainly communicate in English. We connect through email, the Mobilising Men for Feminist Peace mailing list and quarterly online meetings. We input a lot of resources into our Mobilising Men for Feminist Peace trello.

Who is responsible for the CoP?

The CoP was initiated by WILPF’s Mobilising Men for Feminist Peace (MFFP) initiative and PAX’s gender team. The current Secretariat of the CoP is the MMFP team and this includes: Dean Peacock, Angelica Pino and Reem Abbas and it is co-convened with Ilse Wermink, the Gender, Peace and Security Advisor at PAX. 
There is also the Coordinating Committee and the current members are Angelica Pino and Dean Peacock from WILPF; Ilse Wermink from Pax;  Phoebe Donnely from IPI; Gretchen Baldwin from SIPRI; Anthony Keedi from Abaad; Laxman Belbase from MenEngage Alliance; Lotsmart Fonjong, an Independent Consultant; Henri Myrttinen, an Independent Consultant and Guy Feugap, the Africa Organizer at World BEYOND War.
The Coordinating Committee reviews progress, identifies topics of shared interest and strategises about joint activities. 

To learn more about us

Overview on the Community of Practice on Masculinities and Peace

This document pertains to the Community of Practice organised by WILPF’s Mobilising Men for Feminist Peace (MMFP) initiative and Pax for Peace.

Mobilising Men for Feminist Peace in Work on Peacebuilding, Non-Violence, Conflict Prevention and Women’s Rights

Men, Masculinities and Feminist Peace Peer Exchange Report

Matt Mahmoudi

Matt Mahmoudi (he/him) is a lecturer, researcher, and organizer. He’s been leading the “Ban the Scan” campaign, Amnesty International’s research and advocacy efforts on banning facial recognition technologies and exposing their uses against racialized communities, from New York City to the occupied Palestinian territories.

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.