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The Feminist Case for a Peace Agreement to End the Korean War

Korea Peace Now panelists

Feminist peacemakers are calling on the Biden administration to take a peace-first approach with North Korea in order to make progress on longstanding issues such as denuclearization and human rights. Hear from authors of the recent groundbreaking report “Path to Peace: The Case for a Peace Agreement to End the Korean War” by the transnational […]

Why is the oldest women’s peace organization mobilising men for feminist peace?

Socially-constructed gender norms that associate masculinity with power, violence, and control play an important role in driving conflict and insecurity. These norms are enabled by institutions that glorify violence and fund the war system. To advance feminist peace, it is critical to work towards a transformation of the currently accepted norms. Disrupting patriarchy and transforming […]

Championing Women’s Participation in Peace Processes

The Women’s Peace & Humanitarian Fund is holding an official high-level launch of the Rapid Response Window on women’s participation in peace processes and the implementation of peace agreements: Championing Women’s Participation in Peace Processes. The event aims at addressing the immediate technical and logistical barriers to women’s participation in peace processes and raise awareness […]

The past, present and future: women’s role in advancing peace in Korea

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 7:30-8:45 PM ET//WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 8:30-9:45 AM SEOUL October marks the 20th anniversary of the historic passage of UNSCR 1325, which set forth a framework mandating women’s meaningful inclusion in peace processes. To celebrate this landmark anniversary, and remind governments of their responsibility to the Women, Peace and Security agenda, the Korea […]

Visions of Feminist Peace

As our world faces unprecedented challenges – political, social, economic, environmental – it is clear that alternative approaches to peace, equality, and sustainability are an absolutely imperative if there is to be a viable future for people and our planet. On 28 September, join feminist peace activists and WILPF leaders Joy Onyesoh, Amani Beainy, Jamila […]

The Road to 2020: 20 Years of Security Council Resolution 1325

The Road to 2020: 20 Years of Security Council Resolution 1325 will take place from September 15-17 2020. Leading up to the 20th anniversary in October 2020 of UNSCR 1325, the landmark resolution of the women, peace, and security (WPS) agenda, the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) is convening a three-day online […]

Lanterns for Peace

This year marks the 75th year since the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The impacts of the detonations of these nuclear weapons over the two cities are still being felt generations later. Lanterns are one of the traditions that over the years has honoured those who were lost. As well as honouring the people who […]

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.