Calendar
mywilpf
Donate

Archives

European Regional Meeting

Annual European Regional meeting taking place in Vienna Austria. To know more get in touch with European Regional Representative, Rosa Logar (rosalogar@a1.net) or Alternate, Berit Aasen (berit.aasen@wilpf.org)

Imagine Africa Beyond War: World BEYOND War’s Third Africa Regional Peace Conference

World BEYOND War’s 3rd African Virtual Conference, Imagine Africa Beyond War, on November 27-28 is a space for reflection aimed at analysing the effects of Western imperialism, highlighting African resistance and imagining a decolonised, war-free collaboration based on equality, justice and peace.  This Conference is free; click here for registration. World BEYOND War’s Third Africa […]

16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence

There is #NoExcuse for online abuse Online and digital spaces should empower women and girls. Yet every day, for millions of women and girls, the digital world has become a minefield of harassment, abuse, and control.  What can start small, on screens – a message, a comment, or a post – can quickly spiral into a torrent of […]

Abya Yala in the Crosshairs: Conversations on Anti-Militarism in the Region

Poster displaying torn collage art and text for a webinar titled ABYA YALA EN LA MIRA, focused on urgent talks against militarism in Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, and Argentina. Event date: November 25, 18:00 Rio de Janeiro.

Abya Yala has become a central territory in the U.S. war geopolitics. Under narratives like the “war on drugs” and “hemispheric security,” militarisation and territorial control continue to expand, reinforced by right-wing governments aligned with U.S. militarist policies. This increasingly aggressive deployment turns security into a tool of social control, justifying surveillance, criminalisation of movements, […]

COP30 Side Event: Militarism, Climate Change and the Pacific – Building Resilience, Peace and Justice

This COP30 side event will highlight Pacific leadership and testimonies on the links between militarism, emissions, climate finance, and resilience. The discussion will examine how militarism drives the climate crisis and undermines resilience, and why demilitarisation is essential for peace, security, and climate justice in the region. Community perspectives will show how demilitarisation is vital […]

COP30 Side Event: Disarming the Climate Crisis – The True Cost of Militarism

Event flyer with green and yellow tones reads: Disarming the Climate Crisis: The True Cost of Militarism, with event details for November 13 at the UNFCCC. Text discusses the climate impact of militarism and advocates for peace and justice.

In this official COP30 side event, explore the deep connections between militarism and the climate crisis — from hidden military emissions and the vast gap between military spending and climate finance to the catastrophic risks nuclear weapons pose to the planet. Discover how militarism intensifies the climate crisis and hits frontline communities the hardest. Learn […]

Rebels against War Award Winners

WILPF Germany warmly invites you to a webinar with the Rebels Against War: Every two years, WILPF’s German Section, together with the city of Verden, awards the Rebels Against War/Anita Augspurg Prize to a woman who has made an outstanding contribution to peace and justice. Five women have already been awarded the prize: Olena Zinenko from […]

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.

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.

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

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.