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#NoWar2025 Conference

Host: World Beyond War Open to: Public Description: How do we move towards a world without wars, weapons, police, prisons, the death penalty, and borders? How can we work towards our collective liberation, recognising that oppressions are interconnected? Come to #NoWar2025 to explore how we can join in solidarity across movements and borders to abolish these […]

Disarmament Working Group Launch

A large sculpture of a revolver with its barrel tied in a knot is displayed outdoors, with numerous international flags and modern office buildings in the background.

Host: Young WILPF Open to: WILPF members (intergenerational working group open to members of all ages) Description: The coordination group of the Disarmament and Demilitarisation Working Group is pleased to invite you to a global call to launch the new working group. You are all invited to join us to! Agenda of the meeting: Based on […]

“Security” for Whom? Reflecting on Security and Defence Spending in the EU’s Multiannual Financial Framework from a Gender Equality and Gender Budgeting Perspective

Host / Event Owner / Convener: Gender Budget Watchdog Network, European Gender Budget Network, and European Women’s Lobby (with support from Austrian Development Cooperation and Sweden) When: 29 October 2025 | 10:00 – 11:00 (CET) Event Type: Webinar / Advocacy Dialogue About: As the EU debates its new Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), questions arise about what […]

Geneva Peace Week: Beyond Power and Territory – Women, Rights, and Systemic Approaches to Sustainable Peace

A promotional graphic for Geneva Peace Week’s “Peace Panel” event, titled “Beyond Power and Territory: Women, Rights, and Systemic Approaches to Sustainable Peace,” scheduled for October 14, 15:00–16:30, featuring speaker photos and names.

Host/event owner/convener: Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP), International Gender Champions, IGC, Nobel Women’s Initiative and Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom. Open to: Public Venue: Conference Center C1 (pétale 5), Geneva Peacebuilding Platform, C/O DCAF, Maison de la Paix, Chemin Eugène-Rigot 2E, 1202, Geneva, Switzerland Event type: Hybrid About: As geopolitical competition intensifies and civilian […]

Real Costs of the Push to Rearms in Europe and Beyond, Implications for Arms Control, Business and Human Rights, and International Law

A conference poster titled “Real Costs of the Push to Rearm in Europe and Beyond” discusses arms control, business, human rights, and international law. Logos from ABA, QUNO, and WILPF are displayed at the top.

Host/event owner/convener: QUNO, WILPF, American Bar Association Open to: Public When? 8 October 2025, 14h00 -15h30 CEST, Virtual Webinar on Zoom About: Amid increasing geopolitical tensions, we are witnessing a significant shift in military and security policies in Europe and beyond. More and more countries are allocating higher percentages of public funds to support rearmament initiatives. The increasing […]

Erased but Not Forgotten

“Voices for Justice and Accountability in Afghanistan” The event will highlight the scale and nature of human rights violations in Afghanistan, with particular focus on gender persecution. It will call for international accountability mechanisms, including renewed support for the UN Special Rapporteur and the establishment of an independent investigative mechanism. This aims to promote survivor- and victim-centered justice, ensuring […]

Finding the Money for Climate Justice

Poster with the text Finding the Money for Climate Justice. Below, money flows from two broken missiles in front of a pink magnifying glass. Webinar details: September 25th, 9am EST, 1pm UTC, 3pm ECT.

Type of event: Webinar Organisers: Organised by the 10% for All campaign, as part of the Global Week of Action for Peace and Climate Justice. Date & Time: September 25, 2025, 3:00 PM CEST/ 1:00 PM UTC/ 9:00 AM EST (online) About the event: Join us for an online discussion on how vast military budgets, fuelling […]

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.