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Press Release: Feminist Peace Activism Rising in Africa

On the first day of its 32nd International Triennial Congress, WILPF welcomed five new national sections, four of which are from the African continent. The expansion exemplifies the League’s rise in Africa.

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  • 2 min
WILPF International Secretariat
20 August 2018

On the first day of its 32nd International Triennial Congress, the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) welcomed five new national sections, four of which are from the African continent. The expansion exemplifies the League’s rise in Africa.

It was a packed auditorium at the University of Ghana that on 20 August welcomed women peace groups from Afghanistan, Chad, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Uganda as members of the world’s oldest women’s peace organisation. Since 2007, WILPF has flourished on the African continent and the WILPF movement in Africa now counts eight fully-fledged sections, and eight emerging groups.

“Coming from Zimbabwe, a country just moving away from one of the longest dictatorships Africa has ever witnessed, we are facing challenges such as domestic violence, rape, child marriages, inheritance, and poor representation of women in the political and economic sectors. Becoming affiliated with an international women’s peace organisation focusing on improving the presentation of women, gives us a platform to improve Zimbabwean women lives in all spheres,” explains Edwick Madzimure, President of WILPF Zimbabwe.

Every day, women in Africa are setting new standards for women’s leadership and influence both locally and globally. However, there are still enormous hurdles for African peace activists who are demanding disarmament, gender equality, justice, dignity, and peace.

“African women have, for years, been pioneering in peacemaking as they hold a unique position in the local communities. The groups we are adopting today as sections are pioneers that will be reshaping not just African feminist agendas for peace, but global ones as well,” says Madeleine Rees, WILPF Secretary General from the Congress in Ghana.

Since 1915, WILPF has mobilised women to discuss and strategise for lasting peace. New sections are adopted every three years at its International Triennial Congress. The first African section joined WILPF in 2007, and African sections have since carried out initiatives like the Women Situation’s Room and developed advocacy strategies to ensure accountability for the respect of women’s rights through UN mechanisms.

See list of WILPF Sections and Groups in Africa.

Download Press Release as PDF: Feminist Peace Activism Rising in Africa

For more information please contact: Nina Maria Hansen, WILPF Communications Manager, email: nina.hansen(a)wilpf.org

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WILPF International Secretariat

WILPF International Secretariat, with offices in Geneva and New York, liaises with the International Board and the National Sections and Groups for the implementation of WILPF International Programme, resolutions and policies as adopted by the International Congress. Under the direction of the Secretary-General, the Secretariat also provides support in areas of advocacy, communications, and financial operations.

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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.

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. 

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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.