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Remembering Edith Ballantyne: A Life Dedicated to Peace and Justice 

With profound sadness, WILPF announces the passing of our esteemed former Secretary-General and International President, Edith Ballantyne, on 25 March 2025 — she would have turned 103 on 10 December, World Human Rights Day. Edith’s unwavering dedication to peace, justice, and human rights has left an indelible mark on our organisation and the global community.

Image credit: Rowan Farrell
  • 3 min
WILPF International Secretariat
28 March 2025

Born on 10 December 1922 in Jägerndorf, Czechoslovakia, Edith’s early years were shaped by war and displacement. When the Nazis occupied her homeland, her family sought refuge in Canada – Edith was only 16. Edith was politicised at a young age, through her family’s political engagement, and her trajectory marked by armed conflict as well as her experience as a refugee which sharpened the political and humanitarian values that would guide her life. It was in Toronto, at the age of nineteen, that Edith had her first encounter with WILPF and the solidarity of its members. 

In 1948, Edith moved to Geneva, where she worked for several years before pausing her career to care for her children. Her involvement with WILPF resumed in 1968 at our Geneva headquarters, marking the beginning of a deep and lasting relationship with the organisation. Just a year later, Edith became Secretary-General, a role she held with unwavering dedication until 1992, when Edith was elected WILPF’s President, a position Edith held until 1998. During her time as Secretary-General and President, Edith strengthened WILPF’s presence at the United Nations at a time when the UN symbolised hope and the possibility of global peace that would improve the lives of all people.  

Edith tirelessly advocated for disarmament, women’s rights, and peaceful conflict resolution, working hard to encourage NGO representatives to collaborate to speak with a unified voice to the UN. Edith firmly believed in the power of our collective strength. Her steady vision and commitment to peace helped amplify WILPF’s voice on both the global stage and within grassroots movements.  Edith often reminded us that we must lead by example, learning to live and work together, especially through disagreements, as conflict and violence solve nothing. Edith hoped that WILPF would always continue to bring people together and urged us to “come back to the original sense of the Charter, its soul, which is based on cooperation and not on confrontation nor competition”.  

Even after stepping down from formal leadership, Edith remained a guiding light for generations of activists. Edith devoted her life to the pursuit of peace, social justice and equality – principles she believed were inseparable and always aligned with her actions. Edith was guided by justice, never by power. Her legacy is one of courage, conviction, and an unshakable belief in a better world, in humankind and in what we can achieve together. People were always at the center of her life and activism; Edith made sure to listen to all voices with respect and consideration and always demonstrated profound care and kindness to her fellow peace activists. Throughout her life, Edith never missed an opportunity to speak her truth tirelessly. Edith showed us what is possible when we refuse to accept war and oppression as inevitable. While we mourn her passing, her spirit lives on in all those who continue the work Edith so passionately championed. 

In recognition of her extraordinary contributions, Edith was honoured with the Gandhi Peace Award in 1995 and the first International Peace Woman Award in 2003 — a testament to her lifelong dedication to creating a more just and peaceful world. Her legacy is also reflected in her powerful words on peace and activism.   

“Even in her final years, her dedication to justice and peace never faltered. We will remain forever grateful to Edith for making WILPF what it is today and for her support to me personally. Her light will continue to guide us as we walk in the gracious and formidable path you carved. We will carry her baton with pride, running with unwavering resolve along the trail she illuminated,” said Sylvie Ndongmo, WILPF President  

To honour her memory, we invite you to watch this interview, where she shares her reflections on peace and activism:  
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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.

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.