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Shapers of Peace: Meet WILPF’s New Group in Yemen

As we welcome the newly formed WILPF Yemen to our international community of feminist peace activists, we spoke with representatives from the new Group to learn more about their work, focus areas, and hopes for the future.
Image credit: WILPF
  • 5 min
WILPF International Secretariat
17 November 2022

We are thrilled to welcome a new Group to WILPF’s international community of feminist peace activists: WILPF Yemen!

WILPF has been involved with Yemen for several years, working with Yemeni partner organisations to help advance peace in a country that is now facing the largest humanitarian crisis in history. Through this work, we have sought to support the extensive existing efforts of Yemeni women activists by helping to ensure the experiences, voices, and recommendations of Yemeni women are reflected in the different tracks of Yemen’s ongoing peace process, as well as by promoting Yemeni women as agents of change and advocating for accountability for perpetrators of violence against women.

This past summer, our partner organisation in Yemen, Sheba Youth Foundation for Development, officially joined WILPF’s international community by forming a new Group. We spoke with representatives from the newly created WILPF Yemen about their work, focus areas, challenges, and opportunities – including their plans to encourage more Yemeni civil society organisations and activists to join their efforts on behalf of WILPF. 

“In our vision, feminist peace means improving and building women’s capacities and awareness to be able to face difficulties to achieve peace in their society.”

– WILPF Yemen

What were your main motivations to become part of WILPF? 

At the Sheba Youth Foundation for Development, we believe in coordinating with all partners that have common interests and objectives to achieve real impacts in our work for the support and empowerment of women and youth. 

WILPF is one of the most significant and effective international communities [of feminist peace activists], where members can gain and exchange more experience and knowledge by connecting with one another. Because of that, we are excited to join and look forward to connecting other community-based organisations in Yemen with the WILPF community. 

WILPF works for a sustainable peace, in which true equality is achieved – a feminist peace. For readers who may not be very familiar with the situation in Yemen, how would you present to them your motivations and objectives as a Yemeni group working to achieve feminist peace in such a challenging context? What does feminist peace mean to you? 

The situation of women in Yemen is unstable because of the civil war, which negatively impacts their effective participation in peace and security. For example, conflict parties have not included women in the negotiations. 

Women are still struggling to gain their basic rights in Yemen. However, Yemeni women are finding their way. Women fulfill various roles at all levels – socially, politically, and economically. They work hard to defend freedom and peace in Yemen despite the risks and dangers they face. 

During the eight years of civil war in Yemen, civil society organisations have been working on the advancement of women in several areas, such as political participation, empowerment, and economic  capacity. Due to our belief that these areas will help women and youth to gain roles in peace processes, Sheba Youth Foundation for Development is working with women in various major political and peacebuilding initiatives through improving awareness and capacities in unstable situations.  

As WILPF Yemen, our objectives are to: 

  • Raise women’s awareness of their role in Yemen’s peace process.
  • Advocate for women’s roles in a variety of issues, including political, social, and economic. 
  • Strengthen women’s capacities for peacebuilding and advancing women’s rights in Yemen. 

In our vision, feminist peace means improving and building women’s capacities and awareness to be able to face difficulties to achieve peace in their society. 

What does civil society look like in Yemen? How has the civil war shaped Yemen’s civil society? How does/will this understanding impact the way you plan to attract and engage people in your work? 

Due to the civil war, there are many challenges. First, civil society organisations, especially those working on women and youth, face limitations placed on them by conflict parties. However, the limitations depend on the territory. For example, southern territories are more flexible than northern territories in terms of the types of projects that will be accepted by authorities. 

Second, the security situation is becoming increasingly difficult for people and organisations that need to move from one area to another due to armed checkpoints. At these armed checkpoints, some people have already lost their lives or have been arrested. 

Third, the economy is bad and this has led many women to look for jobs instead of focusing on defending their rights or freedoms. 

Fourth, most donors direct their funding to humanitarian assistance, which leads to a lack of available funding for many organisations working on empowering youth and women.

Civil society has a significant role to play when it comes to coordinating conflict parties to work towards peace in Yemen. At the same time, conflict parties have been imposing limitations on civil society. Many activists and journalists have been exposed to violence, and many have been arrested or lost their lives when the authorities have noticed that they are working against them.

At Sheba Youth Foundation, we focus on building capacity and awareness for both women and youth in areas which are under the control of the government. On this path, we attract all young men and women to our programmes and raise youth awareness by requiring them to have skills and experience that will help in Yemen’s peacebuilding. 

What do you think are the main opportunities and challenges that  WILPF Yemen will face in its work?

First, due to youth and women’s strong desire for peace and security, there are many opportunities to create change in Yemen.

Second, donors who support this work can create direct impact through the activities of organisations working for peace in Yemen due to the extensive experience organisations have gained in advancing change under challenging circumstances. 

Third, during the eight years of war, women’s and youth awareness about their rights has increased. This is making their work with organisations much easier than before the war, which helps to create a fruitful coordination between them. 

However, there are also many challenges facing civil society organisations in Yemen, as we described in our previous answer. We are constantly working to navigate and overcome these challenges. 

The situation for women and girls in Yemen has been very challenging even before the start of the civil war in 2014 and has been further exacerbated by the conflict over the past years. How do you plan to address the issues faced by women and girls in Yemen and how do you think WILPF Yemen can challenge this situation? 

The economic crisis, the damaged infrastructure, and the lack of essential and basic services that Yemeni people, especially women and girls, face are challenging. Gender-based violence has increased by 63 per cent since the start of the civil war, and the new Yemeni government is the first without female members in 20 years. All these challenges have not stopped Yemeni women from being the shapers of peace. However, they still do not have positions in the Yemeni government, and the Riyadh agreement did not support women’s roles in the peace and security path in Yemen. This is because of the retrograde political culture in these countries which intervened in the Yemeni peace processes. 

What we should do at this time is to empower women by improving and enhancing capacities and awareness, in addition to starting advocacy campaigns in local and international communities to involve women in all negotiations and peace agreements in Yemen.

If you’re interested in getting involved with WILPF, consider joining your local Group or Section or starting one in your country! If you want to stay in touch with WILPF, subscribe to our newsletters and follow us on our social media – facebook, instagram, and twitter.

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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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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.

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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.