A year of learning and unlearning together
To achieve our vision of permanent peace, we are deeply committed to building our movement and continuing to support a thriving global community of interconnected feminist peace activists working collaboratively for change. In 2021, we took significant steps towards ensuring WILPF’s foundations are strong and our shared goals, plans, and actions are aligned.
As part of our partnership with the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) – one of WILPF’s core funders – we participated in an evaluation of the WILPF International Secretariat’s five-year strategy Advancing Feminist Peace 2017-2021. Using the criteria of relevance, effectiveness, impact, and sustainability, the evaluation celebrated WILPF’s strengths and offered recommendations for further strengthening our position at the local, national, regional, and international levels.
Among our highlighted strengths were our successful track record as a major convener and movement builder, as well as the achievement of significant growth across Africa – which has increased from four Sections in 2015 to 18 Sections in 2021.
The report also celebrated WILPF’s extensive efforts to advocate for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), which was adopted in 2017 and entered into force on 22 January 2021 – a historic milestone towards nuclear disarmament and the first treaty to recognise the disproportionate impact of nuclear weapons on Indigenous peoples and on women.
The evaluation is also informing current work underway to develop WILPF’s next International Programme for the three-year period of 2022 to 2025. A global strategy that will guide our continued evolution and impact, the International Programme is being co-created through a participatory, collaborative process involving over XX WILPFers across the organisation and from all regions around the world.
We look forward to continuing to engage in this journey of learning and unlearning throughout 2022 and in the years ahead.