mywilpf
Donate

Latest News

News

#Environment #Website

WILPF Launches New Webpage on Feminism, Peace, and the Environment

During Environment Month, WILPF has launched a new webpage showcasing our collective efforts to advance a future of environmental justice and peace in the midst of a deepening climate crisis.

Image credit: WILPF International
  • 2 min
WILPF International Secretariat
17 June 2022

WILPF is thrilled to announce the launch of a new webpage devoted to our work on the environment. Published during Environment Month, the new page offers in-depth information about the current state of the climate crisis, our approach to environmental justice, and ways to get involved. It also shares a look at some of the innovative and impactful initiatives being led by WILPF Sections around the world to advance a future of feminist peace for people and the planet.

Visit WILPF’s new webpage on feminism, peace, and the environment!

Reaffirming our long-standing commitment to protecting the planet

To celebrate the launch of our environmental webpage, we want to reaffirm that a future of peace, security, and equality for all cannot be achieved without a healthy planet, which we must protect as much as it sustains us.

At WILPF, we have long been aware of the impact of our actions and decisions on the environment – and the well-being of the planet has never left our sights. As Harriet Otterloo of WILPF Sweden stated in 1983, “Peace means peace with the Earth. Peace work includes knowledge of and respect for the Earth. If we destroy air, water, and soil because of ignorance or ruthless exploitation, we have nothing to live off or on in peace. Therefore the ecology movement is part of the peace movement.”

We also know that it is not enough to focus on the individual actions of each of us, and that we must take into account the whole system on which our society is built. Colonialism, capitalism, patriarchy, and militarism prevail and subsist on the plundering of the planet’s resources and the inequality of social and environmental justice. This is no longer an option.

The month of June encourages us to focus on the pressing issues affecting the planet. We are proud to share with you our many pledges to climate justice and invite you to delve into our actions and thoughts!

Interested in getting involved?

Every vision, every action, and every voice counts in the fight for our planet. If you are a current WILPF member and interested in getting involved with our work to advance environmental justice, you are welcome to join our Environmental Working Group. Contact us at membership@wilpf.org for more information.

If you are not yet a member but would like to join WILPF’s efforts to create a future of peace and justice for people and the planet, consider joining your local Section or starting one! Visit our “Become a member” page for more information or email membership@wilpf.org.

Finally, don’t hesitate to join us on our social media channels. We are dedicating the month of June to the environment and hope you’ll join the conversation!

Share the post

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.

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. 

IPB Congress Barcelona

WILPF Germany (+Young WILPF network), WILPF Spain and MENA Regional Representative

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Mauris facilisis luctus rhoncus. Praesent eget tellus sit amet enim consectetur condimentum et vel ante. Nulla facilisi. Suspendisse et nunc sem. Vivamus ullamcorper vestibulum neque, a interdum nisl accumsan ac. Cras ut condimentum turpis. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia curae; Curabitur efficitur gravida ipsum, quis ultricies erat iaculis pellentesque. Nulla congue iaculis feugiat. Suspendisse euismod congue ultricies. Sed blandit neque in libero ultricies aliquam. Donec euismod eget diam vitae vehicula. Fusce hendrerit purus leo. Aenean malesuada, ante eu aliquet mollis, diam erat suscipit eros, in.

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.

Skip to content