Ukrainian peacebuilder Nina Potarska sails to challenge illegal blockade of Gaza
Nina Potarska, a member of the ICAN-spearheaded Women’s Alliance for Security Leadership, is currently at sea with the Global Sumud Flotilla, a civilian-led mission organized with the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, en route to Gaza.
The Odd Couple: Women Peacebuilders and Security Actors Bridging Positions, Building Trust
The WPS agenda has proven a vital entry point for women peacebuilders to engage with the security sector and build trust within affected communities. These efforts—often invisible—are contributing to the reform of the sector, reshaping local security environments and mitigating violence.
The War Against Ourselves: Afghan Women Peacebuilders’ Response to the Mental Health Crisis in Afghanistan
This case study describes the drivers of the mental health crisis in Afghanistan, its gendered and cultural dimensions, and the strategies used by Afghan women-led peacebuilding organizations to provide solutions. The authors conducted interviews with representatives of Afghan women-led peacebuilding organizations and thematic experts, which were complemented by a desk review of project documentation and […]
On Sunday, February 4, 2024, our dear friend, partner, and colleague, Enass Muzamel, Co-Founder of the Sudanese peacebuilding organization Madaniya, passed away due to a sudden illness. We express our deepest sympathies to Enass’ family, friends, and colleagues in Sudan and around the world.
Together with them, we are in deep shock and mourning for the loss of this extraordinary young woman. She was courageous, generous with her love for others, and deeply committed to peace, justice, and dignity for her compatriots. She dedicated her short, bright life to working for her country and community. Enass combined a beautiful smile and a soft demeanor with a powerhouse intellect, eloquence, and deep humanity and care for her fractured country. She was an extraordinary peacebuilder who was willing to speak truth to power, while also reaching across divisions to find shared solutions and taking on the responsibility to protect those in need. Her commitment to Sudan’s youth and women was unswerving.
Enass played a key role in the 2018-19 pro-democracy revolution in Sudan, raising funds, mobilizing women, and protesting. Following the revolution, Enass continued to advocate at the local and international levels in support of the rights of women, the survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, and a democratic vision for the future of Sudan.
In April 2023 when the war broke out in Sudan, Enass and her family left Sudan to find safety. She persisted with her peacebuilding work, even in exile, and despite the risks it posed to herself.
It was a joy and an honor to have known her, to have called her our friend and partner. As we come to terms with the loss of this extraordinary young woman, it is hard to fathom the void she leaves behind. May Enass’ dream and vision for peace, justice, and prosperity in Sudan live on and become her legacy.
She was a Sudanese hero. A leader. A peacebuilder.
ICAN and our partners in the WASL network will honor her memory and legacy by continuing our support to our Sudanese colleagues, who work tirelessly to bring an end to this horrific war.
Enass Muzamel was a pro-democracy activist and human rights defender coordinating ongoing crisis response efforts to support women and girls in Sudan. As the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Madaniya, an organization that promotes civic engagement, she was instrumental in the 2019 pro-democracy movement that led to the ousting of Omar al-Bashir. In April 2023, after rival military factions instigated a violent conflict, Enass was forced to evacuate from her home in Khartoum. Even while displaced, she led critical relief efforts and connected survivors of sexual violence to healthcare, medicine and basic services. In the face of a worsening humanitarian crisis, Enass called on the international community to act in solidarity with human rights defenders who want to end the war and build a democratic Sudan.
ICAN Interview with Enass Muzamel and Helena Gronberg
This interview was recorded in June 2022, at ICAN’s 9th Women, Peace and Security Forum: Reclaiming Power, Restoring Peace.
On October 6, 2025, the U.N. Security Council holds its annual open debate on Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security. Today, we are not issuing a new statement. Instead, we are honoring our community of women peacebuilders—who appeared before the Security Council throughout these 25 years, speaking for the millions they represent—by echoing their messages.
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On behalf of the International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN) and members of the global Women’s Alliance for Security Leadership (WASL), we are honored to nominate Francesca Albanese, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize.
در عرصه صحت روانی، افغانستان با بحران پیچیدهای مواجه است که این بحران به طور جدایی ناپذیر با ناامنی شدید فیزیکی، سیاسی و اقتصادی در کشور گره خورده و این نا امنی ها بحران را تشدید میکند. برای رسیدگی به آسیب های روانی، صحت و بهداشت جامعه به شیوه های پاسخگو به جنسیت و با مد نظر گرفتن حساسیت های فرهنگی، سازمانهای فعال در عرصه صلح سازی به رهبری زنان افغان در موقعیتی منحصربه فرد قرار دارند. این سازمان ها خدمات ابتدایی ارائه میدهند، مهارتها را توسعه میبخشند و در شکلدهی هنجارهای فرهنگی و جنسیتی نقش مؤثر ایفا میکنند.
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In a powerful departure from traditional advocacy, ICAN—guided by our Afghan partners and women peacebuilders—hosted the event “Watan e Ma – وطن ما – Our Homeland: Women of Afghanistan Keeping the Flame of Freedom Alive” on March 17, 2025 at Blue Gallery in New York City. Held during the 69th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69), the event celebrated Afghan cultural heritage and the resilience of Afghan women peacebuilders, who persist in their leadership for peace, justice, and equality under the Taliban’s regime of gender apartheid.
On May 5, 2025, ICAN's Sanam Naraghi Anderlini delivered the keynote speech at the two-day international conference "25th Anniversary Conference of UNSCR 1325 Women, Peace and Security."
As Senator Mobina Jaffer concludes 23 years of distinguished public service in the Canadian Senate, we extend our deepest thanks for her steadfast leadership as Chair of ICAN’s Board of Directors from 2014 to 2024.
Together with André Mundal, our new Interim Chair of the ICAN Board of Directors, we are delighted to welcome two new members to our Board of Directors.
Trust between communities and the security sector is critical for effective governance and peace. So is a vibrant civil society. When women peacebuilders are recognized and engaged as independent, strategic partners and security actors—in their own right—the results are transformative. Twenty-five years on from the launch of the WPS agenda, women peacebuilders’ creativity and contributions to societal peace and security are not only timely, they are even more essential.
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Afghanistan is facing a complex mental health crisis inextricably linked with and compounding the dire state of physical, political, and economic insecurity in the country. Afghan women-led peacebuilding organizations are uniquely positioned to address community members’ health and wellness in gender-responsive, culturally- sensitive, and trauma-informed ways.
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