The Women’s Alliance for Security Leadership (WASL) brings together existing women rights and peace practitioners, organizations, and networks actively engaged in preventing extremism and promoting peace, rights and pluralism, to enable their systematic and strategic collaboration.

‘Wasl’ means to ‘connect’ in Arabic, Urdu and Persian.

“Women’s rights activists are the longest-standing socially-rooted, transnational groups mobilizing for peace, countering rising extremism, and providing an alternative vision for the future.” — WASL founding statement

Our Founding Statement

The Protection Framework provides guidance for taking action to ensure the safety of women peacebuilders

Our Approach

We cultivate vertical, horizontal and diagonal connections

Vertical Connections

Facilitate access for national and grassroots women-led organizations to engage substantively in the international countering violent extremism (CVE) debate by collating their perspectives on critical issues (e.g. security, economics, education) and publishing policy papers. This includes information sharing and analyses from the ground to increase knowledge of the gender dimensions of violent extremism with a focus on solutions to root causes and contributions to preventative action.

Link women’s networks, practitioners, and organizations more effectively to governmental processes, enabling them to share lessons learned and shape state and multilateral policies and programs based on ground realities and needs.

Develop shared, conceptually-sound solutions to challenges the security-oriented approaches and narratives of existing CVE policies and programs.

Avoid duplication of efforts and provide a means of coordination and mutual development and support based on a division of labor and core strengths among INGOs, government, and multilateral organizations.

Horizontal Connections

Provide opportunities to enable the sharing of strategies and lessons learned across countries between grassroots, national civil society actors, and regional and international activists/organizations facing similar manifestations of extremism, including “know-how” and good practices for scaling up successful and promising initiatives.

Ensure allocation of resources to support innovative solutions locally and internationally in a range of spheres — notably practical community-based work, messaging and communications, production of knowledge, etc.

Connect existing women-led organizations and resource persons working on extremism and promoting peace to deepen solidarity and strengthen their impact.

Initiate country-focused public surveys and other efforts to tap into the aspirations of potentially vulnerable populations and use that data to articulate a coherent and realistic alternative vision with attention to improvements in education, justice, economic, and other human security policies.

Diagonal Connections

Include and reach out to other sectors – notably arts and culture, journalism, religious communities, the private sector, and governmental agencies to echo and amplify the voices and perspectives emerging from women’s organizations.

Draw on each sector and organization’s unique competencies to ensure innovative mass outreach and build wider public participation in disseminating the vision, values, and messages of WASL members.

The Coming of Age of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda; 21 in 2021

The People and Perspectives Driving A Transformative Global Peace and Security Agenda.

The 21 in 2021 series is moderated by Sanam Naraghi Anderlini and features members of WASL alongside other individuals working as peacebuilders, delivering development humanitarian relief, working for justice and security sector reform and the prevention of sexual violence and violent extremism. The series is co-hosted by ICAN, the LSE Centre for Women Peace and Security and the Centre for Feminist Foreign Policy,

Annual Forum

ICAN’s Women, Peace and Security Forum is an annual event dedicated to providing women peacebuilders and human rights defenders a safe space for learning, collaboration and solidarity. Forum participants are active members of WASL with demonstrable expertise in innovative practices, activism advocacy and thought leadership in the realm of women’s rights, peace, security and C/PVE.

Past Forums

Bridging Positions, Building Trust:  Women Peacebuilders & Security Actors

ICAN, in partnership with the Permanent Missions of Norway, Sweden, and Canada, the United Kingdom Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office (UKFCDO), the Ministry of Gender, Child and Welfare of South Sudan, the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC), and the National Transformational Leadership Institute (NTLI), convened a 1.5-day workshop to discuss how to strengthen community security as a localized, transformative approach for sustainable peace.

She Builds Peace Frameworks for Action in Arabic

ICAN has released its three frameworks for action to improve the recognition and participation, protection, and funding of women peacebuilders, in Arabic.

Sarah McMains

Sarah McMains is a Senior Program Officer at the International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN). She works with the Innovative Peace Fund program team with a focus on the programmatic and grantmaking work and support for Afghan women peacebuilders.

Recognizing Women Peacebuilders: Critical Actors in Effective Peacemaking / الاعتراف ببانيات السلام: عناصر فاعلة حاسمة في صنع السلام الفعال

Funding Women Peacebuilders: Dismantling Barriers to Peace / تمويل عمل بانيات السلام: تفكيك الحواجز التي تعرقل السلام

Protecting Women Peacebuilders: The Front Lines of Sustainable Peace / حماية بانيات السلام: الخطوط الأمامية للسلام المستدام

In Tribute to Enass Muzamel

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...

“We Rise for a Peaceful South Sudan”: The Role of Women in Shaping Post-War South Sudan

With support from the Rapid Response Window of the United Nations Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund in partnership with the International Civil Society Action Network, Women Relief Aid, a South Sudanese women-led NGO and member of the Women’s Alliance for Security Leadership, is making remarkable strides to improve realities for women in the country.

Program Intern (Summer 2024)

The ICAN team seeks a highly motivated Program Intern to work on a range of research, coordination, and program tasks. This unpaid summer internship can be part- or full-time and will run from June through August 2024 (dates can be negotiated). Program interns benefit from attending educational events and learning from the diverse experiences of the ICAN team and our partners in the Women’s Alliance for Security Leadership (WASL).

Recognizing Women Peacebuilders’ Work Across the Humanitarian, Peace, and Development Nexus: ICAN and International Partners in Oslo

On November 22, 2023, the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) and the International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN)—in partnership with Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), Legal Action Worldwide (LAW), and Karama hosted a high-level dialogue to reimagine partnerships and coordination between women peacebuilders, international mediation, humanitarian, and development actors in crises and conflict settings. 

No Feminist Foreign Policy Without Feminist Funding

ICAN was invited to attend the Shaping Feminist Foreign Policy Conference at the World Forum in The Hague from November 1-2, 2023. Organized by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), the conference welcomed more than 750 participants from over 40 countries.

On the first day of the conference, ICAN hosted a side event titled: No Feminist Foreign Policy Without Feminist Funding, in partnership with GPPAC.

Rawan Kahwaji

Rawan Kahwaji is a Program Officer at the International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN). She supports the Innovative Peace Fund, and is based in Brussels, Belgium. Rawan had seven years of experience working with civil society organizations (CSOs) in Turkey, Syria, and Europe and has experience in project coordination, advocacy, and communications within the humanitarian field.

Isabela Karibjanian

Isabela Karibjanian is the Publications Coordinator and Editor at the International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN). At ICAN, she serves as the focal point for the production of all published materials, from flagship reports and guidance tools to advocacy documents and articles. She is based in London, UK.

Bringing Water, Power, and Peace: How Women Peacebuilders Can Utilize OffGridBox Solutions

Today, over 1 billion people still lack access to clean water and electricity. Environmental and climate change exacerbates this problem and exposes fragile and conflict-affected communities to further risk and insecurity. While the link between resource scarcity and conflict is well understood, the potential for natural resource governance to facilitate peacebuilding is less well researched.

On Thursday, October 5, 2023, ICAN welcomed Bas Berends, Co-founder and Chief Partnership Officer at OffGridBox, to join our WASL community call.

WASL Statement: An Urgent 7-Point Plan to End the Killings and Violence in Palestine and Israel

Members of the Women’s Alliance for Security Leadership (WASL)—peacebuilders, mediators, human rights activists, and community leaders living and working at the frontlines of many of today’s devastating wars—released a statement calling upon global political leaders to demand an immediate ceasefire in Israel and Palestine. The statement outlines a comprehensive set of actions that enable a pathway to a more just and peaceful future.

Innovative Peace Fund Program Officer – Afghanistan

The Program Officer will provide wide-ranging support, focused on a portfolio of grants, to ensure smooth program delivery, particularly related to women’s rights, peace, and security in Afghanistan. They will report to the Afghanistan Project Director and work closely with the IPF Program Director and fellow Program Officers.

ICAN and UMass Collaborate to Launch the UMass Mellon Liaison Fellowship 2023

We are excited to announce the launch of the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Mellon Liaison Fellowship at ICAN. Organized by the UMass-Amherst World Studies Interdisciplinary Project (WSIP), and funded by the Mellon Foundation and the UMass-Amherst Provost’s Office, ICAN will host two distinguished UMass PhD Mellon Liaison Fellows in 2023. The Fellowship is linked to the WSIP Graduate Certificate in Decolonial Global Studies (DGS), though UMass PhD students from all departments, colleges, and schools were invited to apply.

We are thrilled to introduce the two 2023 UMass Mellon Liaison Fellows: Mariam Parvez Sheikh and Meenakshi Nair.

Charlotte Morgan

Charlotte Morgan is a Program Officer at the International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN). She supports ICAN’s Women’s Alliance for Security Leadership (WASL) program and communications, and is based in London, UK.

Kendahl Tyburski

Kendahl Tyburski is a Program Officer at the International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN). With five years of experience in managing global grants, locally driven research and gender focused programming, Kendahl Tyburski provides support for the Innovative Peace Fund (IPF) and is based in Washington D.C.

Nadia Noori

Nadia Noori is a Program Officer at the International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN). She provides support for the Innovative Peace Fund (IPF), with a focus on Afghanistan.

Sisters of Peace in Iraq: Diffusing the Timebomb of a Divided Mosul

In the war-torn city of Mosul, Iraq, the scars of conflict run deep. The rise and fall of ISIS left behind a community fractured by violence. ISIS male fighters were killed, captured, or fled, but the women they married, and their children remained. Referred to as “ISIS-associated families”, they are stuck in limbo, without legal status and facing ostracism and isolation.

The challenge of reintegrating these families into society is a daunting task, but the Odessa Organization for Women’s Development (Odessa) – a partner of ICAN and member of WASL- is making significant strides in bridging this divide.

Financiación de Mujeres Constructoras de Paz: Desmantelando las Barreras a la Paz

“Financiación de Mujeres Constructoras de Paz: Desmantelando las Barreras a la Paz” ofrece un análisis de los obstáculos existentes a los que se enfrentan los donantes y las WPBO locales y señala los recientes avances en este ámbito de la práctica. Es alentador que existan modelos y mecanismos de financiación eficaces. Desde el Fondo Innovador para la Paz (IPF) de ICAN, independiente y con múltiples donantes, que ofrece subvenciones pequeñas y medianas y apoyo técnico en todo el mundo a las WPBO, hasta el Fondo Humanitario y para la Paz de las Naciones Unidas (WPHF), que ofrece subvenciones de mayor cuantía en determinados países, algunos fondos están llegando a las WPBO.

Proteger a las Mujeres Constructoras de Paz: La Primera Línea de la Paz Sostenible

Las mujeres constructoras de paz enfrentan una compleja matriz de riesgos y amenazas específicas a su salud y seguridad física, emocional, política, económica y espiritual. Las amenazas a las mujeres constructoras de paz son de naturaleza altamente sexista, y utilizan su identidad, roles y normas sociales en su contra. Este resumen destila y se basa en décadas de experiencias de mujeres constructoras de paz que navegan por estos peligros para proporcionar una visión general de los factores contextuales y las realidades que crean y exacerban su inseguridad. Luego presenta el alcance y las fuentes de las amenazas, analiza las fortalezas y las brechas en los mecanismos de protección existentes, y concluye con una guía operativa para que los Estados y las instituciones multilaterales protejan a las mujeres constructoras de paz.

Reconociendo a las Mujeres Constructoras de Paz: Actores Críticos en el Establecimiento Efectivo de la Paz

Basándose en dos décadas de investigación documental y primaria y entrevistas, desarrollo de políticas y experiencias en promoción y prácticas de mediación de la Vía Uno, “Reconociendo a las Mujeres constructoras de Paz: Actores críticos en la Construcción de Paz Efectiva”, profundiza en las motivaciones y los factores que impulsan a las mujeres a convertirse en constructoras de paz frente a la violencia y el conflicto; las actividades en las que participan uniendo los ámbitos locales y globales; y cómo, a través del tiempo y la geografía, aprovechan, replantean y despliegan de manera voluntaria y estratégica las tradiciones, prácticas culturales, enseñanzas religiosas y estructuras de parentesco existentes, junto con las leyes nacionales e internacionales, en su búsqueda de paz, justicia y poder para influir en los adversarios y las fuerzas beligerantes.

Operations Officer

ICAN seeks a proactive and highly organized Operations Officer to join our team working with women peacebuilders around the world to advance gendered peace and security. The Operations Officer will provide vital logistical and administrative support to the CEO and the whole ICAN team to ensure efficient operation of the organization, from internal meetings and processes to external events and travel.

Sanam Naraghi Anderlini’s Remarks at GAC’s Risk Appetite Hackathon

On June 21 and June 29, 2023, Global Affairs Canada (GAC) hosted a Risk Appetite Hackathon. This high-level, policy-based and hybrid event, brought together over 300+ partners, including Canadian and local grassroots organizations from around the world, as well as various think tanks and like-minded donors.

Promoting PVE Through Fostering Peace, Resilience, Equality, and Pluralism (PREP): Summary Report

On 21st June 2023, the European Union (EU), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN), jointly organised a side event, “Promoting PVE through Fostering Peace, Resilience, Equality, and Pluralism (PREP) in collaboration with Community-based Actors”, during the 3rd UN Counter-Terrorism Week.

A Home Away from Home: How Kareemat Supports Syrian Refugees’ Integration to Life in Kilis, Turkey

The ongoing war in Syria has resulted in the world’s largest refugee crisis with more than 13 million people forcibly displaced since the beginning of the conflict in 2011. Kilis, a Turkish border city, is the main point of entry from Syria and is home to around 200,000 Syrians.

Kareemat, a women-led peacebuilding organization in Kilis, Turkey, is making a profound impact on Syrian refugee women and their families. Supported by ICAN, Kareemat addresses the challenges of displacement, isolation, and economic hardships through psychological support, language classes, and economic empowerment resources, fostering integration and reducing tensions between Turkish and Syrian communities.

ICAN’s Annual Report 2022

We are excited to release our 2022 Annual Report. Highlights include: findings of a 4-year independent evaluation; expansion of She Builds Peace to 32 countries; grants to women-led peacebuilding organizations in 19 countries.

Action Points to Guarantee Gender Responsive Humanitarian Aid and Protection for Sudanese Women, Men, Girls, and Boys

On May 20, 2023, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) signed the Short-Term Ceasefire and Humanitarian Arrangements agreement in Jeddah.

Guaranteeing gender responsive humanitarian aid and protection for Sudanese women, men, girls, and boys is essential. We provide guidance on immediate actions to take.