She Builds Peace
A collaborative campaign and a global call to action to stand with women peacebuilders.
She Builds Peace News
Women Peacebuilders Exchange Experiences on Domestic Violence and MHPSS during COVID-19
As the levels of domestic violence have soared globally since the COVID-19 outbreak, women peacebuilders have been the first to respond to the crisis in their own communities adapting their peacebuilding approaches to tackle the dual challenges of COVID-19 and domestic violence.
Across the range of countries, women peacebuilders consistently identified the issues of rising domestic violence and the need for mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) in light of this pandemic. In response ICAN facilitated two separate sessions on these topics to support in-depth analysis, cross regional exchange of learning and best practices, and strategic discussion.
Carrying the Weight of Caring for Communities and Countries: Women Peacebuilders and COVID-19
As some countries begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel, for many others, respite is not on the horizon. During the eighth virtual meeting of the Women’s Alliance for Security Leadership (WASL) on May 21, 2020, women peacebuilders highlighted some tough truths about worsening poverty, mismanaged Covid-19 funds, tragic events that have been largely ignored, and feelings of desertion by the international community.
She Builds Peace: Stand With Women Peacebuilders Today
She Builds Peace is a collaborative campaign and...
GSX Workshop “Peacebuilding in the Age of Corona: What it Means and Why it Matters”
A Global Solutions Exchange Workshop...
COVID-19 and its impact on women’s participation in peace processes: Challenges and opportunities
As weeks of lock downs, remote work, and stay-at-home orders turn into months, at ICAN we continue to regularly connect virtually with our partners in the Women’s Alliance for Security Leadership (WASL).
On May 7, we were joined by H.E. Anne Linde, Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs, as the discussions focused on how the pandemic is impacting current peace processes.
How do Women Peacebuilders Cope with Rising Domestic Violence and the Humanitarian Impacts of COVID-19?
“Where is the State?”
With a deficient response from, and sometimes the complete absence of, governments and the international community, civil society and women peacebuilders across the world are taking the responsibility of responding to their communities needs.
However, they need the resources, recognition, and support of their governments and the international community. In the words of a peacebuilder from Cameroon, “civil society is there ready to take the lead, but by what means and by which roads.”
The fifth weekly virtual meeting of the Women’s Alliance for Security Leadership (WASL) focused on women peacebuilders’ humanitarian response with guests including H.E. Ambassador Kåre Aas, Norwegian Ambassador to the US; Luc Duckendorf from the Luxembourg Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Amjad Saleem from the International Federation of the Red Cross.
Read the full summary of the meeting.
Ground Realities: Women, Peacebuilding & the Pandemic
How can people stay home when they are dependent on daily wages to feed their families? How can they wash hands if there is no soap or water? From Cameroon to Yemen, women are making soap, and tackling the lack of water. As first responders, women peacebuilders are trying to fill the vacuums and urgent basic needs in terms food, sanitization and security such as mediating ceasefires and calling for prisoners’ release.
On April 23, 2020. Assistant Secretary General Asako Okai, UNDP’s Crisis Bureau Director, and her colleagues joined the ICAN-hosted call with some 45 women peacebuilders across Asia, Africa, the Arab World and Latin America to discuss health care, livelihood and crisis management in the time of Corona.
Read the full summary of the meeting
Part II: How are Women Peacebuilders Responding to Covid-19?
The second weekly virtual meeting of the Women’s Alliance for Security Leadership (WASL) continued the discussion of what women peacebuilders around the world are doing to respond to COVID-19. The conversation also revealed emerging trends in the way the pandemic is impacting peace and security, from reinforcing authoritarian practices to providing fuel for extremist narratives.
How is the Pandemic Exacerbating Extremisms?
The discussion in the third WASL virtual meeting addressed the question: how is the pandemic exacerbating or alleviating xenophobia, ethno-nationalism, religious or other extremisms and are there gendered dimensions to this?
Around the world, women peacebuilders report an uptick in hate speech, xenophobia, and extremist messaging. In The Maldives, for example, extremists are recruiting by brainwashing people into believing the pandemic is the wrath of God for not following religious instruction. In Sri Lanka, Islamic burial rites are being denied despite complying with WHO guidelines and Muslims are being portrayed in mainstream media as spreading the disease. Elsewhere it is the government’s poor or biased response that is feeding into extremist narratives. In Cameroon, for example, responses threaten to exacerbate the conflict because only prisoners from certain regions were given clemency to alleviate the crowding in prisons.
Women Peacebuilders Responding to Covid-19 – Virtual Calls Summary
Starting from April 2, 2020, and on weekly basis, some 30+ members of Women’s Alliance for Security Leadership (WASL) gather for a two-hour virtual meeting.
Here you can download summaries of discussions that took place and know What the Women Say about the situation in their countries, ongoing challenges, early warning signs, and local women peacebuilders’ response.
How are Women Peacebuilders Responding to Covid-19?
By Helena Gronberg
On April 2, 2020 some 40+ members of Women’s Alliance for Security Leadership (WASL) gathered for a two-hour virtual meeting. The objective of this first virtual get-together was to share reflections and experiences as well as solidarity around how the Covid-19 pandemic is affecting local women peacebuilders around the globe. It is evident that the crisis is driving many to yet again step up and lead the charge against the pandemic in their communities.
Women Peacebuilders on the Frontlines of COVID-19
Many of our WASL partners, alongside other women peacebuilders, have pivoted their work to respond to COVID-19 and related issues: community awareness-raising, distributing supplies, calling for ceasefires, working to prevent domestic violence as people are quarantined or self-distancing at home, and more. Women peacebuilders are again on the frontlines, working to prevent the spread of a pandemic in their communities.
Women, Peace and Security in the Time of Corona
An op-ed by Sanam Naraghi Anderlini about the gendered impact of COVID-19, and the relevance of the WPS agenda.
Yemen’s Food for Humanity Foundation: Humanity calls for an immediate cease fire to ensure an emergency medical response
Press Release: Food for Humanity Foundation: Humanity calls for an immediate cease fire to ensure an emergency medical response in Yemen to COVID 19 and Cholera outbreak
ICAN Launches Campaign in Washington DC to “Stand with Women Peacebuilders”
In celebration of International Women’s Day, the Embassy of Norway and the International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN) convened a panel discussion, New Decade, New Promise: Call to Action to Stand with Women Peacebuilders, on March 11th at the Ambassador’s residence.
