COVID-19 - International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN)

ICAN Partner Food4Humanity: The Frontlines of Yemen’s COVID-19 Response

Posted on October 18, 2022 by Lauren Mellows

As the deadly war continues in Yemen, the uncontrolled spread of COVID-19 in 2020 threatened to exacerbate an already dire humanitarian situation. Through a special COVID-19 grant issued by ICAN’s Innovative Peace Fund (IPF), Food4Humanity pivoted their work to respond to the pandemic.

ICAN’s Annual Report 2020

Posted on July 6, 2021 by Lauren Mellows

Our Annual Report details ICAN’s 2020 highlights: the launch of the global She Builds Peace campaign and Frameworks for Action, and other key achievements across our four programs. Find out more about how we adapted and supported women peacebuilders in a year like no other!

A restart on the WPS Agenda

Posted on November 10, 2020 by Lauren Mellows

At a time of significant global foreign policy challenges, the Department of State’s Office of Global Women’s Issues is stepping up their game with a focused effort on the implementation of the U.S. Strategy on Women, Peace and Security.

The Impact of Recognition and Security on Women Peacebuilders and their Work

Posted on July 29, 2020 by Lauren Mellows

During our weekly community check-in calls, WASL partners have been discussing the dynamics of recognition and protection of peacebuilding work, as well as the effect that international policies have on the lived experiences of peacebuilders on the ground.
Read the full summary

The Ever-Present Cycle of Conflict and Peace Making

Posted on July 13, 2020 by Lauren Mellows

Around the world, women peacebuilders are working within their communities to de-escalate violent conflict and prevent the recurrence of conflict in post-conflict or transitional environments. However, their work is made increasingly more difficult by the framing of conflict resolution as a linear process. WASL partners suggest that conflict is actually a cycle and that most countries will experience multiple phases of the cycle, simultaneously.
In the 14th virtual WASL call, peacebuilders discussed the ‘cycle of conflict’ and how it affects their work on conflict prevention, de-escalation, and peacebuilding.
Read the full summary.

The Importance of Global Connectivity in Peacebuilding

Posted on July 9, 2020 by Lauren Mellows

The concept of interconnectedness is one that ICAN has directly addressed through the formal establishment of WASL, meaning “to connect” in Arabic, Farsi and Urdu. In the 12th weekly call, WASL members shared their stories of what this alliance means to them as a family and community of support.
“ICAN and WASL offer moral and political support to women. They energize us and empower us to raise our voice.”

Read the full summary.

Secondary Impacts of COVID-19 and the Role of Development Aid

Posted on June 24, 2020 by Lauren Mellows

As COVID-19 has exacerbated existing gaps in services on the ground, and many women peacebuilders pivoted their work during the pandemic to deal with urgent humanitarian response, the question of whether development aid reaches local communities arose. Members of the Women’s Alliance for Security Leadership (WASL) highlighted the need for change so that development aid can reach local communities and provide the basic services of food, healthcare, and education.
Canada’s Minister of International Development, Karina Gould, and Canada’s Ambassador for Women, Peace and Security, Jacqueline O’Neill joined WASL members in the conversation.
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How Women Peacebuilders are Balancing Work on COVID-19 and Violent Extremism

Posted on June 11, 2020 by Lauren Mellows

During the COVID-19 pandemic, women peacebuilders witnessed an increase in xenophobia and extremist messaging. Weakness in state infrastructure and response has left a vacuum which extremist actors have exploited for their own interests. Women peacebuilders are meeting this challenge by building a counter-narrative that is also grounded in the local culture, religion, and traditions.
“We need to be connected with you and establish new working methods for inclusive, sustainable peace,” remarked State Secretary Marianne Hagen from Norway who joined the 9th weekly call with the Women’s Alliance for Security Leadership (WASL).

Read the full summary of the call.

Mitigating Domestic Violence During COVID-19

Posted on June 9, 2020 by Lauren Mellows

Called the “shadow pandemic”, domestic violence has surged since the emergence of COVID-19. Globally, reports indicate a 25-33% increase in domestic violence with civil society and governments trying to address the crisis.
ICAN, after consultation with partners in the Women’s Alliance for Security Leadership (WASL) across 38 countries and a review of existing literature, offers key steps to governments and the international community for new initiatives and urgently needed reforms that can prevent and reduce domestic violence immediately and sustainably.

Women Peacebuilders Exchange Experiences on Domestic Violence and MHPSS during COVID-19

Posted on June 9, 2020 by Lauren Mellows

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

Posted on May 28, 2020 by Lauren Mellows

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.