Have you marked May 24 in your agenda? On this special day, we celebrate International Women’s Day for Peace and Disarmament all over the world. Over the years, May 24 has developed into a worldwide celebration of the dedication and actions of women to build a culture of peace in their communities, country and globally. For WPP, it will be the 20th time that we are celebrating this special day! This anniversary, together with the 20th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action and the 15th anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, are an unique opportunity for May 24 celebrations to put disarmament and demilitarization back on the peace and security agenda!
Multiple events and activities are already on the agenda for this year’s celebration of May 24 (click here for an overview of activities taking place in 2015). Amongst others, partners from Iraq, the DRC and India have already indicated that they will organize an event to celebrate May 24. We are also very excited about ‘Women’s Walk for Peace in Korea”, initiated by Women Crossing DMZ. On May 24, a delegation of 30 international women peacemakers, including Netsai Mushonga, WPP International Advisory Council member, will join Korean women peace activists, north and south, in the crossing of the 2-mile wide De-Militarized Zone, dividing both Korea’s already for 70 years. With this action, women peacemakers, including Nobel Laureates Mairead Maguire and Leymah Gbowee, will call for an end of the state of war and the reunification of families. More information about this initiative can be found here. Of course, WPP will keep you up-to-date with the developments in Korea and all other May 24 activities!
The peace march in Korea and all other activities planned for this year build upon the many May 24 activities that took place worldwide last year. From organizing a film festival in India; moderating a Tweetathon online on Gender & Militarism; producing a video on Gender-Sensitive Active Nonviolence in Sri Lanka and publishing an online interview with a woman activist in Nepal, to giving a training on UNSCR 1325 in the Philippines, people engaged in many ways to celebrate this important day.
The Ecumenical Women’s Initiative (EWI), based in Croatia, even launched last year a May 24 Competition, to raise more awareness about International Women’s Day for Peace and Disarmament. The competition awarded the most creative and thought-provoking initiative to celebrate International Women’s Day for Peace and Disarmament a small implementation fund. Žene Juga, an organization based in Serbia, was awarded the fund for their theatre play “Kaži NE! – Say NO!”. The play took place in the National Theatre of Pirot on October 26, as it had to be postponed to due severe flooding in May. Within this interactive play, performed by 7 young people from divers backgrounds, the public was directly involved in a provocative and creative way by pointing to the connection between money, war and their consequences. The play particularly focused on the situation of women in and after war. An accompanying video about the play was widely shared via social media. Click here to watch the video. The play was a unique initiative for young people to deal with the history of armed conflict within the region and learn about the importance of peace and disarmament. Most of the youth were aware of the violent events of the 1990s via mainstream media, yet this was the first time they learned about the reality of war from deeply personal confessions of women who first-hand experienced it.
May 24 can also an opportunity to discuss issues of violence within communities and to strengthen women’s leadership. For instance, ANTAR Society for Development organized last year a day-long workshop “Ending Violence & Women Empowerment through Peacebuilding”, bringing more than 50 women and men, including representatives of local NGOs, together to discuss topics such as peace, conflict transformation and ending violence against women. In these discussions, women elaborated from their own experience that violence can only be addressed by simultaneously working on peace, disarmament and socio-economic development. Click here to view the pictures.
Film festivals and screenings on May 24 have proven an effective way to engage with a wider audience. Last year, COMEN (DRC) organized a film screening of “Pray the Devil Back to Hell”. During the panel discussion after the film, participants were able to discuss several issues related to Women, Peace and Security, such as rape during conflict, impunity and prosecution. With panelists coming from local and national peace and gender justice organizations, the audience was inspired to take action for gender-sensitive peacebuilding. At the event, COMEN also highlighted the role of men in preventing violence, and presented 18289 signatures of men and boys in the framework of a campaign to raise awareness about sexual violence and gender-based violence. Click here to see the invitation.
The wide diversity of these examples shows that everybody can participate in May 24 celebrations by organizing their own event or activity, whether it is by organizing a peace march, a community film screening, writing an article for a local newspaper or a workshop on women’s activism for peace.
Do you feel inspired to organize your own May 24 activity? Read the May 24 Action Brief for more information and contact the WPP office via info@womenpeacemakersprogram.org. We are looking forward to hearing from you!
11 Dec '17 This month WPP staff interviewed Arbia Jebali and Sarah Chamekh from Free Sight Association in Tunisia about the work their organization does, how civil society space has changed over the years, which challenges they are facing now, and how civil society in Tunisia is organizing itself to overcome those challenges.
7 Nov '17 In this article, WPP staff interviewed Doron Joles of XminY Fund, an activist organization that supports social movements, action groups and changemakers fighting for a fair, democratic, sustainable and accepting world. He discusses the unique way they have chosen to hand out funds, and the challenges that go along with funding small activist organizations in the current global climate.
25 Oct '17 This Friday, the UNSCR 1325 Open Debate will take place once again, seventeen years since the adoption of landmark UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security. In this article WPP staff reflects on the progress made for a truly transformative feminist peace agenda until now.
