3rd Panel, June 23 2021:
"Demilitarisation and Disarmament: Feminist Perspectives on Peace Cultures and Genuine Security"

A public panel discussion with women experts and activists from Europe, Kosovo, Ukraine and Lebanon will take place in Bern on 23 June. It will focus on the interaction of war, the economy and climate, and the impact of militarism on peoples’ psyches. Our president, Ruth-Gaby Vermot-Mangold, will give an introduction to the panel discussion.

Panelists:

• Olena Zinenko, KFR Public Alternative, Ukraine, and coordinator of PeaceWomen Across the Globe’s projects in eastern Ukraine. 

• Shirin Jurdi, feminist peace activist, member of the international board of Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) and coordinator of WILPF MENA region, Lebanon 

• Shukrije Gashi, expert on the prevention of violent extremism, and Hilmije Ramabaja, training manager at Partners Kosova Center for Conflict Management and coordinators of the PeaceWomen Across the Globe funded project "Women Breaking Silence, Changing Narratives", Kosovo. 

This event will take place on 23 June from 6.15pm–8.30pm in Bern. Please register by 20 June at: carla.weymann@1000peacewomen.org. 

The public event is being held as part of a symposium on 23 and 24 June. If you are interested in participating in this symposium, please send your registration to the mentioned e-mail address by 10 June. The full programme below: 

Full Program 209.12 KB, PDF

2nd webinar, 25 June 2021:
Genuine Security – Feminist Visions

Our virtual discussion series on feminist peace policy, disarmament and demilitarisation continues on 25 June: Feminists from the "Global North" and the "Global South" will meet virtually to discuss different perspectives on security. 

On the one hand, arms exporting countries project a militarised concept of security. On the other hand, with regards to the consequences of armed interventions, women's organisations are pursuing ways to achieve sustainable security that is relevant to everyday life. Participants will share different experiences of their struggle against patriarchal militarised policies, discuss the different meanings of security and the conditions for marginalised groups to feel safe, and will explore unifying projects for genuine security.

Key Note

• Margo Okazawa-Rey, Board Member PWAG, International Women's Network Against Militarism (IWNAM)

Speakers

• Shirin Jurdi, Regional Co-ordinator WILPF Lebanon

• Inda Fatinaware and Astrid Puspitasari, SAWIT WATCH, Indonesia

• Nora Ahmetaj, Feminist and Researcher on Transitional Justice, Kosovo

• Kozue Akibayashi, Professor at Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan

• Lisa Natividad, Assistant Professor at the University of Guam and peace activist (Guahan/Guam)

Commitments from the "Global North"

• Özlem Demirel (Member EU-Parliament)

• Marionna Schlatter (Member of Swiss Parliament)

Moderators

• Heidi Meinzolt, Europe Regional Representative, WILPF

• Annemarie Sancar, Network and Programme Manager, PWAG)

This series of workshops on disarmament provides the space for feminist peace activists to share their experiences and points of view and to discuss how to achieve a gender-just peace and gender-sensitive security concepts. 

1st Webinar, 6 March 2021:
"The responsibilities of European states"

At the online workshop "The responsibilities of European states" on 6 March, experts discussed the background, the logic and the consequences of selected European states’ pursuit of a militarised security policy with an intergenerational postcolonial perspective. 

European states share the responsibility for the world’s armed conflicts through their arms industries, their trade in war material, the militarized control of civilian spaces and their high-tech regulation of borders. Yet, too often they shirk accountability for the consequences of armed conflicts for civilian populations.

Find out more about this webinar in the article about feminist peace policy.

Welcome

Ruth-Gaby Vermot, Co-President PWAG

Speakers

• Katrin Geyer, Researcher, Associate of Reaching Critical Will, WILPF

• Marieke Fröhlich, Research Associate, University of Applied Sciences Rhine-Waal, Germany

• Gabriella Irsten, Policy and Advocacy Officer, WILPF Sweden

• Nora Miralles, President, Centro Delàs d’Estudi per la Pau, Spain

• Patrizia Sterpetti, Journalist, President WILPF Italia

• Priska Seiler Graf, Member of Parliament (Social Democratic Party) and of the parliamentary Security Policy Commission, Switzerland

• Marionna Schlatter, Member of Parliament (Green Party) and of the parliamentary Security Policy Commission, Switzerland

Panel moderation

• Heidi Meinzolt, Europe Regional Representative, WILP

• Annemarie Sancar, Network and Programme Manager, PWAG