For two intensive days, 17 peace activists from 10 Asian countries explored the different roles that women play in peacebuilding. For the participants, the meeting in the Philippine capital Manila was a rare “time out” to reflect on their work, gain new perspectives and build solidarity across borders. We also discussed what added value our Feminists Connecting for Peace network can offer in order to gain insights for further networking and advocacy activities.

Afghanistan, Cambodia, Guam, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, the Philippines, South Korea, Timor-Leste: this first decentralised network meeting brought together long-standing partners of PeaceWomen Across the Globe and new network members from these countries. Together they demonstrated the diversity of feminist peace work through their experiences and positions. In interactive workshops and discussions, the diverse peace work in various phases of peace processes was discussed in depth and supplemented with presentations by women peace activists from Afghanistan, Myanmar and Timor-Leste.  The discussions highlighted the similarities and differences, both in the approaches they use in their peace work and in their understanding of feminist peacebuilding.

Feminists in peace work

The term “feminist peacebuilding” in particular raised questions: Does everyone understand the same thing by it? Do they all identify as feminists in their peace work? The fact that two men took part in the meeting (as can be seen in the picture) was discussed, precisely because peace processes and networks are dominated by men. The participants noted that men like Hari Bahadur Dhami (a long-time staff member of Nagarik Aawaz, our partner in Nepal) and Filipino activist Marc Batac, who clearly identify as feminists and bring a lot of experience to the table, are important allies in feminist peace work.

“A feminist network is an instrument for strengthening feminist peacebuilding. A network is only as effective as it is comprehensive,” says our colleague Liv Halperin. Together with Camille Bernheim and Larissa Mina Lee from our team they designed and implemented the programme in Manila with our Philippine partner GZO Peace Institute. “The participants realised that we can learn a lot from Nagarik Aawaz when it comes to involving male allies,” explains Camille.

What peace activists need

We also wanted to know from the peace activists what support they need. At the top of the list were: recognition for local initiatives and local knowledge; access to global and regional advocacy platforms to give their concerns broader attention; resources for their work; learning opportunities. The participants agreed that solidarity is essential for their work – as long as it is constructive and takes place on equal terms.

“One member of the network emphasised that solidarity benefits everyone and is not a question of 'charity' towards the 'needy'. Understanding this and finding common ground in the network are challenges that the participants are happy to take on,” says Larissa. A long-term strategy and the establishment of lasting relationships, both long before and after an immediate need for solidarity, are vital for feminist peace activists.

New insights and findings

At this meeting, PeaceWomen Across the Globe not only established new contacts and connections. It also gave us important new insights into countries and regions affected by armed conflict and provided us with findings for our work within the network. The open discussions also allowed us to feel the participants’ trust, which enabled a critical examination of our role as a “western organisation” and highlighted the forms of support that network members need from us as an organisation based in Switzerland.

Everyone agreed that they were returning home with a sense of connection, rich insights into different conflicts, and a wealth of valuable contacts. One participant said: “I have learned that we are all connected, that we all need to work together. None of us works in isolation; our concerns are interconnected.”

The pictures show the discussions and workshops we held in Manila with our programme partner GZO Peace Institute. These were complemented by presentations by peace activists from Afghanistan, Myanmar and Timor-Leste. One of the pictures shows a screenshot taken by the group with an Afghan activist after her virtual presentation.