Statement for 14 June 2023:

As a feminist peace organisation based and rooted in Switzerland, we support the feminist strike and the concerns and demands of those striking. On 14 June and beyond. We do so because gender justice and feminist visions of peace are at the core of our work, both in Switzerland and around the world.

We are a network organisation active in Switzerland and internationally. As such, we are also politically committed to upholding international human rights standards; these form the basis for women's and human rights, gender-just peace policy and sustainable development. We call for the systematic implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on "Women, Peace and Security", the Women's Rights Convention CEDAW, the Istanbul Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, and the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, which calls for gender equality and peaceful and inclusive societies.

These central human rights instruments are united by the vision of a peaceful and gender-just world in which peace is more than the absence of war and armed violence. A world in which security is comprehensively understood –  beyond military and patriarchal attitudes – and lived as such.

This is why we also stand behind this year's slogan, "Wages, Time, Respect", which is just as relevant for feminist peacebuilding for us in Switzerland as it is for our partners abroad.

Wages:

• Women's underpaid and unpaid care work must be valued financially and in society. Without this essential care work, there can be no sustainable, just peace. No care, no peace.

Time:

• Within our network and in our project work, we see repeatedly that women’s lack of time is a significant hurdle for becoming active for peace and gender justice and in political work on equal pay and domestic violence. Women are often prevented from participating in civil society initiatives and political bodies due to their double and triple burden as care providers. It takes a lot of time, energy and the support of networks to break through the patriarchal structures that hinder women's participation and perpetuate traditional roles. The fact that women around the world are doing important peace work every day despite these barriers gives us courage to look towards the future. We stand in solidarity with all women – in the Global South as well as in the Global North – for a gender-just and peaceful world.

Respect:

• Sexualised violence, gender-based violence, domestic violence: these are core issues for feminist peace work. Patriarchal and militarised societies foster hierarchising gender stereotypes and outdated role patterns that lead to gender-based violence and exploitation. Where war and armed conflict prevail, this effect is amplified. The unconditional implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on "Women, Peace and Security" as a domestic and foreign policy tool is one of our core concerns. Both in times of peace and in times of war. Both in Switzerland and abroad.

 Information on the strike on 14 June 2023 (German, French, Italian)