The armed conflict over self-determination between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in the Muslim majority region of Mindanao lasted more than 50 years. Women were already driving forces in the peace process. Since the 2014 peace agreement, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) has been under development. This is now a key moment for women to anchor their demands for a gender-equal society within the new political and social structures.

Since 2015, we have been organising Women's Peace Tables with our local project partners with the aim of sustainably strengthening the participation of women in peace processes and making their engagement in peacebuilding visible. They have become a proven method for achieving these goals.

Conflict-affected women from four different regions participated in a Women’s Peace Table in southern Colombia in the summer of 2023. On the agenda for the two-day gathering organised by our partner organisation Comunitar: create a space for women to exchange experiences and to deepen their knowledge on transitional justice and reconciliation. Our programme manager Karin Widmer was there.

In the 20 years before the Taliban came to power in August 2021, women in Afghanistan had been able, with difficulty, to reclaim some of their rights and their place in society. Until the takeover, we supported women to increase their knowledge about their rights in relation to the peace process at the time, so that they could help shape peace and have a voice in decision-making processes. We are currently analysing how to continue our support for Afghanistan's women.

Struggles over land, resources or political power are the main reasons for the violent conflicts that regularly flare up in certain regions of Kenya. Although many women are active in peacebuilding within their families and communities, they lack recognition, specific knowledge and access to resources and larger networks. This is where our project comes in.