Common paths to peace: this could be the title of this print newsletter. Because the women from Colombia and Ukraine featured in this issue are on these paths – even though war is still raging in Ukraine and a peace agreement has been in force in Colombia since 2016.

What images does the word "peace process" conjure up for you? You probably imagine years of negotiations, a ceremony at which the parties to the conflict sign an agreement and shake hands? We have deconstructed this common image and taken an in-depth look at the question: "How do women influence peace processes?" The result is a graphic representation of the different stages of peace processes. With this tool, we put the role of women centre stage and show where they exert influence to drive peace processes and prevent setbacks.

Caryn Dasah (left in the picture), a peace activist from our global network Feminists Connecting for Peace, is campaigning for peace and social justice in a country that is experiencing a globally neglected armed conflict: the Anglophone crisis in Cameroon. In this interview, she talks about the risks that young people like her take in their commitment to peace and justice.

Since April 2023, Sudan has been embroiled in a brutal conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces. As a result, tens of thousands of people have been killed, twelve million have been displaced, and famine is imminent. On 24 July 2024, the United States invited the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces to peace talks in Switzerland to take place on 14 August. So far, similar initiatives to bring about a ceasefire have failed. Prominent Sudanese mediator and peace activist Rabab Baldo is part of our global network Feminists Connecting for Peace. She has decades of experience working for a just peace in Sudan and explains what needs to happen for the talks in Switzerland to succeed.

Colombia, Nepal and the Philippines. What these countries have in common: They have formally ended armed conflicts, but there is still no peace. Women peacebuilders from our partner organisations in these three countries share their achievements and insights on sustaining peace during transitional justice processes and preventing backsliding into armed conflict at an event in Bern on 16 October 2024.