Do you want to join us in shaping feminist peace work and make a difference for women in peace processes? Join our office in Colombia.

War has been raging in eastern Ukraine since 2014. In 2022, Russia expanded its war of aggression in eastern Ukraine and to other parts of the country. As early as summer 2021, we launched a pilot programme in conflict-affected communities along the then-contact line between Russia and regions in eastern Ukraine, where women for years have been affected by rampant poverty, social insecurity and gender-based violence. Our Ukraine programme gave them the space they needed to work together on strategies for safety and security in their daily lives and equal participation in peacebuilding. We continue building peace with them during the war.

In February 2022, we had just finalised an interview with our programme coordinator Olena Zinenko in Ukraine. Two days later, the Russian army attacked. As the second anniversary of the war of aggression approaches, Olena recalls her state of shock in those early days and months of the war and the journey she has taken since then. She also explains why talking about peace in Ukraine can create divisions and how women need to be the driving forces for a forward-looking “life agenda”.

Despite a growing awareness that the full, equal, safe and meaningful participation of women leads to more sustainable peace agreements, women remain largely excluded from formal peace negotiations. We strengthen women's participation in peace negotiations by finding creative ways to link formal and informal women's initiatives.

We have been working in Colombia since 2016 with our Peacebuilding After Armed Conflict programme. Since the signing of the peace agreement between the Colombian government and the FARC-EP guerrilla group, we have been advocating for the participation of women affected by the conflict in its implementation. In our Peacebuilding During Peace Negotiations programme, launched in 2025, we are also committed to ensuring that women participate in ongoing, locally rooted peace negotiations. Women and women's organisations must be equally represented at negotiations with local armed groups.