PeaceWomen Across the Globe is an internationally active feminist peace organisation based in Bern with an office in Colombia. We support women and feminist peacebuilders in contexts affected by armed conflict in their diverse efforts to build lasting peace. To ensure their full, equal and meaningful participation in all stages of peace processes, we amplify their visions and demands, boost their efforts to shape peace processes and connect women and feminist peacebuilders within conflict-affected countries and across regions impacted by armed conflict.

Our programmes create spaces where women can develop and advance their diverse efforts to achieve lasting peace. Our goal is the full, equal, meaningful and safe participation of women in all phases of peace processes. Together with them, we advocate for a feminist understanding of peace that questions power relations and strives for transformative change.

In this programme, we focus on the point in time when there is little or no talk of peace and narratives revolve primarily around military and humanitarian measures. But peace work is relevant long before negotiations begin. The conditions must be actively created long before that: peace intentions and visions need to be developed and peace activists and their networks can be supported even during armed conflict. In this way, we can ensure that women are prepared to engage with the post-conflict period and to strategically plan for and participate in structural, transformative change. 

The programme, launched in 2026, was jointly developed with Palestinian and Israeli organisations to address women’s exclusion from formal peace negotiations. It supports and gives visibility to a coalition of women advancing UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and women’s meaningful inclusion in Palestinian-Israeli peace processes.

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.

Interview with Olena Zinenko, project coordinator at KRF Public Alternative, about the tense situation in Ukraine a few days before the start of the Russian war of aggression on 24 February 2022.

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”.

“Ukraine talks,” “peace negotiations,” “US-brokered peace talks”: for weeks, the media have been reporting on the so-called “peace process” for Ukraine led by the United States. The reporting largely ignores whether such negotiations can be effective. Nor does it address the question everyone should be asking: who should be determining Ukraine's future?

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.

Fostering connections and exchange among women and feminist peacebuilders from countries affected by violent conflict is a central aim across all our programmes. To advance this goal, we invited two Sudanese and two Colombian peace activists to Switzerland. Over four days they shared experiences, strategies and approaches to feminist peacebuilding. They also met with decision-makers to highlight the challenges faced by women peace activists, particularly young ones, in their respective countries – and to voice their expectations.

Together with our partners, we work to ensure that peace activists play an active role in implementing peace agreements as well as in processes of dealing with the past after armed conflicts – thereby contributing to the prevention of violent conflict and renewed escalation.

What images do the words "peace processes" evoke in your mind? Do you imagine years of negotiations culminating in a ceremony where the parties to the conflict sign an agreement, followed by a photo of the handshake that goes around the world? We have scrutinised and deconstructed this common image and taken an in-depth look at peace processes, as well as the question: "How do women influence peace processes?" The result of this work is a graphic representation of the different stages of peace processes. With this tool, we want to focus on the role women play and where they exert influence to drive peace processes and prevent setbacks.

Feminists Connecting for Peace is our global network of women and feminist peacebuilders – from grassroots activists affected by armed conflict to women participating in formal peace negotiations. Since emerging from the initiative “1000 women for the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize”, it has evolved into a worldwide community for feminist peacebuilding. Joining the network provides members visibility, safety and access to knowledge and resources.

What barriers do women and feminist peacebuilders face in Africa – what means do they have to overcome them? How can generations of peacebuilders work together to make their demands heard and achieve lasting peace in their countries and regions? These were among the questions discussed at the first regional meeting of the Feminists Connecting for Peace network in Africa.

In May 2024, Our House, the Belarusian International Centre for Civil Initiatives based in Lithuania, organised three webinars for Belarusian women dissidents to network, engage and share on issues related to feminist peace, peacebuilding, conflict prevention, militarisation and security. A total of 53 women anonymously participated in the webinars to discuss peace, non-violence and the challenges faced by women peacebuilders in the region. This project, supported by our Feminist Peace Initiatives, helped build solidarity among the women.

Thailand’s ongoing political instability is shaped by tensions between Thailand and Cambodia, rising nationalism and the fragility of the Thai state. Various groups have attempted to communicate about and advocate for peace. But the public discourse is dominated by militarised narratives and civic space is shrinking – making the need for feminist networks to build collective responses apparent. With our Feminist Peace Initiatives, we supported a gathering of women and feminist collectives to build a solidarity movement.  

For the first time in a decade, Jewish Israeli and Palestinian feminists who hold Israeli citizenship came together to reflect on the past years, share analysis and imagine alternative nonviolent futures. In the shadow of two years of devastating war on Gaza and the ongoing regional war in the Middle East, the discussions were often difficult and painful. But they also led participants to the conclusion that spaces for feminist political discussions are “not a luxury but a necessity”.  We supported this gathering with our Feminist Peace Initiatives.

Against colonialism and militarism: a cross-generational exchange

Our collaboration with WILPF Lebanon initially set out to spotlight the critical connection between small arms proliferation and violence against women in Lebanon. However, the conflict between Hezbollah and the Israeli army, that escalated in September 2024, altered the situation dramatically. The crisis demanded swift adaptation to ensure not only the physical safety but also to support the psychological and emotional wellbeing of the peacebuilders impacted by the conflict.

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 strengthen 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.

At the PeaceWomen Across the Globe-hosted webinar, “Leveraging feminist networks for advocacy”,  three inspiring and experienced activists and peacebuilders shared key insights on how and why feminist networks play a key role in advocacy. Rabab Baldo (Sudan), Uma Mishra-Newbery (Switzerland) and Karen Tañada (Philippines) collectively have decades of experience in feminist engagement shaped by diverse contexts and trajectories.

With our Feminist Peace Initiatives (FPI), we support local and feminist peace initiatives and projects of our network members. The aim is to promote innovative ideas for feminist peace work quickly, in a straightforward manner and for a limited period of time. In this way, we enable network members to try out new ideas that correspond to their own priorities and those of their communities.

We launch and join political campaigns, working with like-minded organisations to advance feminist peace policy.