In an interview with our Ukrainian programme coordinator Olena Zinenko, she recalls the first days and months after the Russian attack on 24 February 2022 and talks about the path she has travelled since then. She also explains why women must be the driving force behind a future-oriented "life agenda" in Ukraine.

We are delighted to welcome three committed and experienced women to our Board.

Margo Okazawa-Rey stepped down from the International Board at the end of March. Our President Ruth-Gaby Vermot thanks her long-time ally for her significant support.

Through our Feminist Peace Initiatives we support local, innovative and feminist peacebuilding initiatives and projects of our network members. They are a tool for promoting and advancing the “Women, Peace and Security” agenda through self-identified community needs, and allow network members to try out new ideas that match their own priorities.

Three different countries and contexts, each with different peace agreements and challenges in implementation. And yet, the three women from our partner organisations in Colombia, Nepal and the Philippines found many commonalities – in the experiences and insights shared by women peacebuilders and in what it takes to sustain peace. At a public panel in Bern, the three women talked about the importance of feminist principles in peacebuilding, particularly to prevent backsliding into armed violence, of safe spaces and self-care for activists and of not losing sight of the goal – sustainable peace.

Our long-standing partnerships in Colombia, Nepal and the Philippines, where formal peace agreements have been signed, support women in the implementation of peace agreements and in their efforts to bring about structural change. In three videos with representatives of our partner organisations in these countries, they share their most important insights from their collaboration with us. 

The book “Voices along the way” records the stories of Ukrainian women from the first year of the Russian war of aggression. The 24 stories recount uncertainty and flight, upheaval, fear and hope. The book also poses the question: “When loud voices urge us to end the war, do they actually mean peace?” The 24 stories in the book thus become an important contemporary document.

As a peace organisation based in Switzerland, we have been exploring the question: What does a decolonial approach to peacebuilding based on feminist values look like in practice? Our global collaboration with partners has repeatedly shown us that the challenges to women's peace and security can only be overcome through transnational strategies. These are geopolitically relevant, emerge from local initiatives and are led by local women peace activists on the ground. The first step in implementing our localisation efforts was the opening of an office in Colombia on 1 May 2025.

On 31 October 2000, the UN Security Council Resolution on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) was adopted unanimously by all 15 members of the Council. At the core of the landmark resolution that launched the Women, Peace and Security agenda lies the fundamental principle that “peace is not possible without the full, equal, meaningful and safe participation and leadership of women and girls in all their diversity”. Twenty-five years later, the WPS agenda hangs by a thread.

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.

Undoubtedly the world is experiencing a phase of radical change and uncertainty. The year 2025 has shown how negatively these developments impact feminist peacebuilding. In the annual report, you can find out how we and our partners are dealing with this.

Our colleague Camille Bernheim attended the 11th Women, Peace and Security Forum hosted by the International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN) in The Hague from 29 September to 2 October 2026. Under the title “Security reimagined”, the event offered a powerful alternative to the dominant global security discourse.