PeaceWomen Across the Globe is an internationally active feminist peace organisation based in Bern. We network women from war- and conflict-affected regions and support them in demanding their rights, helping to shape peace processes and thus creating a more peaceful world. We advocate for sustainable and visible women’s peace work.
The International Board is responsible for the strategic leadership of PeaceWomen Across the Globe. It is composed of members from all over the world, as well as a Swiss committee.
Peace is more than the absence of war. Patriarchal power relations, structural violence and physical or psychological violence against women are also obstacles on the path to lasting peace. This is why we are committed to peacebuilding with a feminist, intersectional perspective. And because our understanding of peace is comprehensive.
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.
PeaceWoman Ruth Weiss has dedicated her life to peace and tolerance: as a journalist and anti-apartheid activist in South Africa and as a speaker and author in the fight against anti-Semitism and any form of intolerance and agitation against a faith community. What lessons does she draw from her full life for peacebuilding?