The valuable support of our funding partners makes our impactful peace work with our partners possible. We thank you for your trust and commitment.

Women are particularly affected by armed conflict and violence. Yet they are often excluded from formal peace or transitional justice processes after a conflict has been resolved, even though they are strongly represented in civil society organisations that are committed to peaceful coexistence. Together with our partners, we are committed to ensuring women’s equal participation in shaping peace and conflict transformation processes.

Eighteen years on, since the signing of the peace agreement, there can still be no talk of peace in Nepal. The lack of political will, patriarchal social norms as well as political instability are hindering its implementation, leading to intergenerational consequences for those affected by the conflict. They want to be recognised as victims of the violence of war and demand the truth. Our colleagues Camille Bernheim and Karin Widmer listened to them at a Women's Peace Table.

In this special edition of our newsletter, you can find out which stages peace processes go through and where and how women exert influence in order to drive peace processes and prevent setbacks. We have added an extra, detachable double page so that you can use the graphic illustration of peace processes and the accompanying text yourself. You will also find out how our partner in Nepal is helping to ensure that the generations affected by war are heard and recognised as victims of war violence through intergenerational Women's Peace Tables. The meeting with peace activists from our Feminists Connecting for Peace network, which took place in Bern at the beginning of the year, is another focus of our newsletter.

Negotiations often end war rather than creating peace. However, if women are involved in the process, the chances of lasting peace increase significantly, writes our Director Deborah Schibler in the NZZ am Sonntag. (German only.)