Women's rights are human rights – today this is undisputed. We work to ensure that key human rights standards are also respected in conflict-affected regions. Our work is based on the UN’s "Women, Peace and Security" agenda. Of additional central importance for feminist peace work are the Women's Rights Convention CEDAW, the Beijing Declaration and the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda.

If peace in Afghanistan fails, the women stand to lose the gains they have made since the collapse of the Taliban regime. Sima Samar, Coordinator for PeaceWomen Across the Globe and government official in Afghanistan speaks out for women’s rights and their inclusion in shaping her country’s peace and future. For this she has paid a high price. And yet she remains steadfast and cautiously hopeful.

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), adopted by the United Nations in 1979, forms the basis for the legal and actual equality of women and men. By adopting the Convention, states undertake to take measures to put an end to discrimination against women in all its forms. Together with civil society partners, we work for its implementation in Switzerland.