Contribution of International Women's Organizations
to Making and Building Peace

Women's International League for Peace and Freedom

is one of the oldest continuously operating women peace organizations which was established in 1915 during the International Women’s Congress in the the Hague. The founder is Laura Jane Addams -journalist, philosopher, writer, sociologist, social feminist, autobiographer, member of the Women’s Socio-political Union, anti-war activist, human rights defender, political theorist, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931.
The highest body of the organization is the Congress, which meets every 3 years in Geneva, where the headquarter is located. During the congress, an Executive Committee consisting of a chairman, two vice-presidents, a treasurer and nine members is elected. The organization is pacifist in nature. Its goal is to unite women in their struggle to eliminate the political, social and psychological causes of war. The Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom currently recognizes disarmament, racial justice and women’s rights as its top priorities.

In Ukraine, the activities of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom are coordinated by Nina Potarska, a social researcher and activist.

PeaceWomen Across the Globe

(PWAG)

established in 2003 is a feminist organization aiming to expand women’s participation in building peace and establishing links between activists and peace activists through sharing knowledge and experience to increase the visibility and influence of peacekeeping women. The headquarters is located in Bern, Switzerland.

Ruth-Gaby Vermot-Mangold, PWAG co-president and co-founder, became its first director, and member of the Swiss National Council later. Their first initiative was to nominate 1,000 women from over 150 different countries for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005. This nomination included not only celebrities, but also relatively unknown women who have made a significant contribution to peace around the world. Although the prize was awarded to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the initiative was successful in drawing public attention to the role of women in peacekeeping. Since 2006, PWAG has been part of the Swiss Center for Peacebuilding.

The organization is also a member of the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders.

Kvinna till Kvinna

is a Swedish feminist non-governmental organization founded in 1993 as a result of the Yugoslav wars. Kvinna till Kvinna promotes women’s rights in more than 20 countries in the Middle East, Africa, Europe and the South Caucasus affected by military conflicts, and supports over 130 partner organizations around the world. Its headquarters is located in Stockholm. The strategy of Kvinna till Kvinna is developed by the Council, and its day-to-day operations are managed by Secretary General Petra Toetterman Andorf. The organization has offices in Amman, Beirut, Belgrade, Bukavu, Erbil, Jerusalem, Kyiv, Kigali, Monrovia, Pristina, Sarajevo, Skopje, Tbilisi and Tunisia.

This organization works in such key areas as combating gender-based violence, ensuring equal participation of women in socio-political processes, peace and security, and economic opportunities for women.

Women in Black

is an international network of women working for peace, justice, fighting against war, militarism and other forms of violence. An important focus of Women in Black is the military policy of different governments. It was created in 1988 in response to human rights violations by Israeli soldiers in the occupied territories. The initiative brought together Israeli women who went to the center of Jerusalem every Friday dressed in black to commemorate the victims of the armed conflict.

From the very beginning, the movement did not adopt any general program, except for the anti-war protest, the participants of which are quite diverse in their political views. Despite the fact that in each campaign the purpose and actions are determined independently, initiative groups around the world keep in touch and hold international meetings.

International Association of Women's Museums
(IAWM)

brings together women’s museum across the globe that are part of the global women’s movement. The network was founded in 2008 in Merano and transformed into an association in 2012. The association is headed by six board members from different continents. The head office is in Bonn (Germany) and the administrative office is located in Merano, Italy.

The goals of the association are to increase the visibility and promotion of women’s museums, their cooperation and mutual support, to achieve international recognition in the world of museums. As well as supporting the activities of women’s and gender museums to protect women’s rights and to promote gender equality and democracy in society. One of the goals of the IAWM is to strengthen the bonds between women in different countries and to promote peacebuilding in the world.

Project Women in Defense of Peace and Security is implemented by the NGO Gender Culture Centre with the support of the PWAG International Network and the Kharkiv Regional Foundation Public Alternative.

Contribution of International Women's Organizations to Making and Building Peace