International feminist´s peacebuilding conference

“GIVE PEACE A CHANCE”

The Hague,

October 2024

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About

the Event

Women's Day poster with woman silhouette and fists inside in paper cut and copy space, 3D illustration. Girl face poster for feminism, independence, freedom, empowerment, activism for women rights

Feminists always underlined close connections between feminism and pacifism as well as connections between patriarchy, violence, and war. Feminism sees war as social evil leading to the suffering of civilian population: women, children, and old people. Now, when the voice of peace is not loud enough, we need efforts to make women´s pacifist movements and initiatives strong and visible again.


On October 22–27, 2024, the international feminist peacebuilding ​conference “Give peace a chance” will take place in The Hague. ​We propose The Hague as the conference venue because it was the ​center of the women's pacifist movement on the eve of the First ​World War and in 1915 the international women's pacifist congress ​took place here, in which women's delegations from opposing ​military blocs took part.

The venue of the conference in the Hague will be City Monastery ​Willibrordushuis https://willibrordushuis.nl/gasten/

Address:

Willibrordushuis

Broeders van Sint Jan

Oude Molstraat 35

2513 BA Den Haag


Invited Speakers

Marielle Vavier

Vavier, born in the Netherlands, ​studied orthopedagogy at Leiden ​University. She has served as board ​secretary at Youth Protection and has ​been active in GroenLinks and its ​Hague branch since 2018. In 2022, she ​became an alderman focusing on ​poverty, inclusion, public health, ​care, and international affairs.


Ingrid Sharp

Ingrid Sharp is a historian specializing ​in gender history, the Weimar Republic, ​and women's movements, with a focus ​on the First World War and German ​cultural history. She holds degrees ​from Oxford and Leeds and has held ​leadership roles at the University of ​Leeds. Currently, she chairs Women in ​German Studies, UK, and holds a Senior ​Fellowship at the University of Graz.

Ulrike Auga

Ulrike E. Auga, born November 24, 1964, ​in East Berlin, is a German Protestant ​theologian, cultural and religious ​studies scholar, and gender theorist. ​She is a professor of Protestant ​theology and gender studies and ​currently a guest professor at the ​Intersectional Centre for Inclusion ​and Social Justice at Canterbury Christ ​Church University, UK.

Goran Lojancic

Goran Lojančić is a Balkan human ​rights defender and independent ​dialogue facilitator. He works to ​promote and implement social dialogue ​in the areas affected by wars and ​other violent conflicts. For over 12 ​years now, he has worked as a ​consultant with the Nansen Centre for ​Peace and Dialogue, and has developed ​peace building programs in the ​Balkans.

Cynthia Lazaroff


Cynthia Lazaroff, founder of Women ​Transforming Our Nuclear Legacy and ​NuclearWakeUpCall.Earth, is an award-​winning filmmaker and author of ​"Dawn of a New Armageddon." ​Dedicated to reducing nuclear risks, ​she has pioneered U.S.-Russia exchange ​initiatives since the 1980s and co-​founded the American-Russian Women’s ​Dialogue and Peacebuilding Initiative. A ​Princeton magna cum laude graduate, ​she produced the documentary series ​"U.S.-Russia Relations: Quest for ​Stability" and has received multiple ​awards for her peace efforts


Julia Garraio


Júlia Garraio, a researcher at the ​Centre for Social Studies, University ​of Coimbra, specializes in ​democracy, justice, and human ​rights. She co-coordinates ​Policredos and GPS, and leads ​projects on sexual violence funded ​by the Science and Technology ​Foundation. Co-founder of SVAC and ​review editor of the European ​Journal of Women's Studies, she ​contributed to the study of child ​sexual abuse in the Portuguese ​Catholic Church. Her research spans ​memory, gender studies, media, ​literature, and cultural studies.


Gorana Mlinarević



Gorana Mlinarević is a feminist ​activist and researcher focused ​on post-war issues affecting ​women in Bosnia and ​Herzegovina and the former ​Yugoslavia. She specializes in ​sexual violence evidence and ​gender justice in international ​law, having authored key ​studies and provided expert ​evidence to UN tribunals.


Christine Ahn


Christine Ahn is a Korean-American ​peace activist and Executive Director ​of Women Cross DMZ, advocating for ​an end to the Korean War. She led 30 ​international women peacemakers ​across the DMZ in 2015 and won the ​2020 US Peace Prize for her work on ​the Korean peninsula. Ahn, who ​immigrated to the U.S. at age three, ​holds degrees from the University of ​Colorado and Georgetown University, ​and lives in Hawaii.


Ann Wright


Ann Wright is a retired U.S. Army ​Colonel and a former U.S. diplomat. ​She resigned from the U.S. government ​in 2003 in opposition to the U.S. war on ​Iraq. She has been on peace missions to ​North Korea, Iran, Yemen, Cuba, Gaza ​and Israel. She is an organizer for the ​Gaza Freedom Flotilla and is a member ​of Veterans For Peace & CODEPINK: ​Women for Peace. She speaks and ​writes on U.S. militarism around the ​world. She is the co-author of ​“Dissent: Voices of Conscience.”

Margreet Hogeterp

Margreet Hogeterp is the editor-in-​chief of Vredesspiral, the Church and ​Peace magazine, and works as a ​storyteller and freelance copywriter. ​She studied General Literary Studies at ​the University of Groningen and is ​passionate about creating impactful ​stories through careful listening and ​questioning.

Lidija Zelovic

Lidija Zelovic, originally from ​Sarajevo, fled to the ​Netherlands in 1993 during the ​Yugoslav civil war. Now a ​filmmaker, she explores the ​impact of war on individuals and ​the possibility of reconciliation ​in her work.

Mekka Abdelgabar


Mrs. Mekka Abdelgabar, a leading ​expert on gender issues in Sudan and ​Darfur, founded the Darfur Women's ​Organization in the Netherlands ​(VOND). VOND empowers women leaders ​and youth, and is a signatory of the ​Dutch National Action Plans. Mekka ​established Sudan's first women's ​mediation committee, significantly ​aiding conflict reconciliation in ​Darfur and highlighting women's ​crucial role in peacebuilding.


Participation:

Make the voice of peace

aloud again

We invite women's organizations of different views and activities interested in developing an anti-war and peacekeeping agenda, regardless of their nationality, religion, political affiliation, primarily from European countries, to participate. The participation of representatives of women's NGOs and groups from other regions is also possible.

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open untill

15.09.2024!

We invite everyone interested in promoting the peacebuilding agenda and pacifist initiatives to take part in the conference.

Street art graffiti
NGO Outline Icon

representatives of women's NGOs and groups

Color Hands Art Background
Number "50" for anniversary
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online participation

participants

Thematic blocks of the conference:

1) The pacifist movement and new reality. Challenges and possibilities. How to counteract the growth of militarism?

2) What is and can be the role of women and the women’s movements in a global anti-war movement and peacebuilding efforts?

3) Which changes would be needed in international security structures to support anti-war movements and peacekeeping efforts from civil society and neutral countries?

4)What are the new forms of dialogue, involving civil society, would work well to address the conflicts between warring countries? For example, alternative forms of dialogue, shared grassroots initiatives, lobby networks, facilitating information and media contacts to counteract propaganda, participation in political parties and labor unions, involvement of churches and social associations.

5) What are possible forms of women’s solidarity in promoting anti-war and peacekeeping initiatives? How can we promote these grassroots initiatives to the decision-making level?

Provisional Programme

Road Map

26.10.​

Sa​turday

10.00-11.30 Presentations of International Funds ​and Organizations

11:30 - 12:00 Coffee break

12.00-13.00 Making a Road Map through workshops ​in different taskgroups with assistance of the moderator

13:00 - 14.00 Inhouse-Lunch

14:00 - 16:00 Making a Road Map through workshops ​in different taskgroups with assistance of the moderator

16.00 - 17.00 Coffee break and Plenary presentation ​of the Road map

17.00-17.30 Press-conference (with streaming)

17.30-19.00 Diner outside

19:00 - 20:00 Closing session and drinks


22.10.​

Tu​esday

Arrival

Arrival of the participants; meeting of coordinators

Feminism and ​belief in peace

24.10.

Thursday

9:30 - 10:00 Plenary session “Feminist approaches ​in anti-war movements; history of women's ​contribution to peacebuilding and reconstruction”

10.45-11.30 Comments and questions from ​participants

11.30-12.00 Coffee break

12.00 -14.30 Visit to the Peace Palace; visit to Vla​ggenwacht/ walk to the Peace Palace and Vla​ggenwacht

14.​30 - 16.00 Plenary session: "Bondage between pow​er blocks, religion, warfare, and gender-based vio​lence"

15.​30-16.00 Comments and questions from par​ticipants

16.​00 - 16.30 Coffee break

16.​30 -18.00 Dialogue tables on experiences of the parti​cipants

18:00 - 20:00 Diner outside

20:00 - ​22:00 Social program or film


New forms of dialog and ​grass-root initiatives to ​achive peace

25.10.​

Friday

9:310.00-11.30 Panel Discussion “The pacifist ​movement and new reality. Challenges and possibilities. ​How to counteract the growth of militarism?”

11:00-11:30 Coffee break

11:30 - 13:00 Meetup “Reconciliation and Transitional ​Justice: experience of different countries” (moderator ​Gorana Mlinarevic)

13:00 - 14:00 Inhouse-Lunch

14:00 - 16:00 Masterclasses

16:00 - 18:00 Bites and drinks

evening Diner outside



Militarism

23.10.

Wednesday

9:30 Coffee Break

10.00 - 11.00 Conference opening

11:00 - 11:30 Coffee Break

11.30 - 13.00 Pannel discussion with introductions: the ​choice between militarism and de-escalation [with ​streaming

13.00-14.00 Inhouse Lunch

14.00-17.00 Visit to the International Criminal Court ​(with bus)

18.00-20.00 Art Activism Programme + Social Dinner ​Inhouse


Departure

27.10.​

Sunday

Flat Hands Write in Notebook, Decorate Diary or Journal. Organize Office Document or Personal Planner. to Do List or Plan Notepad Vector Set

10:00 Walking to the Paleiskerk

10:30 - 11: 30 spiritual prayers and songs together with ​the Mennonite community with the assistance of ​Interreligious Kleurrijk Segbroek and the choir of the ​Haagse Dominicus

11:30 - 12:30 coffee/ thee in the Church

12:40 - 13:00 Back to the Guesthouse, cleaning and ​check out

13:00 - 14:00 Inhouse Lunch


result of the conference:

As the result of foresight and strategic sessions Road Map of ​solidarity for peace activities and networking will be elaborated. ​This Road Map will become a resource for consolidating and ​developing a network of peacekeeping and anti-war organizations. ​The conference will provide an opportunity for representatives of ​various international organizations and foundations to get ​acquainted with new NGOs, activists, and peace initiatives that ​were previously unknown to them. For representatives of civil ​society, the conference will provide an opportunity to get ​acquainted with new opportunities for organizational and financial ​support. We expect all these will give the start for the ​strengthening and consolidating a strong international feminist ​peace movement. We formulated it in our concept.

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Contact Information

Email Address

cultural.arcs.foundation@gmail.com