On Friday 29th of May, Sustineo staff Louisa Minney and Emily Davidson attended the centenary celebration conference ‘Women’s Power to Stop War’, hosted by Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF). The conference highlighted that women are disproportionately affected by war, yet represent less than 4% of the people involved in war and peace negotiations. Speakers advocated for increased gender-based involvement in disarmament and conflict-reduction worldwide. The keynote speeches by Natasha Stott Despoja, Madeleine Rees and Shukria Barakzai were an inspiring call to action. The after lunch debate on the peace-building effectiveness of government diplomacy compared to NGO advocacy was fun, whilst highlighting some serious issues. We would like to thank WILPF for facilitating such an engaging and informative conference.
If you would like to know more about Sustineo’s work in the women, peace and security arena, please contact Louisa Minney at louisa.minney@sustineo.com.au