Women's Peacemakers Program

The International Fellowship of Reconciliation's (IFOR) Women Peacemakers Program (WPP) began in 1997 and works to support and strengthen women's peacemaking initiatives.

The WPP, with a grant from the Women and Development Department of the Netherlands Ministry for Development and Cooperation, organizes:

* An annual training of women trainers in active non-violence
* Active nonviolence trainings for women, with an emphasis on gender analysis (trainings have taken place in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Kenya, Romania, the Thai-Burma border, Zimbabwe and elsewhere)
* Regional consultations for women from different sides of armed conflicts
* Exchange programs for women in peace organizations.

The WPP documents and analyzes women's peacemaking efforts and strategies. Regular publications include:

* the WPP newsletter Cross the Lines (in English, Spanish, French; with future issues additionally in Russian and Arabic)
* the annual May 24 International Women's Day for Peace and Disarmament action pack, with profiles of women peace groups, solidarity suggestions and international directory
* Women and a Culture of Peace workshop kit (in French, English or Georgian), with model workshops, exercises and resources on gender, peace and conflict
* Women and Peacemaking: Lessons Learned , based on the experiences of women peacemakers from Africa, Asia and Europe.

The WPP has also produced videos exploring different aspects of women and peace.

A series of 20-minute, English-language videos with highlights from the WPP regional consultations in Europe, Asia and Africa (also available in French), complete with viewers guide
* Asian Women Speak Out , a 60-minute documentary on ways women from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, India and Nepal confront violence against women
* Building the Decade for a Culture of Peace and Nonviolence , a 20-minute documentary with highlights from the Asian Girls Peace Camp in Nepal.

IFOR, founded in 1919, is an international spiritually-based movement of women and men committed to active nonviolence both as a way of life and as a means of social change. IFOR members come from every major religious tradition. IFOR has branches and groups in over 40 countries, and consultative status with the United Nations and UNESCO.

IFOR believes that without peace, development is impossible-and without women, neither peace nor development can take place.

For more information:
Women Peacemakers Program
International Fellowship of Reconciliation
Spoorstraat 38
1815 BK Alkmaar, the Netherlands
Tel. +31 72 512 3014
Fax +31 72 515 1102
Website: www.ifor.org.wpp
Email: s.anderson@ifor.org