About the Campaign:
No women, no peace. is a campaign by Gender
Action for Peace and Security (GAPS), which calls on the UK
government to honour its commitments to women in conflict. We are a
network of peace building, human rights, humanitarian and
development organisations and academics. Launched at the 10th
anniversary of a groundbreaking UN resolution that calls for
women's inclusion in peacebuilding, our campaign is simple; you
can't build peace leaving half the people out.
This October marked the ten year anniversary of military
intervention in Afghanistan and the campaign is focused on the
rights of Afghan women as key talks take place to decide the future
of the country.
Why Afghanistan? Why Now?
October 2011 marks the ten year anniversary of military
intervention in Afghanistan. In 2001, women's rights were
prominently featured in the list of reasons to intervene; however,
as the international community prepares to discuss transition out
of Afghanistan, women and the issues affecting them are being
sidelined from discussions. While some progress has been made in
the past ten years, women still continue to face discrimination and
violence in Afghanistan, a country considered to be one of the
worst places to be a woman.
Bonn and Beyond
This December, UK Foreign Secretary William Hague will be
attending a conference in Bonn in Germany, along with delegates
from 90 countries and organisations, to discuss the future of
Afghanistan. We need him to use his influence to make sure
that women's voices are heard, before, during and after these
talks.
We need activists in the UK to call on the government to
ensure that the voices of Afghan women are heard at Bonn and at
other peace and transition talks, including the recommendations of
the Afghan Women's Network, which asks the
international community to take the following actions:
1) Use their influence to ensure women
have an effective voice and role in all levels of the peace
process: national, provincial and district level.
2) Work with the Afghan government to
ensure that all the human rights in the constitution are upheld in
any peace settlement.
3) Increase support to development
programmes that promote women's rights and wellbeing in political,
social and economic spheres.
We are asking the UK government to ensure that any
agreements explicitly call for women's rights in Afghanistan to be
protected not undermined.
Activists are standing in solidarity with Afghan
women.
Throughout the UK and internationally, activists have
been gathering to hold vigils in solidarity with Afghan women
wearing green scarves, a symbol of women's rights activism in
Afghanistan. Held on and around the anniversary of the signing of
UN Security Council resolution 1325, which recognises the unique
impact of conflict on women and the need for women's participation
in peacebuilding, the vigils are intended to show international
support for women's rights activists in Afghanistan and urge
governments involved to ensure that women's rights are respected at
negotiations in Bonn in December.
Support the rights of Afghan women. Sign our petition to William Hague
and write a letter to your MP urging them
to raise the issue.
Ways to get involved:
- Follow @nowomennopeace on Twitter, like us on Facebook and sign
up to our newsletter at www.nowomennopeace.org to
keep updated with the campaign.
- Wear a green scarf, a symbol of women's rights activism in
Afghanistan, to show your solidarity with Afghan women. Send us
your photos or upload them to the www.ch16.org photo wall. Add a
green scarves twibbon
to your Twitter profile.
- Spread the word about the campaign by telling your friends, on
social media and writing to your local press
- Go to www.nowomennopeace.org to
sign our
petition to William Hague and
write a letter to your MP asking them to write to the UK
Foreign Secretary to ensure that women are included in transition
talks and women's rights are supported in Afghanistan
-
Plan a vigil in solidarity with Afghan women where you live to
show your support for women's rights activists in Afghanistan.
Email: nowomennopeace@gaps-uk.org
Relevant links:
Contact:
Shelagh Daley
Campaigns and Outreach Officer
Gender Action for Peace and Security
shelagh.daley@gaps-uk.org
nowomennopeace@gaps-uk.org
