Register today – Feminist Resistance: Militarism and Climate Change

On Wednesday 6 October, join WILPF Sections from around the world for a panel discussion on the interconnections between militarism and climate change, and explore feminist solutions for sustainable peace and justice. 

This webinar has been organised by WILPF’s Environment Working Group in the lead up to the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) which is due to be held in Glasgow, Scotland in November 2021.

Moderated by Katrin Geyer of Reaching Critical Will, WILPF’s disarmament programme, the webinar will feature speakers from WILPF Sections in Canada, Sweden, Zimbabwe, Germany, and Norway who will each share perspectives on the issues from their region and feminist solutions to the militarism and climate change nexus.

You’re invited to join the conversation! Register for free today for “Feminist Resistance: Militarism and Climate Change.”

    • What: Webinar entitled “Feminist Resistance: Militarism and Climate Change.”
    • When: 06 October 2021 at 4 p.m. CEST
    • Who: Margrethe Kvam (WILPF Norway and International Board Vice-President), Tamara Lorincz (WILPF Canada), Edwick Madzimure (President WILPF Zimbabwe), Ida Arneson (WILPF Sweden), Heidi Meinzolt (WILPF Germany and Europe Regional Representative, WILPF International Board) 

Feminist Resistance: Militarism and Climate Change is taking place on the road to COP26, as WILPF and other civil society organisations, activists, and governments around the world prepare for the critical and much-anticipated UN Climate Change Conference. Despite an increase in awareness around the climate crisis, the role of militarism in the climate emergency is still severely overlooked or even wilfully ignored. 

For example, if the US military were a country, its fuel usage alone would make it the 47th largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world. Yet, whilst national governments are legally required to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the military’s “carbon bootprint” is not a mandatory reporting requirement by the United Nations Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The military’s contribution to climate change lacks transparency, making it hard to quantify and even harder to hold to public account.

This webinar will raise awareness about this connection and address the role of militarism as a root cause of climate change. By hearing from panellists with diverse experiences from regions across the world, it will also highlight and celebrate the potential of climate action, feminism, and peace to provide solutions. 

A history of activism on gender, peace and the environment

WILPF believes that peace, gender, and the environment are interconnected. It is very simple: there can be no peace if there is no gender equality and environmental justice. 

WILPF has a long history of environmental care. The environment was a topic of concern to many of our founding members – such as Elin Wägner, who stated in 1915 that “Everything that disturbs nature’s self-activity must be removed or we too”. In Emily Green Balch’s address to Congress in 1924, she raised the link between corporate interests and war related to the extraction of natural resources. 

In more recent years, WILPF has more formally turned its attention to issues of environmental degradation and climate change within its work, incorporating these concerns into its resolutions and attending numerous COPs and international conferences over the years.

Today, as the recent IPCC report has made the world strikingly aware that the current rate of climate change is a ‘code red for humanity’, WILPF is working to highlight and raise awareness on the neglected links between militarism and ecological degradation. WILPF strives to build a future of peace and human security through divestment, disarmament, and demilitarisation efforts. 

Be part of the movement for change 

Whether you’re currently involved with WILPF or you’re just learning about us, you can help build a future of sustainable feminist peace by joining the conversation on 06 October. 

At this free webinar, you will gain a global perspective on the adverse impacts of militarism on the planet and learn about feminist solutions to climate change, connect with other peace activists and find out how you can take further action. 

Don’t forget to register. We look forward to seeing you there! 

Your donation isn’t just a financial transaction; it’s a step toward a more compassionate and equitable world. With your support, we’re poised to achieve lasting change that echoes through generations. Thank you!

Thank you!

Melissa Torres

VICE-PRESIDENT

Prior to being elected Vice-President, Melissa Torres was the WILPF US International Board Member from 2015 to 2018. Melissa joined WILPF in 2011 when she was selected as a Delegate to the Commission on the Status of Women as part of the WILPF US’ Practicum in Advocacy Programme at the United Nations, which she later led. She holds a PhD in Social Work and is a professor and Global Health Scholar at Baylor College of Medicine and research lead at BCM Anti-Human Trafficking Program. Of Mexican descent and a native of the US/Mexico border, Melissa is mostly concerned with the protection of displaced Latinxs in the Americas. Her work includes training, research, and service provision with the American Red Cross, the National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance Centre, and refugee resettlement programs in the U.S. Some of her goals as Vice-President are to highlight intersectionality and increase diversity by fostering inclusive spaces for mentorship and leadership. She also contributes to WILPF’s emerging work on the topic of displacement and migration.

Jamila Afghani

VICE-PRESIDENT

Jamila Afghani is the President of WILPF Afghanistan which she started in 2015. She is also an active member and founder of several organisations including the Noor Educational and Capacity Development Organisation (NECDO). Elected in 2018 as South Asia Regional Representative to WILPF’s International Board, WILPF benefits from Jamila’s work experience in education, migration, gender, including gender-based violence and democratic governance in post-conflict and transitional countries.

Sylvie Jacqueline Ndongmo

PRESIDENT

Sylvie Jacqueline NDONGMO is a human rights and peace leader with over 27 years experience including ten within WILPF. She has a multi-disciplinary background with a track record of multiple socio-economic development projects implemented to improve policies, practices and peace-oriented actions. Sylvie is the founder of WILPF Cameroon and was the Section’s president until 2022. She co-coordinated the African Working Group before her election as Africa Representative to WILPF’s International Board in 2018. A teacher by profession and an African Union Trainer in peace support operations, Sylvie has extensive experience advocating for the political and social rights of women in Africa and worldwide.

WILPF Afghanistan

In response to the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban and its targeted attacks on civil society members, WILPF Afghanistan issued several statements calling on the international community to stand in solidarity with Afghan people and ensure that their rights be upheld, including access to aid. The Section also published 100 Untold Stories of War and Peace, a compilation of true stories that highlight the effects of war and militarisation on the region. 

IPB Congress Barcelona

WILPF Germany (+Young WILPF network), WILPF Spain and MENA Regional Representative

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Demilitarisation

WILPF uses feminist analysis to argue that militarisation is a counter-productive and ill-conceived response to establishing security in the world. The more society becomes militarised, the more violence and injustice are likely to grow locally and worldwide.

Sixteen states are believed to have supplied weapons to Afghanistan from 2001 to 2020 with the US supplying 74 % of weapons, followed by Russia. Much of this equipment was left behind by the US military and is being used to inflate Taliban’s arsenal. WILPF is calling for better oversight on arms movement, for compensating affected Afghan people and for an end to all militarised systems.

Militarised masculinity

Mobilising men and boys around feminist peace has been one way of deconstructing and redefining masculinities. WILPF shares a feminist analysis on the links between militarism, masculinities, peace and security. We explore opportunities for strengthening activists’ action to build equal partnerships among women and men for gender equality.

WILPF has been working on challenging the prevailing notion of masculinity based on men’s physical and social superiority to, and dominance of, women in Afghanistan. It recognizes that these notions are not representative of all Afghan men, contrary to the publicly prevailing notion.

Feminist peace​

In WILPF’s view, any process towards establishing peace that has not been partly designed by women remains deficient. Beyond bringing perspectives that encapsulate the views of half of the society and unlike the men only designed processes, women’s true and meaningful participation allows the situation to improve.

In Afghanistan, WILPF has been demanding that women occupy the front seats at the negotiating tables. The experience of the past 20 has shown that women’s presence produces more sustainable solutions when they are empowered and enabled to play a role.

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