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Global to Local – Section Visit to Cameroon

23 February 2016
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Mia Gandenberger from WILPF’s Disarmament Programme paid a visit to WILPF Cameroon in Douala from 5-10 February. Photo credit: WILPF.

As part of the project on the implementation of the Arms Trade Treaty and the UN Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons, coordinated by WILPF’s Disarmament Programme, Reaching Critical Will, Mia Gandenberger paid a visit to WILPF Cameroon in Douala from 5-10 February.

Working together

For the project, WILPF’s Disarmament Programme has teamed up with four Sections, Cameroon, Colombia, Spain, and Sweden, to advocate for a better implementation of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) and the UN Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons (UNPoA), in particular with regard to the gender provisions in the ATT.

Each Section has developed their own way to go about it.

Making the ATT local in Cameroon

From discussions with WILPF Cameroon during the visit, it became clear that WILPF’s approach to advocate for peace through non-violent means is more pertinent then ever in Cameroon. Especially in times when Boko Haram attacks in the North of Cameroon are beginning to dominate the news and arms proliferation is high.

As part of the joint project, WILPF Cameroon is reaching out to the general public through (social) media, and researching Cameroon’s arms trade to identify the remaining challenges.

They have organised visits to ministries and officials and in fall 2015 they hosted a capacity building workshop on the ATT and UNPoA for authorities and civil society partners.

Further, WILPF Cameroon also gave a workshop for various media houses on UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and the ATT combining WILPF core work on challenging militarism and empowering women, and in December 2015, they trained WILPF Sister Sections at the WILPF African Regional meeting.

Making use of our time together

The WILPF Cameroon coordinator of the ATT project, Guy Blaise Dongmo Feugap, thought the visit from the International Secretariat was very important for the project, “because we were able to engage new actors from the administration, civil society and the media.”

BoxAnd it’s true.

During the visit the entire WILPF team did not spend one idle minute.

The team went to see elected and appointed officials, civil society partners and coalitions, and held a well attented press conference to inform journalists about the ATT, WILPF’s work on the local and international level around it, and the addressing small arms proliferation in Cameroon.

Guy Blaise Dongmo Feugap noted “that when the International Secretariat goes to Sections, this creates a new dynamism and calls on members to take on greater challenges, since it is at the local level that the vision of a world free of violence and armed conflict has its value.”

But this goes both ways!

While WILPF Cameroon will continue its work on the local level, the upcoming meetings on the UNPoA and the ATT will provide opportunities for the International Secretariat to highlight the challenges our local Section in Cameroon is facing on the ground.

It was the first visit from a representative of the International Secretariat to a Section in 2016 and with hopefully many to follow, WILPF is in for a energizing and collaborative 2016.

This unique connection beyond borders and levels of engagement is what makes WILPF special and will hopefully soon bring about the peace and freedom we are all working for together.

If you want to see more pictures from the visit have a look at WILPF Cameroon’s Facebook page.

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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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