“Without the active participation of women and the incorporation of women’s perspective at all levels of decision-making, the goals of equality, development and peace cannot be achieved -Beijing, 1995.”
All through history, women have played an active role in leading peaceful movements and promoting initiatives geared towards creating peaceful and sustainable societies. Yet, their peacebuilding efforts are often undervalued or overlooked. In 2000, for the first time, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security. This resolution was groundbreaking because it marked the first attempt of the Security Council to recognize the disproportionate effect of armed conflicts on women and girls. It also acknowledged the positive contributions of women and girls in conflict resolution and peacebuilding, and called for meaningful engagement and participation of women in the peace and security landscape.
As a young woman interested in contributing meaningfully to promoting peace and sustainable development within my community and beyond, I often draw inspiration from women peacebuilders whose leadership, courage, and commitment to peace stands out as beacons of hope and strength, women who have been able to make significant impacts in their various fields and communities. Learning from the works and experiences of women peacebuilders was part of what drew my attention to these 17 women, who despite the challenges associated with women building peace have been able to break the glass ceiling in their respective fields and communities to becoming winners of the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize Award.
Between 1901 and 2020, only seventeen women have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, out of 107 individuals. These women include:
1905: Baroness Bertha Sophie Felicita von Suttner, née Countess Kinsky von Chinic und Tettau “for her audacity to oppose the horrors of war through her book ‘Lay Down Your Arms’”.
1931: Jane Addams “for her social reform work and leading the Women’s International league for Peace and Freedom”
1946: Emily Greene Balch “for her lifelong work for the cause of peace in the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom”
1976: Betty Williams and Mairead Corrigan “for the courageous efforts in founding a movement to put an end to the violent conflict in Northern Ireland”.
1979: Mother Teresa “for her work for bringing help to suffering humanity”.
1982: Alva Myrdal “for their work for disarmament and nuclear and weapon-free zones”.
1991: Aung San Suu Kyi “for her non-violent struggle for democracy and human rights”
1992: Rigoberta Menchú Tum “in recognition of her work for social justice and ethno-cultural reconciliation based on respect for the rights of indigenous peoples”.
1997: Jody Williams “for their work for the banning and clearing of anti-personnel mines”.
2003: Shirin Ebadi “for her efforts for democracy and human rights. She has focused especially on the struggle for the rights of women and children”.
2004: Wangari Muta Maathai “for her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace”
2011: Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkol Karman “for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work”
2014: Malala Yousafzai “for their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education”.
2018: Nadia Murad “for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict”.
Lessons from the Life of these Women Peacebuilders
As a young female peacebuilder, there are many lessons that can be inferred from the life and career of these great women, some of which include:
1. There is no one-size-fits-all approach in peacebuilding: In my work in the peacebuilding space, I have come to realise that each conflict is unique and so there is no specific rule book for building peace. There is also no singular way to commit to campaigning for peace thus we must learn to work within our own context. One thing that stands out for me from the lives of these women is that we can play our part in promoting peace through different ways, from simply carrying out advocacy, writing about peace, to leading peace activism- All that matters are our courage, perseverance, and commitment to the cause. For example, Bertha von Suttner’s anti-war novel “Lay Down Your War” provides a succinct example of how the pen was used as a tool in promoting peace and development. Mother Teresa on the other hand was awarded the Nobel Peace prize for her humanitarian work. The different areas in which these women worked goes to show that we can make an impact in whatever space we work and that we don’t all have to work in the same field before we can contribute to peace and development.
2. Speak Up (Soro Soke):
First they came for the socialist, and I did not speak out- because I was not a socialist.
Then they can for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out- because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out- because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me- and there was no one left to speak for me (Martin Niemoller)
As peacebuilders, we should never let fear prevent us from speaking up for peace or from doing what we know is right. We should never be afraid of defending the truth especially in the face of injustice. Some of these women peacebuilders suffered arrest, torture, and even exile but they remained committed in their campaign for promoting peace. We all have a responsibility to change the world and leave it better than we met it. Thus, we should not remain silent if we believe our rights or the rights of others around us are being threatened. As women, we must also find the courage to speak up against barriers and discriminations in our personal and professional lives. One thing I learn from these Nobel Peace Prize winners and from other women peacebuilders is that when we speak up and take action, we are giving other women the courage to follow suit, thus helping to break the glass ceiling.
3. The importance of women’s inclusivity in peacebuilding:
Women are a critical variable in conflict resolution and as such, opportunities for sustainable peace are at risk if they are excluded or marginalised from the design and implementation of peacebuilding programmes. Evidence from around the world and even as exemplified by these Nobel Peace Winners have shown that women play positive roles in the peace and security space, ranging from acting as negotiators, mediators, and adjudicators in conflicts to driving post-conflict socio-economic reconstruction. They also act as activists of peace and advocates for intergroup harmony and social cohesion. From Bertha von Suttner to Nadia Murad, these women provide examples to show that sustainable and inclusive peace can only be achieved when women and girls are treated as active rather than passive partners of peace. We should not be treated as an add-on but given the space to take part in all levels of peace processes. As women, we must work to amplify women’s voices in conflict prevention and peacebuilding processes.
4. Peace can be achieved through non-violence:
We can speak up against injustice and challenge discriminatory norms with the use of non-violent means. The experience of some of these women Nobel Peace Prize winners such as Aung San Suu Kyi, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee, and Tawakkol Karman have revealed that non-violent peace movements are nearly twice as fruitful as violent ones in the accomplishment of their goals. Some of the ways we can contribute to advocating for peace through non-violent means include promoting mediation, diplomacy, and dialogue as a medium for resolving conflicts. We can help to foster peace education to promote the attitudes, values, and behaviours of nonviolence, consensus building, and conflict resolution. We can also take part in non-violent demonstrations to protest against injustice.
References
https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/lists/all-nobel-peace-prizes/
https://www.nobelpeaceprize.org/Prize-winners/Women-laureates
Stiehm, J.H. (2018). 3rd Edition. Champions for peace: Women winners of the Nobel Peace Prize. London: Rowman and Littlefield.