Women Peace and Humanitarian Activists Establish Bold New
Agenda
VIENNA, Feb. 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- 70 women
peacebuilders and humanitarians convened in Vienna, Austria this week at the world's first
Global Women's Forum for Peace and Humanitarian Action.
Organized by the Women's Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF),
together with the Austrian Development Cooperation and the Global
Network of Women Peacebuilders (GNWP), this grassroots women-led
forum has united local activists from 17 countries across
Africa, Asia, Europe
and South Caucasus, Middle East
and North Africa and Latin America to exchange experiences, define
key priorities and drive support for their work to build peace and
respond to humanitarian crises.
With this year's landmark anniversaries of UN Security
Council Resolution 1325 and the historic Beijing Declaration and
Platform of Action, 2020 constitutes a critical moment to mobilize
crucial financing for women peacebuilders and humanitarian
responders," said Ghita El Khyari, Head of Secretariat for
the Women's Peace and Humanitarian Fund. "This forum is
accelerating action and much-needed funding for
the women's organizations that are responding to the world's most
urgent conflicts and crises."
Austria, Germany and the European Union announced new
financial commitments, along with Dell Technologies who shared
their plan to provide technology resources, all of which will
directly support women who are actively shaping local responses to
the grave challenges of their conflict-affected communities.
Actress and WPHF Global Advocate Kristen Bell made a special
appearance at the forum to spotlight the work of women working for
sustainable and inclusive peace around the world.
"This forum is about celebrating the unlimited power of
women," said Ms. Bell. "I'm here today
to listen, to amplify their message and to help push their
priorities forward."
The forum culminated in the drafting and adoption of the
groundbreaking Vienna Declaration 2020 that reflects a wide range
of grassroots women's voices, formalizing their key priorities to
drive critical momentum for their movement to build peace and
respond to crises around the world.
"It is so important for us to be a part of this
forum," said Margaret Unohwaye Taylor from the
Women Empowerment Network of Liberia. "We bring the messages and
lessons from our communities to influence our declaration. Women
working to build peace must be heard. Today we are making history
and shaping the destiny of our own lives."
For Media Inquiries: contact WPHF at
matthew.rullo@unwomen.org (+1-210-255-0175)
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SOURCE Women's Peace & Humanitarian Fund