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HARVARD GAZETTE ARCHIVES Women Peacemakers Gather from Around the World
When the images of peace negotiations flash across our TV screens, frequently the only woman in the room is Madeleine Albright. The sea of men in dark suits gives the impression that only men are involved in ending conflict. Yet nothing could be further from the truth. It is the invisible women, working behind the scenes and far from the camera's lenses, who are perhaps the most important peacemakers. These invisible women are the ones who carry on the daily battles of promoting peace and stopping the violence in their countries. In Israel, they walk in front of the guns to escort children to school. In Azerbaijan, they lay down their shawls in front of guerrilla soldiers for a temporary cease-fire and pull the wounded off the field. They make it possible for Catholics and Protestants to meet safely in Northern Ireland. They hold reconciliation workshops for Greek and Turkish Cypriots. They coax from warring leaders in Colombia's civil war a concession to end 40 years of bloodshed. One hundred of these female peacemakers from around the globe are meeting for the first time at the Kennedy School of Government for the Women Waging Peace Initiative, which started Dec. 4 and continues through Dec. 18.Delegates come from Azerbaijan/Armenia, Colombia, Cyprus, India/Pakistan, Israel/Palestinian Authority, Northern Ireland, South Africa, Sudan, and the post-Yugoslav countries as well as Boston’s urban neighborhoods to develop skills and build a global network of peacemakers. The delegates will also meet with national and international policymakers from the United Nations, the State Department, the White House, the European Commission, major corporations, and the media, as well as funders, on Dec. 16 to craft policy initiatives to strengthen the impact of the delegates' work. That day will open with reflections by Ambassador John Kenneth Galbraith and a policy address by the Kennedy School of Government's Dean Joseph Nye. The 14-day gathering is co-hosted by the Kennedy School's Women and Public Policy Program and the nonprofit Hunt Alternatives Foundation. "These women are making extraordinary progress not just in stopping violence but in transforming conflict," explains Ambassador Swanee Hunt, director of the Women and Public Policy Program. "This work must be supported, strengthened, recognized and translated into policy so that the very process of peacemaking – from the prevention of conflict through the healing from conflict – can be revolutionized."In addition to attending seminars and crafting policy, the delegates are working with faculty from the Kennedy School and Harvard to document and analyze the role of women peacemakers in conflict resolution. The end product of the program will be an ongoing Internet-based communications network and a continually revised repository for new ideas on conflict transformation, which the women will be able to access from their home countries. Archives of video interviews with each delegate will supplement an interactive handbook of strategies and lessons learned.The Women Waging Peace advisory council includes Nobel Laureates Oscar Arias and Jody Williams, Marian Wright Edelman, Queen Noor of Jordan, Shimon Perez, and Simon Wiesenthal.Funding and support for Women Waging Peace come from the U.S. Institute of Peace, Austrian Airlines, Cape Cod Potato Chip Co., the Carnegie Commission, the Carnegie Corp., The Charles Hotel, Enron Corp., Estée Lauder, Ford Foundation, Hunt Alternatives, MediaOne, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Nantucket Nectars, Necco Candy, PeaceWorks, and Twinings Tea Co.
Copyright 1999 President and Fellows of Harvard College |