Women from around the world came together at the Global Women’s Forum for Peace and Humanitarian Action (GWF 2023) in Berlin, Germany. The discussions focused on the theme “Investing in the knowledge and capacities of women leaders of civil society organizations on the front lines”. The Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF), together with the German Federal Foreign Office (GFFO), organized this global conference as part of the WPHF Global Learning Center (L-HUB) .
The aim was to bring together women working in peacebuilding and humanitarian response, to discuss their priorities and influence the global agenda. The debates took place in a tense security context in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where women are mainly targeted by acts of mass rape.
Anny MODI, Executive Director of the non-profit organization Afia Mama (Women’s Health) and member of the strategic committee of the African Women Leaders Network (AWLN-DRC), spoke during the panel discussion with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany, Annalena Baerbock, on Germany’s feminist foreign policy. Anny MODI is committed to the fight for greater participation of women in the Nairobi process to negotiate peace in eastern DRC. She presented the initiative to set up the synergy of women for peace and security, of which Ms. Julienne Lusenge is the focal point, and also made a plea for Germany to support the implementation of the synergy of women for peace and security.
The Global Women’s Forum for Peace and Humanitarian Action (GWF 2023) in Berlin was an opportunity for women around the world to discuss peace and humanitarian action, in a context where multiple crises restrict more space for civil society activists. It is also an opportunity for women to share their experiences and priorities to influence the global agenda and improve the situation for all women in the world.