During the closing ceremony of the WPP Asia Training of Trainers cycle and the WPP Asia Consultation Meeting on 11 April, WPP and the WPP Asia network were honored by the presence of Ambassador of the Netherlands, his Excellency Tjeerd de Zwaan. His visit was a recognition of the hard and valuable work of the ToT participants and the WPP Asia network members in the field of peace and security. It enabled the network to thank the Dutch government for its support throughout the years. It was also a great opportunity to highlight the impact of a gender-sensitive active nonviolence approach in Asia.
The Closing Ceremony – on the right Ambassador de Zwaan
The Dutch Government has supported the Women Peacemakers Program ever since its establishment in 1997, and its support has been one of the certainties WPP could rely on in its ground-breaking work in the Women, Peace and Security field. It allowed the WPP to invest in capacity building programming for women peace activists and awareness-raising on women’s peace efforts and the importance of integrating a gender perspective in peacebuilding (UNSCR 1325).
Ambassador de Zwaan was welcomed by Isabelle Geuskens, WPP Director, and Carla June Natan, Chair of the Asia Mother Board. In her opening speech, Carla June Natan reflected on the two-day Asia Consultation Meeting. She noted that, although the members of the network work in different contexts, the similarities in challenges and opportunities reinforce the need for a strong gender-sensitive active nonviolent network in the region. The WPP Asia network is of an added value for the region, as it provides a space wher
e the activists can support each other in their passion and determination to achieve change. Carla stated that she has high hopes for the future and looks forward to the network’s activism in the upcoming years.
Isabelle Geuskens commended the pro-active approach of the Government of the Netherlands in the Women, Peace and Security field. According to the WPP Director, the innovative and flexible stance of the Dutch Government contributed greatly to the success of WPP’s work.
“Most importantly, the Dutch Government’s flexible approach as a donor has allowed WPP to remain a learning organization, one which is deeply rooted in the realities of activists’ life and work, and one which can be flexible in terms of responding to ever-changing political and social dynamics. This has enabled us to be innovative and introduce the concept of integrating a masculinities perspective in gender-sensitive peacebuilding, a completely new concept in our field of work since there was no previous track record to build on. Our successful pioneering in this area has contributed to the opening up of the women, peace and security agenda, and a growing awareness on the importance of working with gender-sensitive male allies in creating a more gender-just and peaceful world.”
Isabelle Geuskens invited the Asia network members and ToT participants to share experiences with gender-sensitive active nonviolence and the impact the WPP trainings had on their lives and communities. Examples ranged from being empowered as a young woman by WPP to organize a youth peace camp for girls in India; to introducing gender-sensitive active nonviolence to Indonesian media; to providing resource materials and support for working on positive masculinities in a conservative area in Pakistan.
Receiving the well-earned ToT certificates
Ambassador de Zwaan could relate to many of the participants’ testimonials as he himself has worked in countries such as India, Pakistan and Egypt. In his speech the Ambassador underlined the importance of empowering women in society, specifically in conflict situations. The Dutch Government has a long track record in funding and supporting women’s organisations to work for gender equality, female leadership and the implementation of UNSCR 1325. Looking at the future, stakeholders will need to explore new opportunities for the advancement of the women’s agenda. An example is the use of media, where he mentioned an Afghan radio station managed by women and producing radio programs for women, financially supported by the local Dutch Embassy. According to the Ambassador, working with masculinities is a relatively new area to advance the women’s agenda, and he applauded WPP for its pioneering role in this field. He was proud that the Dutch Government could contribute to the work of WPP, specifically in the Asia region. The Ambassador looked forward to hearing more of the WPP Asia network soon.
Following Ambassador de Zwaan’s speech, the ToT participants received their well-earned certificate for completing the Asia ToT on gender-sensitive active nonviolence. The participants spoke warmly about their colleagues, showing the bonds of friendship that developed during the program and the determination to work together for gender-sensitive peace.
The WPP team and the WPP Asia network would like to thank Ambassador de Zwaan for attending the closing ceremony of the events in Indonesia, and look forward to welcoming him at future events.
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