n-peace award
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N-Peace Award
N-Peace, or ‘Engage for Equality, Access, Community and Empowerment’ is a UNDP flagship initiative founded in 2010 to commemorate a decade of UNSCR 1325 implementation via the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda. Many interventions aimed at facilitating WPS have approached women's inclusion through top-down tactics: influencing policy and lawmakers, empowering women to realize their economic potential, and introducing quotas for women's participation in peace agreements and political institutions. However, these approaches arguably do not always address the underlying structural causes of gender inequality. Furthermore, considering peace a top-level political or military process falls short of addressing the broader, nuanced issues faced by ordinary people affected by conflict in society. The annual N-Peace Awards, therefore, serve to shine a much-needed spotlight on grassroots gender equality advocates and women peacebuilders in the region. N-Peace ultimately serves four primary goals: first, to conduct dialogues among communities, governments and other groups related to WPS; second, to build the capacity of women peace activists working on the ground; third, to expand and strengthen the network of peace-building activists to best implement UNSCR 1325; and finally, to support women's participation in peace and security through sharing their stories.
Sl | Name | Country | Flag | Year | Awarded For |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
83 | Zarqa Yaftali | Afghanistan | 2019 | for ‘Women Right to Heritage and Property’ (2011) | |
82 | Dayani Panagoda | Sri Lanka | 2019 | for "career of formulating, implementing and sharing Women, Peace and Security policies". | |
81 | Dewi Rana Amir | Indonesia | 2019 | for " Women, Peace and Security Agenda in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia'. | |
80 | May Sabe Phyu | Myanmar | 2019 | for advocating women’s full realization of their human rights. | |
79 | Sarita Saru B.K. | Nepal | 2019 | for advocating against the discrimination of Dalit women. | |
78 | Meena Baber | Pakistan | 2019 | for capacity training on peacebuilding, psycho-social support for conflict affected populations, and providing safe zones for conflict-affected women. | |
77 | Froilyn Tenorio Mendoza | Philippines | 2019 | for advocating for the rights of Teduray and Lambangian women and girls. | |
76 | Amina Rasul-Bernardo | Philippines | 2019 | for sustainable peace development, academic advocacy on the intersections of gender, religion and peace, journalism, and community engagement with conflict affected communities to ensure inclusion of women on a myriad of levels. | |
75 | Ram Bahadur Sunar | Nepal | 2019 | empowerment of marginalized Dalit communities in Kailali, through implementation of a human rights approach in Kailali. | |
74 | Sohaila Rezaee | Afghanistan | 2019 | provides skills training to girl high school students, on leadership, advocacy for peace and providing mentorship support. | |
73 | Maisam Iltaf-Kazemi | Afghanistan | 2019 | safe education is provided to all regardless of gender. | |
72 | Khojasta Sameyee | Afghanistan | 2018 | Afghan journalist, she was awarded for her work in using radio to inform remote communities of women's rights, politics, and peacebuilding. | |
71 | Mahira Miyanji | Pakistan | 2018 | Social activist and founder of Woman is Nation Welfare Organisation, she was awarded for her commitment to women's empowerment and girls' education in Lyari, Karachi. | |
70 | Cynthia Maung | Myanmar | 2018 | Social activist and medical doctor, founder of the Mae Tao Clinic, she was awarded for her efforts in providing emergency maternal healthcare in conflict areas to refugee women at the Thai-Myanmar border. | |
69 | Visaka Dharmadasa | Sri Lanka | 2018 | Peace activist and founder of the Association of War Affected Women, she was awarded for encouraging important dialogues between women of different ethnicities in Sri Lanka, advocating for the empowerment and inclusion of women in peacebuilding process. | |
68 | Logshari Kunwar | Nepal | 2018 | Journalist and activist, she was awarded for her work in investigating gender-based violence and human rights violations in Nepal. | |
67 | Mira Kusumarini | Indonesia | 2018 | Preventing violent extremism expert and founder of C-Save (the Civil Society Action Against Violent Extremism), she was awarded for her work in rehabilitating and reintegrating ISIS-affiliated children and women deportees back safely into society. | |
66 | Samira Gutoc-Tomawis | Philippines | 2018 | Social activist and government official, she was awarded for her commitment to advocating the rights of women and marginalised groups in post-conflict Philippines. | |
65 | Hira Singh Thapa | Nepal | 2018 | Social activist and champion of women's rights, he was awarded for his continuous efforts in encouraging men to help end the practice of "chauupadi", child marriage, domestic violence, and menstruation taboos in Nepal. | |
64 | Mary Akrami | Afghanistan | 2018 | Activist, founder of the Afghan Women Skills Development Center and member of Afghanistan High Peace Council, she was awarded for having established peace "shuras" for women seeking conflict resolution. | |
63 | Muqadasa Ahmadzai | Afghanistan | 2018 | Peace and women's rights activist, she was awarded for her grassroots community efforts against conflict and supporting survivors of domestic violence. | |
62 | Sayeeda Muradi | Afghanistan | 2017 | Women's rights activist, Sayeeda was recognised for her role in managing inclusive'peace shuras' and supporting conflict resolutions for women's issues at community and district level. | |
61 | Cheery Zahau | Myanmar | 2017 | Co-founder of the Women's League of Chinland and member of the Chin Progressive Party, she was awarded for her efforts in empowering Chin women refugees with leadership training, education programmes, and health and nursing programmes. | |
60 | Srijana Karki | Nepal | 2017 | Leading social activist calling for the end of gender-based violence, Srijana was awarded for her role in ensuring that the voices of those belonging to marginalised groups or communities are adequately represented and heard at the government level. | |
59 | Rahmatan | Indonesia | 2017 | Humanitarian aid worker, counselor, and campaigner for women's judicial rights in Aceh, Rahmatan was awarded for her work in empowering Acehnese women and providing them with the support to emerge as leaders from the grassroots level. | |
58 | Farhat Sajaad | Pakistan | 2017 | Co-founder of the Shining Light Community Development Organisation, a social welfare organisation that equips communities with innovative education, training, and development programmes, she was awarded for encourages Muslim-Christian dialogue through providing training for both communities in economic empowerment activities. | |
57 | Bernadine Anderson | Sri Lanka | 2017 | Founder of Bridge2Peace (B2P) and La Petite Fleur School in Sri Lanka, she was recognised for her work in supporting rehabilitation efforts by engaging with young former Tamil Tigers, achieving peace through education. | |
56 | Hadja Giobay Diocolano | Philippines | 2017 | Founder of the Kadtabanga Foundation for Peace and Development Advocates, which helps conflict-affected and conflict-vulnerable communities in central Mindanao become Peace and Development Communities, she was awarded for promoting a culture of peace among communities affected by conflict, especially targeting youth and women. | |
55 | Suraya Yosufi | Afghanistan | 2017 | Founder of the Afghan Girls Debating Project, a project for high school and university students offering specialised training in critical thinking, rational reasoning, research skills, time management, and teamwork, Suraya was awarded for empowering young girls and providing a platform for Afghan women to speak their minds freely. | |
54 | Sharif Shah Safi | Afghanistan | 2017 | University lecturer and Debate Program Director of the Afghanistan Youths Civic Engagement and Educational Organization, Sharif was recognised for his role in preventing extremism, violence, and inequalities by promoting education and respectful conversations among youths. | |
53 | Gunawan | Indonesia | 2017 | Co-founder of the Sikola Mombine programme, an independent educational institution for women in central Sulawesi that provides training and leadership skills, he was recognised for his role in empowering women in Poso to take more prominent roles in both village decision-making and the correlating peace-building process. | |
52 | Farhat Asif | Pakistan | 2017 | Founder of the Institute of Peace and Diplomatic Studies, she was awarded for facilitating cooperation between government officials, civil societies, think-tanks, and educational institutions to raise the subject of women's inclusion in peace negotiations in Pakistan. | |
51 | Dwi Rubiyanti Kholifah | Indonesia | 2016 | Campaigner for improved rights of minority groups and marginalized women, she was awarded for her role in spreading peace education throughout Indonesia and work in developing leadership skills for women. | |
50 | Basanti Chaudary | Nepal | 2016 | Former bonded-laborer and Chair of the Kamaiya Pratha Unmulan Samaj (KAPUS), she was recognised for her role in helping violence-affected women to improve their economic and social circumstances, raising awareness of their rights, and providing them with the tools for empowerment. | |
49 | Habiba Sarabi | Afghanistan | 2016 | First woman Governor within Afghanistan and Deputy Chair of Afghanistan's High Peace Council, Habiba was awarded for her role in bringing peace to Afghanistan and to enhance and enrich civil and political rights for women and girls following the Taliban rule. | |
48 | Sumika Perera | Sri Lanka | 2016 | Social activist and founder of the Women's Resource Centre, Sumika was recognised for her role in empowering and supporting women to embrace their rights and face the subjugation entrenched in the society they live in. | |
47 | Rizwana Shah | Pakistan | 2016 | Women's rights advocate, Rizwana was awarded for her role in empowering women to gain financial independence in conservative and patriarchal parts of society and advocating for peace as a source of inclusion. | |
46 | Mariam Barandia | Philippines | 2016 | Executive Director of Kapamagogopa Inc., an NGO which provides skills training for young Muslims and former women combatants to expand their economic opportunities and exercise their role in building peace, she was awarded for her efforts in dispelling negative perceptions and prejudices between communities in the Philippines. | |
45 | Mossarat Qadeem | Pakistan | 2016 | Peace activist and founder of PAIMAN Trust, an NGO raising awareness and educating communities on the effects of violent extremism, TOLANAS, and the Women's Alliance for Security Leadership, Mossarat was recognised for her role in educating women to develop critical negotiation skills to aid wider peace-building. | |
44 | Rizky Ashar Murdiono | Indonesia | 2016 | Youth leader and co-founder of the 2030 Youth Force Indonesia initiative, Rizky was awarded for his role in empowering and engaging young people in the implementation of SDGs and the promotion of peace and rights awareness, LGBT rights, and disability acceptance. | |
43 | Aliya Harir | Pakistan | 2016 | Co-founder of Aaghaz-e-Dozi, an Indo-Pak friendship initiative which calls for change and new narratives in India-Pakistan relations and Youth Ambassador of Change for the Global Youth Peace Festival, aliya was recognised for her role in advocating for a world where young people are empowered, regardless of their background, ethnicity, or gender. | |
42 | Hasina Neekzad | Afghanistan | 2015 | Political and human rights activist for women and children's rights in Afghanistan, she was awarded for building a culture of peace through the positive engagement of young men and villages elders in the Herat province. | |
41 | Ja Nan Lahtaw | Myanmar | 2015 | Peace advocate and Executive Director of the Nyein Foundation, Ja Nan was recognised for her work in facilitating political dialogues between the Myanmar government and cease-fired ethnic armed organizations and advocating for their inclusion in Myanmar's political life. | |
40 | Sharmila Thapa | Nepal | 2015 | Founder of the Samida Women's Development Forum, an NGO empowering and supporting single mothers in Nepal, she was awarded for advocating for legislative changes against gender-based violence and providing a support system to women victims of violence. | |
39 | Rubina Feroze Bhatti | Pakistan | 2015 | Executive Director of Taangh Wasaib Organisation, a rights-based organisation tackling violence against women, religious intolerance, and discriminatory laws in Pakistan, Rubina was recognised for her role in fighting against gender-based violence and introduced human rights education programming in over 200 schools. | |
38 | Jo Genna Martin Jover | Philippines | 2015 | Grassroot activist for discriminated indigenous tribes in the Philippines, she was awarded for her dedication to promoting social and cultural equality of indigenous people, specifically the Moro women, and for encouraging peacebuilding between the government and the Moro communities. | |
37 | Maryam Durani | Afghanistan | 2015 | Former Kandahar Provincial Council Member and advocate for women's rights, Maryam was awarded for her many initiatives championing women's inclusion in political and social life in Kandahar, Afghanistan. | |
36 | Rahmat Ullah Rahimi | Afghanistan | 2015 | Founder of Modern Schools for Girls, an educational facility which has provided free education to more 600 girls in six refugee communities, he was recognized for championing women and girls' rights and efforts to end child marriages. | |
35 | Kaushila Chaudhary | Nepal | 2015 | Former bonded laborer and human rights activist, Kaushila was awarded for her work in ending discrimination and gender-based violence against ex-Kamaiyas in Nepal. | |
34 | Rahmatullah Noorzai | Afghanistan | 2015 | Youth leader and founder of an educational institute offering free classes and training to internally displaced people, Rahmatullah was recognized for his work with internally displaced women and children in Afghanistan. | |
33 | Hasina Jalal | Afghanistan | 2014 | Advocate for women's rights, journalist and lecturer in rural Afghanistan, she was awarded for pushing the agenda of women's rights in Afghanistan through capacity building with numerous national NGOs. | |
32 | Syarifah Aliyyah Shihab | Indonesia | 2014 | Founder of the Sharifah Aliyyah Shibab Foundation, which fosters opportunities for marginalized youth discouraging them from being influenced by fundamentalist and extremist opportunities, she was recognized for contributing to the creation of an anti-terrorism mentality among youth in Indonesia. | |
31 | Mi Kun Chan Non | Myanmar | 2014 | Director and Vice-Chair of the Mon Women's Organisation and women's rights champion, she was awarded for advocating women's participation in the peace processes and political life in Myanmar. | |
30 | Bimala Kadayat | Nepal | 2014 | Youth mobilizer and community role model for building sustainable peace, she was awarded for her efforts in educating her community on issues of bonded labour, violence against women, discrimination, and child marriage. | |
29 | Mona Parkash | Pakistan | 2014 | Vice President of the Future Youth Group Hyderabad, which promotes peace and tolerance in Pakistani society, she was awarded for her efforts in promoting and providing education to marginalised Pakistani children. | |
28 | Democracy and Peace Women Network | Myanmar | 2014 | Yangon-based local civil society organisation that strives to connect with individuals and communities whose rights and freedoms have been marginalised. they are awarded for their committed to contributing to both democracy and peace for an inclusive Myanmar. | |
27 | Rabiah Jamil Beg | Pakistan | 2014 | Leading television journalist and champion of gender equality, she was awarded for her commitment to cover the social issues that hamper the progress of women in conservative societies, and she has been instrumental in bringing to the debate women's perspective. | |
26 | Hajji Khalil | Afghanistan | 2014 | Former jihadist commander, who then became a prosecutor, district governor, and the head of the Badghis Provincial Peace Council in Afghanistan, Hajji was awarded for his contribution to conflict management, reconciliation, and inclusive peace in Afghanistan. | |
25 | Miriam Coronel Ferrer | Philippines | 2014 | First woman to have signed a major peace agreement as Chief Negotiator of one of the parties, activist and Political Science Professor, Miriam was awarded for her dedication in bringing more women to the peace table and implementing UNSCR 1325 at the national level in the Philippines. | |
24 | Shah Zaman | Pakistan | 2014 | Chairman of the Milky Way Foundation, lecturer and human rights activist, Shah was awarded for his dedication to ensuring high quality, free education to over 200 students in Pakistan. | |
23 | Wai Wai Nu | Myanmar | 2014 | Former political prisoner, Wai Wai Nu is a peacebuilder and human rights advocate. Founder of the Women's Peace Network, a platform that promotes peace and mutual understanding between Myanmar's different ethnicities, she was awarded for her commitment to advocating marginalised women's rights. | |
22 | Magdalena Bidau Soares | Timor Leste | 2013 | Peace activist and former guerilla fighter, she is the founder of Feto Haluk Hadomi Timor, an NGO providing training and support for the widows of ex-combatants. She was awarded for her dedication to the ongoing struggle for peace, unity and women's rights in Timor-Leste. | |
21 | Thavachsri Charles Vijayaratnam | Sri Lanka | 2013 | Co-founder of the Kilinochchi District Women's Development Federation, an NGO providing psychosocial support and social integration programmes for service users, Thavachsri was awarded for promoting the improvement of the lives of marginalised peoples in rural communities in Sri Lanka. | |
20 | Irene M. Santiago | Philippines | 2013 | Pioneering women's rights advocate and peacemaker, she is the co-founder of the Mindanao Commission on Women, an NGO composed of Moro, Christian, and indigenous women leaders. she was awarded for her commitment to advancing the significant role of women in the Women, Peace, and Security agenda. | |
19 | Valentina Sagala | Indonesia | 2013 | Founder of Yayasan Institut Perempuan, an NGO advocating for laws to promote the protection of women and children, monitoring policy formulation and law enforcement, providing direct services to women and children survivors of violence, Valentina was awarded for her efforts in promoting and shaping laws against gender-based violence. | |
18 | Shashi Kumary Adhikary | Nepal | 2013 | Lawyer and advocate for gender equality, she was awarded for her commitment to campaigning for gender equity within Nepal's laws and women's access to equitable justice, promoting women's rights from education and property rights to the basic right of identity. | |
17 | Masuada Karokhi | Afghanistan | 2013 | Afghan member of Parliament and MP and activist, Masuada was awarded for raising awareness about the promotion and protection of women's rights in Afghanistan. | |
16 | Suprayoga Hadi | Indonesia | 2013 | Civil servant and champion of women's rights, Suprayoga was awarded for his efforts in the inclusion of women in peace and security issues in Indonesia. | |
15 | Rohaniza Usman | Philippines | 2013 | Former Philippine Country Director and Coordinator for the Asia America Initiative, Rohaniza was awarded for promoting peace and development through education, inter-generational engagement and socio-economic development in Mindanao and Bangsamoro. | |
14 | Farkhunda Zahra Naderi | Afghanistan | 2012 | Former Afghan Parliamentarian and Senior Advisor to the President on UN Affairs, she was awarded for her commitment to representing women's voice in institutional settings and fighting for their political participation. | |
13 | Quhramaana Kakar | Afghanistan | 2012 | Gender Advisor for the Afghanistan Peace and Reconciliation Program, she has been instrumental in developing gender-responsive policies and organising women's groups to function as a pressure group to the government. Quhramaana was awarded for her commitment to engaging women and youth in the most insecure parts of the country towards creating peace and rebuilding Afghanistan | |
12 | Suraiya Kamaruzzaman | Indonesia | 2012 | Founder of Flower Aceh and advocate for the rights of Acehnese women, Suraiya was awarded for work to empower women by ensuring their safety and advising them on issues of economic and reproductive rights. | |
11 | Rupika De Silva | Sri Lanka | 2012 | Founder of Saviya, an NGO focused on supporting the rights of women and children in local communities, she was awarded for promoting a peace based approach of development for southern provinces and other conflict-affected areas of Sri Lanka and empowerment of women's entrepreneurship skills. | |
10 | Radha Paudel | Nepal | 2012 | Author and activist, she was awarded for her commitment to advocating for equal citizenship, the stop of child marriage and the empowerment of Mahesh women in Nepal. | |
9 | Teresita Quintos Deles | Philippines | 2012 | Social activist, civil servant and former Presidential Advisor to the Peace Process in the Philippines, she was awarded for her efforts in implementing UNSCR 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security at national level in the Philippines. | |
8 | Sister Lourdes (Mana Lou) | Timor-Leste | 2012 | Founder of ISMAIK, a solidarity network across Timor-Leste dealing with urgent humanitarian assistance and poverty, she was awarded for her dedication in promoting and defending human rights in Timor-Leste. | |
7 | Sadhu Ram Sapkota | Nepal | 2012 | Former Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction of Nepal, he was awarded for his efforts in applying the UN Security Resolutions 1325 and 1820 on recognizing and empowering women's rights and experiences, making Nepal the first country in South Asia to nationalize and operationalize these provisions. | |
6 | Amina Azimi | Afghanistan | 2012 | Founder of Empowering Women with Disability and Landmine survivors, Amina was awarded for her advocacy for the protection and the promotion of the rights of women and girls with disabilities. | |
5 | Purna Shova Chitrakar | Nepal | 2011 | Founder of the "Ban Landmines Campaign Nepal", she was awarded for her effort in empowering landmines victims and providing them with access to the opportunities they need to fulfil their goals. | |
4 | Filomena Barros Dos Reis | Timor-Leste | 2011 | Human rights and justice activist, she was awarded for her commitment to campaigning for political change on behalf of Timorese women. | |
3 | Shreen Abdul Saroor | Sri Lanka | 2011 | Founder of both the Mannar Women's Development Federation and the Women's Action Network for the empowerment and promotion of women's rights, she was awarded for her efforts in campaigning for peace and creating stability between the different ethnic groups in Sri Lanka. | |
2 | Electronita Duan | Indonesia | 2011 | Founder of Politenik Perdamaian Halamahera, an institute for those whose education was interrupted by armed conflict, she was awarded for her commitment to peacebuilding and the pursuit of peace through education and creative means. | |
1 | Rubina Feroze Bhatti | Pakistan | 2011 | Founder of Taangh Wasaib, Rubina is devoting her life to creating a more peaceful Pakistan. She protects the rights of religious minorities and women who are targets of gender-based violence. |
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N-Peace Award Laureates (2021 ~ 2019)
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Dayani Panagoda
N-Peace Award 2019
A policy specialist with experience engaging every segment of Sri Lankan society, Dayani Panagoda has had a long career of formulating, implementing and sharing Women, Peace and Security policies. Currently serving as Senior Technical Specialist for Global Communities, her extensive career integrates the training of professionals, women leaders and students on the role of women in social cohesion and sustainable peace. In addition to this role, she serves as the Director for the Institute of Monitoring and Evaluation – a newly formed institution that coordinates experts from a variety of disciplines to track the multi-dimensional development of Sri Lanka.
Dayani further works on Women, Peace and Security concerns of vulnerable and conflict affected communities. These experiences are reflected in policies she has had a hand in drafting, among which include – the National Action Plan on Reintegration of Ex-Combatants into Civilian Life in Sri Lanka, as well as, the Early Recovery in North and East of Sri Lanka.
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Dewi Rana Amir
N-Peace Award 2018
Dewi Rana Amir is a legal practitioner working to advance the Women, Peace and Security Agenda in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. She currently serves as the Chair of YBH Bantaya, a legal aid organization providing support to agrarian communities.
Dewi explores the intersectional challenges faced by women and girls in agrarian communities. Her work centers around community ownership of resources, and using this as a gateway to exploring broader issues of gender equality in agrarian communities.
Nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2005, and identified as part of the ‘1,000 Peace Women’, her work on women’s access to land rights in agrarian communities, the promotion of the rights of indigenous communities, and elimination of violence against women continues to be recognized at local and global levels.
Dewi is a part of a global network of women peacebuilders (Peace X Peace Global Network). She further serves as a Fellow for the Ford Foundation International Fellowship Program (IFP).
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May Sabe Phyu
N-Peace Award 2018
May Sabe Phyu has had a dynamic career advocating for women’s full realization of their human rights. Currently serving as Director of the Gender Equality Network, her work utilizes intersectional approaches and engages multi-sectoral stakeholders as partners in achieving gender equality. She uses various platforms to build on the gains of women in Myanmar, and continuously identifies and works to address laws, policies, as well as cultural and social norms that work against the achievement of full gender equality.
May’s work is centered around advocacy which considers gender, ethnicity, the rights of the disabled, and access to health care. She is the Co-Founder of the Kachin Peace Network, and the Kachin Women’s Peace Network, organizations that call for inter-ethnic dialogues social cohesion.
In 2015, she was the recipient f the International Women of Courage Award. In 2017, she was honoured for her role in advancing the Women, Peace and Security agenda in Myanmar through the Global Trailblazer Award. May is also an alumnus of the Mason Fellowship from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.
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Sarita Saru B.K.
N-Peace Award 2019
Sarita Saru B.K. is the Founding President of the Women Voice Foundation, and Executive Member of Saighali Media Group. Employing a mélange of development and mixed media advocacy, Sarita advocates against the discrimination of Dalit women. Her work incorporates localized efforts in the empowerment of Dalit women, and engaging online video activism to highlight contemporary cases of caste discrimination and its disproportionate impact on the lives of women and girls.
Sarita is also the Coordinator of the International Coordination Committee of the United Dalit Network – a network of individuals advocating for community based development of Dalit communities.
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Meena Baber
N-Peace Award 2018
Meena Baber is the Chief Executive Officer of the Women Empowerment Organization – an institution that advocates for social justice and women’s rights using community level development programming as an entry point to shift prevailing perceptions of women and gender equality. Her work primarily focuses on promoting women’s empowerment through community engagement in conflict-affected areas.
Throughout her career, Meena has managed approximately 70 projects on peacebuilding in conflict affected areas, particularly providing the following support in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA): capacity training on peacebuilding, psycho-social support for conflict affected populations, and providing safe zones for conflict-affected women. In addition, Meena’s work has assisted internally displaced people (IDPs) living in FATA through the provision of shelter, and support with health and livelihood options.
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Froilyn Tenorio Mendoza
N-Peace Award 2018
Froilyn Tenorio Mendoza has spent decades advocating for the rights of Teduray and Lambangian women and girls. Currently, she serves as a Founding Member and Executive Director of the Teduray Lambangian Women’s Organization Inc. (TLWOI), an organization that provides support to indigenous women in settling divorce cases, legal support for victims of gender-based violence, participates in public hearings for ancestral domain claims, and overall mobilizes women groups to influence traditional justice systems. The organization is reported to have successfully lobbied for the a community-based temporary special measure against early marriage and polygamy in Mindanao.
Froilyn voices the need for women’s inclusion at regional and international forums, and has served as a delegate on the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict (2014) as well as the Expert Roundtable on Supporting Women’s Participation in the Peace Process (2015). In 2018, she served as a Visiting Fellow at the Australian National University.
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Amina Rasul-Bernardo
N-Peace Award 2019
A noted human rights advocate, Amina Rasul-Bernardo has used a melange of private sector engagement for sustainable peace development, academic advocacy on the intersections of gender, religion and peace, journalism, and community engagement with conflict affected communities to ensure inclusion of women on a myriad of levels. She is the Co-Founder of the Philippine Center for Islam and Democracy (PCID), an institution which aims to empower Bangsamoro for peace and development. Amina has worked tirelessly to organize the Noorus Salam (Light of Peace), a national network of Muslim women religious and civil society leaders. She spearheaded the National Ulama Conference of the Philippines – a national network of Muslim religious leaders.
In addition to these efforts, she developed an Islamic peace manual which has been used in the Philippines and the region. The manual has further been developed and implemented by the Philippine Centre for Islam and Democracy as well as the Philippines Commission on Human Rights for a human rights manual for Muslim communities. Her work with PCID has resulted in research on the drivers of extremism in Philippines and South East Asia, and further strives to empower conflict-affected communities to prevent violent extremism. Amina continues to be a champion of Women, Peace and Security in the Philippines and to advocate for further visibility of women in conflict at regional and international levels through her published articles and columns.
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Ram Bahadur Sunar
N-Peace Award 2019
Ram Bahadur Sunar is the Chairperson of Digo Bikash Samaj (DBS) – an umbrella institution of 9 community-based organizations working towards empowerment of marginalized Dalit communities in Kailali, through implementation of a human rights approach in Kailali. Both through and outside his work with DBS, Ram has continued to advocate to eliminate all forms of violence against women.
Identifying some of the cross-cutting issues faced by women, his efforts have been focused on increasing the capacity and agency of Dalit women and former women bonded laborers (kamlari). A member of the NGO Federation of Nepal, Ram engages his platform in civil society to ensure the equitable treatment of women from marginalized groups. This has included creating and implementing programming on support to women micro-entrepreneurs, and mobilizing women’s organizations to call for gender responsive institutions at the local level.
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Sohaila Rezaee
N-Peace Award 2019
Sohaila Rezaee is the Co-Founder of Young Emerging Leaders Program and Head of the Afghan Youth Empowerment and Peacebuilding Organization (AYEPO). Through the Young Emerging Leaders Program, Sohaila provides skills training to girl high school students, on leadership, advocacy for peace and providing mentorship support.
She engages her training as a psychologist to create social cohesion, empowerment of girls and advocate for peace through equal treatment. Sohaila’s methodology includes a range of cultural and artistic support mechanisms to engage the most marginalized segments of communities in conversations of girls’ empowerment through education, peace and social harmony. As part of the Asia Culture House, she provided support for the Parwaz Painting Festival in 2018, under the theme ‘Positive Role of Women in Society’. She also facilitated the high school art competition ‘Paint for Peace’, and further volunteers with conflict affected children with art therapy and psychosocial support. Her efforts have been recognized with Sohaila being named a Generation Change Fellow by the United States Institute of Peace (USIP).
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Maisam Iltaf-Kazemi
N-Peace Award 2019
Maisam Iltaf Kazemi is the Co-Founder and President of the Rahila Foundation. After the tragic death of his cousin Rahila for attending the school, Maisam and some of Rahila’s classmates and family rallied together to ensure that safe education is provided to all regardless of gender. The Foundation currently runs mentorship and library programmes which have provided support to at least 1,000 youth – girls make up 79% of the beneficiaries for the scholarship, and 62% of the mentorship programme. Using his skills as a journalist, Maisam brings to light stories of peace, and highlights some of the life and death issues faced by women and girls in their quest for education and equal treatment.
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N-Peace Award Laureates (2018 ~ 2016)
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Mahira Miyanji
N-Peace Award 2018
Mahira Miyanji is a social advocate who promotes women’s empowerment and girl’s education. In 2013, she established the girls at a time Woman is Nation Welfare Organisation – a platform that provides free education for 125 through a system of 12 volunteers. So far, 2500 girls in Lyari, Karachi have benefited from the programme.
Families with the option to educate their children often choose boys to go to school rather than girls. Mahira’s organisation created a school for girls and women to attend free of charge and has been working with local and national politicians to standardise free education for girls. Mahira has gained regional and global gravitas; she participated in the Emerging Young Women Congress Fellowship programme with the Institute of Peace and Diplomatic Studies in 2015, and in 2017, she represented Pakistan at the ‘Beyond Girls Education Global Summit’. In 2015 and in 2016, Mahira received the Lyari Youth Icon Award from the Karachi Youth Initiative. In 2016, Mahira also received the I Am Karachi Award for her work in education for girls and women.
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Cynthia Maung
N-Peace Award 2018
A multi-award winning activist and famous medical doctor in Myanmar, Cynthia Maung focuses on women and peacebuilding through healthcare. She briefly joined the pro-domocracy movement in 1988.Her attempts to make a positive impact in her village were however cut short and she became a refugee on the Myanmar/Thailand border that same year. Despite this, Cynthia began offering medical services to fellow refugees as well as people from neighbouring villages. She became well recognized for her commitment to providing healthcare to Myanmar refugees, migrants and orphans without cultural, ethnic or religious discrimination. She started out establishinga makeshift clinic with minimal support, and today runs the Mae Tao Clinic that has networks with Thai health system. This clinic has a caseload exceeding 115,000 annually and with a client number of over 75,000 per year.
In conflict situations, women face exacerbated impediments to accessing health services – particularly maternal health services. To address this challenge, Cynthia developed a system of providing emergency healthcare for pregnant women, in and around Mae Sot. The former Nobel-Prize Nominee has been training women on delivering high standards of health care, and has used her influence in the region to lobby governments and international civil society to leverage networks of emergency health services.
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Visaka Dharmadasa
N-Peace Award 2018
Visaka Dharmadasa is one of the numerous women who was affected by the Sri Lankan war. She is dedicated to peacebuilding and is highly regarded globally as an activist who has fought for including women in the peace process in Sri Lanka.
In 2009, Visaka founded the Association of War Affected Women and Parents of Servicemen Missing in Action – an institute that she also Chairs. This platform engages in peacebuilding dialogues between conflict-affected women from different ethnicities in Sri Lanka, drawing on lessons from the Nepal Peace process.
Visaka believes in the power of networking between women groups to empower women in the region. She is a network member for Inclusive Security Women Waging Peace, part of the expert pool of Resolution to Act for UNSCR 1325, and a member of the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders. She is the Director of the National Peace Council and People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL), Sri Lanka. With several accomplishments including a Nomination of the collective Nobel Peace Prize in 2005 and winner of the InterAct Humanitarian Award in 2006, Visaka Dharmadasa is a global voice on empowerment and inclusion of women in peacebuilding process.
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Logshari Kunwar
N-Peace Award 2018
As the publisher and chief editor of the local media outlets Hamro Seti Weekly, the Morning Bell, and the Mahilakhabar, Logshari Kunwar has successfully brought attention to issues commonly faced by women in the region.
Post conflict, women remain vulnerable to gender-based violence. Logshari is one of the few women journalists active in the Kailali district of Nepal who covers issues on gender based violence, and women’s rights. Despite facing discrimination at the work place, hate crime, and physical violence for her work, she has persisted in using her voice to uncover women’s stories of injustice.
Her contributions were recognized by the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare when she received the ‘2009 Women Empowerment Award’. She also won the ‘2010 Women Empowerment Awards’ from the Press Council Nepal and the ‘2010 Women Activist/Pacifist Sankalpa Award’ from the Sankalpa Nepal organization in recognition for her work as a grassroots leader. Despite ongoing threats to her safety, Logshari is harnessing the power of journalism for women’s rights.
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Mira Kusumarini
N-Peace Award 2018
Violent extremism has become a rising security concern in Indonesia. Growing numbers of terror attacks threaten lives and instils fear among the public. Mira Kusumarini, a leading member of the civil society movement in preventing violent extremism, is well known for her work promoting peaceful dialogues and peace education. In her role as the Director of Search for Common Ground Indonesia, Kusumarini has worked with youth, correction officers, and faith organizations to combat violent extremism.
Kusumarini co-founded the Civil Society Action Against Violent Extremism, or C-Save, who work in community engagement, policy advocacy, and research. She also leads Empatiku (My Empathy) who work with ISIS-affiliated children and women deportees to reintegrate them safely into society. Through her commitment towards peace programs, business, and women’s empowerment, Kusumarini is a dedicated promoter of messages of peace.
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Samira Gutoc-Tomawis
N-Peace Award 2018
Samira Gutoc-Tomawis is an advocate for the people of Marawi, an area of the Philippines that has been a regular site of conflict and violence. Samira has held many different positions in government and has used her influence to advocate for the rights of women and members of marginalized groups. Samira wasa member of the expanded Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC), a government committee tasked with drafting the terms of Bangsamoro autonomy following the 2014 peace agreement.
In addition to her position on the BTC, Samira has acted as an advocate for women’s rights in post-conflict Philippines through academic and civil society related roles. She has served on the regional legislative assembly for the ARMM Government and is also a member of a civil society multi-sectoral advisory council. Samira was the Mindanao coordinator of the Young Moro Professionals Network (YMPN) and is a convenor of the Philippine Center for Islam and Democracy. She has lectured on Muslim leadership for entities such as the Civil Service Commission (CSC), the Philippine Army, and the Ateneo-supported Young Muslim Network program. These efforts have earned Samira recognition as one of the 500 Most Influential Muslims by Georgetown University’s Center for Muslim, Christian Understanding.
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Hira Singh Thapa
N-Peace Award 2018
Growing up in a poor community in Nepal, Hira Singh Thapa was very aware of the differences in rights that men and women received. He witnessed domestic abuse against women, and noticed the disappointment families would display when their newborn child was a girl instead of a boy. It was these experiences that prompted Hira to become a champion of women’s rights in the Dailekh community and to communicate that Nepali men also have a responsibility to help change gendered attitudes.
Hira is the Founder of Social Service Centre Nepal (SoSEC), an organization dedicated to improving access to social, cultural and economic rights of marginalized Daliekh community members. Through SoSEC, Hira has developed initiatives to end child marriage in his community as well as the traditional practice of ‘chauupadi’ which isolates menstruating women from their homes. Hira’s initiatives have involved the creation of awareness campaigns which educate male leaders on the dangers of child marriage and chauupadi, a helpline which supports survivors through counselling services, and education campaigns in schools.
Despite strong pushback from his local community, Hira Singh Thapa remains an unwavering advocate for women’s equal rights in post-conflict Nepal.
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Cheery Zahau
N-Peace Award 2017
“When I was in school, my teacher turned to me and said, ‘Your future will be in jail if you continue to question everything I teach you. You are at the doorsteps of prison’”, remembers Cheery Zahau.
At the age of 17, she fled to India and re-educated herself about her ethnic history and culture, consulting books that had been banned in her homeland. Surrounded by a community of Chin refugees and armed with new knowledge about the socio-political affairs of her people, she decided to volunteer with the Chin Women’s Organisation (CWO) to teach Chin refugee children. She also became a news editor for a quarterly bulletin focusing on women’s issues, and, with the support of her colleagues, collected and chronicled articles written by ordinary Chin women who did not have opportunities to contribute to male-dominated publications.
In 2004 at the age of 22, she and her CWO colleagues decided Chin women had to be transformed into drivers of change. She founded the Women’s League of Chinland with nine other Chin women’s organisations to try to provide services for women. She also supported the coordination of leadership training for Chin women refugees, education programmes, and health and nursing programmes so that women could go on to support basic health services in their communities.
The League began documenting human rights violations relating to Chin women (including sexual violence and forced labour) to ensure their stories were recognised. Cheery is the co-author of ‘Unsafe State’, a report containing first-hand research on systemic sexual violence against Chin women. She has become a prominent advocate for gender equality – both inside Myanmar and in the Chin people’s vast diaspora – and has trained thousands of women and men on human rights, gender equality, and political awareness.
Cheery has political ambitions. She ran for office during Myanmar’s general election held in November 2015. As a member of the Chin Progressive Party, she contributed her thoughts on human rights issues during the framework drafting process for a national political dialogue. She also regularly provides consultations for non-government organisations, using her comprehensive knowledge of political, social and economic issues.
“Human rights cannot be separated from me,” she says. “It forms an integral part of my being and thought. Whatever it is that I do in the future, it will be built on a strong foundation of human rights. To achieve peace in my country, we need to implement political and social change from the ground upwards and enforce the rule of law fairly for everybody. Women have to be involved in this transformation at every stage. This is what we need to continue pushing for.”
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Srijana Karki
N-Peace Award 2017
“There was a woman in our village whose husband had gone abroad for work. At that time, women were prohibited from ploughing the land with a hoe, so she asked her neighbour for help. The people of our village accused her of being unfaithful to her husband and engaging in sexual relations with her neighbour, even though she was innocent. One day, all the villagers gathered and completely stripped the woman of her clothes and beat her.”
Srijana Karki was in sixth-grade at the time, but the memory feels fresh.
The deep sense of injustice she felt while watching these events unfold had an immense impact on her. As a result of the Nepali civil war, the recent earthquakes that destroyed much of the country’s infrastructure, and the general persistence of gender roles in society, gender-based violence is one of the country’s biggest social issues. 48 per cent of Nepali women report to have experienced violence at some point in their lives, and 41 per cent of women aged between 20-24 were married before their 18th birthday.
“Taken out of school and often placed in isolating, vulnerable situations, these child brides grow up without education and thus without a means to gain future financial independence,” says Srijana.
“They can be subjected to physical, sexual, and psychological violence. It can be difficult to get a divorce in Nepal; although legal changes have made it possible for a woman to divorce her husband and keep some of her property, or gain custody rights to her children, these court cases tend to be lengthy and expensive. Furthermore, the social stigma against divorced women means that many women are afraid of being ostracised from their communities, and would rather endure years of abuse than leave their husbands.”
Born in the rural province of Dolakha, Srijana was unable to complete her schooling as a teenager because of financial constraints, and because women’s education is not often prioritised in rural Nepal. This has not stopped her. For the last sixteen years, Srijana has successfully worked in advocating gender-based violence prevention and response in the various villages around her home. She is currently a District Alliance Women’s Human Rights Defender. As a leading social activist, she raises issues affecting vulnerable women and children to provide shelter, advocacy, and legal rights and other protection services for survivors of gender-based violence.
In 2013, she set up ‘Aawaj Nepal’, an NGO affiliated with the Social Welfare Council that provides services for women and children who have been excluded from access to services out of fear of reporting. Her first project with Aawaj was setting up a temporary shelter/ transit home to provide a residence for those with nowhere else to turn. Aawaj also conducts training sessions to increase awareness about women’s rights, and highlights domestic violence at national and international policy-making levels so that they can be seriously discussed and solved. Furthermore, Aawaj organises gender-based violence awareness campaigns, and provides legal support, women’s empowerment programs (including English and computer literacy, self-defense, and economic enterprise training), counselling, and reintegration or relocation for survivors.
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Rahmatan
N-Peace Award 2017
Rahmatan’s life is one shaped by socio-political conflict and the ensuing humanitarian response. The situation in Ache, Indonesia has been complex and turbulent. Located at the northern end of Sumatra, Aceh has a history of political independence, including from the Indonesian central government.
The Free Aceh Movement (GAM) was a significant separatist group throughout the second half of the last century which fought against Indonesian government forces in the Aceh insurgency. Over 15,000 lives are believed to have been lost in the process.
During this conflict, Rahmatan, then a college student, became actively engaged in humanitarian aid, collecting data and distributing supplies to refugee camps in North Aceh, South Aceh, and Pidie. On her motorbike, Rahmatan knew could reach those women furthest away from help. She drove to remote places in the district to gain information and an understanding of what was needed. Haunted by what she saw at the refugee camps, from 1999 to 2004, she advocated for cases of human rights abuses in Aceh and the transfer of political prisoners to several detainment centres in Java.
“The situation in these detention camps was very inhumane,” she tells. “Violence, rape, even murder happened without sanctions. I felt that maybe if I were with them, I could share the burden of their fate with them. The catastrophe they suffered could also have happened to me. I didn’t see any difference between them and myself.”
In 2006, she joined Aceh Women’s League (LINA), an organisation that hopes to politically empower Acehnese women and to provide them with the support to emerge as leaders from the grassroots level. LINA’s programmes focus on three areas: increasing women’s political participation, promoting women’s social welfare, and contributing to the national and international dialogue around the role of women in peace-building and post-conflict societies. She worked with former women combatants and victims of conflict to develop their computer literacy and English language lessons, and managed to help LINA expanded its outreach province-wide.
Rahmatan is vocal about women’s empowerment, particularly for former women combatants, through social and political education and their full reintegration into a peaceful society. “Programmes for women need to have a balance between economic and political activities, because women also need the power of bargaining value in politics,” she says.
Currently, Rahmatan investigates and handles legal cases of violence against women and children. She is also a counsellor, assisting women and child survivors for the Integrated Service Centre for Women and Child’s Protection. She deals with issues ranging from domestic violence, to sexual violence, to trafficking. “Based on my experiences in the field, I see over and over how many survivors don’t understand their rights, nor how to overcome the mental burdens that they suffer from. Counselling is the first step to recovery,” she says.
Farhat Sajaad
N-Peace Award 2017
Farhat Sajjad believes that big changes – the kinds that break generational cycles of marginalisation, conflict, and poverty – often start with a small idea. Farhat grew up in a small village in southern Pakistan as the daughter of a labourer, and is the first woman in her family to graduate from college. After witnessing the conflict-induced poverty of her community and how this impacted families, she knew she wanted to help women develop skills to break free from their circumstances.
After hearing of the great need of the people in remote northern Pakistan, she and her husband packed up their possessions and moved to Gilgit Baltistan. She recognised that they were missing a safe place for women to learn skills to help them earn income for their families, and give them a stronger voice in family and community decision-making. Farhat also felt it was important to bring together women from diverse backgrounds to learn from one another and work together.
Along with a small group of friends and colleagues, Farhat co-founded the Shining Light Community Development Organisation (SLCDO) in 2007 – a social welfare organisation that equips communities in remote, northern Pakistan with innovative education, training, and development programmes. “It is not usual for women from different back-grounds to meet and learn together,” she says. “We had to work with families and the community for years to allow their daughters and wives to attend our programs with women from other communities. We have had to build trust. That takes time and good listening skills.”
Initially, she didn’t expect more than a few women to be interested, but ten women enrolled (five Muslims and five Christians). Sat on the floor of her local church storeroom, they learned how to embroider and knit by hand. After a while, a donation lead to the purchase of ten sewing machines. The name of the centre spread and admissions increased. Soon, two storerooms were crowded and a building on the church property was established, capable of facilitating 50 students at a time. Now, 510 students have been trained and have graduated from various districts. The training offered now includes classes on embroidery, knitting, sewing, English, Urdu, hygiene, ethics, and literacy. Upon graduating, students return to their communities and work from home to support their families, either selling sewn goods and handicrafts both locally and abroad, or becoming teachers. Some have even started vocational training centres in their own neighbourhoods. All of them achieve recognition and respect among their families and communities as they rise above oppressive gender stereotypes and actively contribute to society. The programme is now being replicated in other communities within the region.
Where segregation and separation between groups used to drive fear and fuel conflict in the comm-unity, by working and learning together through the Women’s Empowerment Programme, women who wouldn’t ever have connected have built friendships and networks of support and understanding. A small idea to equip women with income-generating skills is now fueling big changes in peace-building.
Farhat serves as the Director of the Women’s Empowerment Programme. In addition to managing day-to-day operations, she also oversees five programme trainers and 50 trainees each year.
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Bernadine Anderson
N-Peace Award 2017
At the end of the Sri Lankan civil war in May 2009 – a conflict that raged between the Sri Lankan government and the militant organisation Tamil Tigers for a total of 26 years – Bernadine Anderson was one of the first people called upon to rehabilitate child soldiers.
“When we first met these children, they were lined up next to a wall and you could feel them wishing the wall would move further away from us,” recalls Bernadine. “The mistrust in the air was so thick you could almost touch it. Many of the orphans felt that joining a rebel group was the only option to ensure their survival. I remember we needed to give them haircuts because their hair was so matted. There was a girl who screamed and screamed when we tried. We soon learned that one of the first things that happened when they were recruited by the rebel groups was that they had their hair forcefully cut with a knife. They had blade mark scars on the back of their necks. Something as basic as a haircut had become a traumatic experience for them.”
Bernadine founded La Petite Fleur School in 1993, and along with her team of teachers, supported rehab-ilitation efforts by engaging with these young former Tamil Tigers. The school is part of Bridge2Peace (B2P) – her most influential contribution to her mission of peace through education in Sri Lanka. B2P is a non-profit NGO that provided an immediate response to the 2004 tsunami that devastated the country.
Through B2P, she also founded the first ‘Early Education House of Children’ in Lunugamvehera, and reached out to underprivileged farming communities to bring them support. This programme, named the ‘Alpha Project’, was recognised internationally as one of the most successful rehabilitation programmes for former combatants, and has since been promoted as a blueprint for other organisations.
Building trust and creating an accepting, tolerant environment is at the heart of La Petite Fleur School which is grounded in the principles of Montessori. This is child-first concept that supports the view of the child as one who is naturally eager for knowledge and capable of initiating learning in a supportive, thoughtfully prepared environment. It is an approach that values the development of the whole child—physical, social, emotional, cognitive.
Bernadine truly believes that learning goes beyond the formal constraints of the traditional classroom. From watching the goings on at a busy food market, to a conversation at the dinner table, to taking a walk in nature – each of these environments has the capacity to educate if presented with the right lens. This was an approach she felt would benefit not only child combatants, but was the kind of education she wished for her own two daughters, having herself grown up in rural Sri Lanka, and experienced the difficulties that children in remote areas face gaining access to holistic education. Bernadine has also undertaken many training programmes for teachers in war-devastated areas, focusing on initiating peace for early educators in the north of the country. Teachers can be instrumental drivers of social change, and they have the power to instill a sense of tolerance and understanding.
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Hadja Giobay Diocolano
N-Peace Award 2017
At the age of 13, Hadja Giobay Diocolano already realised the importance of fighting for what she believed in. She has been a pivotal volunteer, medical first-aider and empowered spokesperson for peace in her community.
Back in the 1970s, her family were well-known local leaders in peace and development advocacy, and her formative years were divided between these activities and going to school – although her education was often disrupted during periods of unrest. Her eventual decision to leave school was born less out of economic reasons and more out of a strong resolve to help her community.
Hadja Giobay became part of the revolutionary group behind the women’s committee of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), and was shaped by her early experiences of conflict, spending much of her time helping medical teams, nursing gunshot wounds and counseling survivors. She would later oversee the operations of the biggest MNLF-run medical clinic at Marguez – a riverside, interior village, southeast of Cotabato City – and became a State Chairperson for the Women’s Committee of MNLF, covering most of the Central and Western Mindanao.
With the signing of the 1996 Peace Agreement between the government and the MNLF, she now promotes a culture of peace among communities affected by conflict, especially targeting youth and women. ‘Kadtabanga’ means helping one another. This is Hadja Giobay’s motto, and the name of her foundation in the Philippines: the Kadtabanga Foundation for Peace and Development Advocates (KFPDAI). This organisation helps 30 conflict-affected and conflict-vulnerable communities in central Mindanao become Peace and Development Communities (PDCs) by supporting former combatants and their children to become peace and development advocates. KFPDAI has been playing a vital role in the pursuit of the Bangsamoro political entity’s right to self-determination, and she has established a name for herself as a woman who has been looking for pathways of peace in this region.
“Initially, the challenge for vulnerable areas is the lack of common voice among the people. They need this to ensure they are recognised as a vital partner for government and international agencies. The foundation generally aims to synchronise their voices into one common vision and promote more responsive partnerships for peace and development in Bangsamoro,” she says.
The foundation has been working on peace-building initiatives, such as the delivery of basic services to those in need, livelihood projects, capacity building, violence against women and children prevention advocacy and response, and women’s rights promotion. She encourages youths to build their capacity as co-champions in conflict prevention in PDCs. She is also an advocate for the economic empowerment of those affected by conflict, spearheading the implementation of Islamic Microfinancing through Shariah-based Microfinance throughout conflict affected areas in the Maguindanao Province. This supports 1,080 individuals from 11 cooperatives regardless of their socio-religious tribe. The success of KFPDAI has inspired many communities in the conflict affected regions of Mindanao, and her organisation was a recipient of the RAFI Triennial Awards in 2015. This award recognises individuals and institutions whose efforts bring about change and enhance the quality of life of various communities. KFPDAI was also a recipient of the Gawad Kalasag Award in 2016 for outstanding contribution in Disaster Risk Reduction Management and humanitarian assistance.
“My dreams and aspirations are gargantuan. It is my honour to win this N-Peace Award as a local woman leader. I hope to become an even more proactive women leader for welfare and development from the grassroots level in the future. We should encourage more women to become involved in non-violent mitigation. I would tell them to be optimistic, fair, respectful, patient and strong.”
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Gunawan
N-Peace Award 2017
The multi-layered social identity of Indonesia reflects the structure of the nation; an archipelago consisting of thousands of volcanic islands, each the home of different ethnic communities speaking different languages. This cultural miscellany makes this nation so unique, and yet difference can also be a double-edged sword.
Over the years, conflicts have arisen due to the difficulty for some groups to accept and live peacefully alongside different communities. The Poso riots in Central Sulewesi that occurred at the turn of the millennium – a conflict between groups of Muslims and Christians – as well as ten years of communal conflict in Indonesia had a profound effect on Gunawan.
The child of an interfaith relationship – his father Christian, his mother Muslim – he occupied a grey space between two conflicting communities and therefore experienced social and religious prejudice from both sides. The strain of judgement was a contributing factor toward his parents’ decision to separate. Inter-faith disagreement is therefore something that Gunawan experienced on a deeply personal level; “When I was a child, I could not understand why people were killing each other just because of religious differences,” he recalls.
The communal conflict made decent education for youths difficult to come by, which, with an added lack of economic opportunities, drove many youths towards violent groups. Determined instead to be a positive actor of change, in 2007, Gunawan became part of a local organisation called ‘Kreasi Muda Youth Centre’ – an initiative that promoted peace among youth in Poso through culture, creativity, and sport.
In 2010, he was given the opportunity to join a five-month ‘School of Peace’ course organised by the Interfaith Cooperation Forum (ICF) in India, after which he joined the ICF movement as peace trainer in Cambodia, Thailand, Nepal, and Japan. He then joined a local Indonesian NGO called the ‘Women and Children Care Community’. As a field coordinator, he helped develop the youth creativity house ‘Banua Ananggodi’ which advocated greater understanding about violence against women and children.
Importantly, he then went on to found the Sikola Mombine programme with three friends: an independent educational Institution for women in central Sulawesi that provides training and leadership skills.
In the first three months of the programme, the women in Poso (aged between 18 and 45) undergo leadership capability training to build their confidence and enable them to take more prominent roles in both village decision-making and the correlating peace-building process. Following this, the programme offers an opportunity for women to develop their expertise in specific topics of interest.
These include economic enterprises, which are encouraged as a way for women affected by conflict to gain financial stability. Poso is a forested area, with many relying on the land for their survival; training sessions on how to ensure their natural resources remain sustainable are very much valued. There are currently 30 learning centres in Central Sulawesi which have trained around 500 women to be actors for change in their communities. About 25 women have engaged in grassroots advocacy for gender equality, addressing violence against women and children, and promoting basic social rights for women in their villages.
“Women’s position in Poso tends to be one built around a sense of community dialogue through shared domestic activities like washing in the river, or trading in the market. We have to understand how powerful women are in every segment of life, and we have a duty to ensure they believe in them-selves. Even though these women have experienced numerous forms of violence and poverty, my dream is to see them be independent, and voice out their political rights in parliament,” says Gunawan.
In his spare time, he shares his love of reading as a literacy campaigner with the volunteer project ‘Komunitas Poso Babaca’ which he also founded with a group of friends in 2014. They transport cardboard box libraries to remote areas, making use of a network of 35 active young volunteers. These little mobile learning centres have reached 10 villages, benefiting more than 750 children in Poso.
“Equal access to education is still one of the greatest development challenges in Indonesia,” he asserts. “We need to provide more spaces for people to acquire education in both formal and informal ways. This N-Peace award is not an award for me but for every person I have met on my journey who has supported this cause.”
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Farhat Asif
N-Peace Award 2017
“Academia can play a huge role in mitigating peace and altering the perception of conflict. The ways in which different cultures perceive each other forms the complex structure of international relations. Academia helps students to think outside of the box, provides the impetus to improve their critical thinking, has the power to influence them with ideas, and melds their views in ways that can be fruitful for the community,” says Farhat Asif.
Academia has clearly had a big influence on Farhat’s life too. Born and raised in a marginalised region of Kashmir, Pakistan, Farhat has lived a life very much affected by conflict.
“At the core of everything I do is the desire to establish collaborative thinking to arrive at solutions that are inclusive, and that positively affect women in conflict zones,” she says. “When I was young, my father was a political activist and lawyer. He was good at forming networks and connections with a vision towards education, peace and harmony. A lot of what I’ve been doing has been as a result of the encouragement of my father. Despite struggling with ill health, he has told me to fight life’s odds with my head held high. Challenges are not ones to cry about but to build yourself up from. I later moved to the University of Pakistan and created my own network; I had inherited his ability to collaborate well with people to fulfill common objectives.”
Now, Farhat has 15 years experience in the social development sector, and has been using her ability to bring people together to encourage dialogues between academics, government officials, and development agencies to improve understanding of peace and the role women play in peace-building. In 2008, she founded an opinion-based, multilingual academic publication, The Diplomatic Insight’ The theme of this publication is ‘Peace Through Informed Dialogue’, and it has provided a platform for people from different nationalities, cultures, and languages to express themselves, and develop an understanding of one another.
The publication has representatives in 12 countries and has signed agreements of cooperation with ten different language speaking countries. Through the magazine’s influence, she has organised conferences, workshops, and training for youths to connect with policy makers, and help develop inclusive strategies about conflict resolution, peace-building, and development. In 2014, she founded the Institute of Peace and Diplomatic Studies – an independent, non-government, non-profit think tank that aims to cultivate global peace through knowledge sharing and research, analysis and policy development in the areas of peace, conflict, sustainable development, and diplomatic studies.
She hopes for the institute to become the leading institute for peace in Pakistan, as no publicly owned, peace-lead, citizen-lead places to learn about peace, diplomacy, journalism, conflict, and women, peace, and security currently exist in her country.
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N-Peace Award Laureates (2015 ~ 2013)
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