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Women in Peacebuilding and Leadership (WIPL)

Women in Peacebuilding and Leadership (WIPL)

The Women in Peacebuilding and Leadership (WIPL) advocates for the effective participation, leadership, and representation of women in mediation, collaborative processes, dialogue, and peacebuilding around the world.

We believe women’s involvement is not only essential to achieving just and lasting peace—but also fundamental to fulfilling the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goal 5 (Gender Equality).

Who We Are

WIPL is a global action group within a people-centered peacebuilding organization. Our members include mediators, negotiators, peacebuilders, and community leaders—many of whom are women and gender-diverse individuals—working to transform conflict, build relationships, and advance inclusive leadership at all levels of society.

Rooted in an equity lens and guided by the principles of social cohesion, intersectionality, and trauma-informed practice, we work to dismantle systemic barriers that prevent women from contributing fully to peace and security efforts.

Our work supports and amplifies the voices of women affected by violence and conflict, particularly in contexts where legal and social frameworks limit access to justice and participation.

Our Mission and Goals

Our primary objectives are:

To promote women’s full and effective participation in mediation, collaborative decision-making, and peacebuilding at local, national, and global levels.
To ensure women’s equal representation in high-level negotiations, peacebuilding, policymaking, and consultations—especially on issues that directly affect them, including peace negotiations, gender-based violence, health care, environmental justice, economic justice, childcare, and education for women and girls.
To increase access to justice through conflict resolution through collaborative, non-adversarial processes that address the needs of women and marginalized communities.

Our foundational goals include:

Advancing gender equity in community leadership as a necessary condition for sustainable peace.
Building the leadership, conflict resolution, and negotiation capacities of women across diverse global contexts.
Advocating for the implementation of UNSCR 1325 and the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, particularly in regions where progress remains uneven or regressive.

What We Do:

Global Advocacy

WIPL has participated as a delegation at every Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) session since CSW58. We organize high-level panel discussions and collaborative events on pressing issues such as:

Climate Change and Women, Peace & Security
Technology and Peacebuilding
Women as Agents of Change
Collaborative Mediation and Dialogue

We use these platforms to share field experience, amplify women's voices, and influence global norms and policies. To read past written statements to the Commission, see below:

MBBI Statement to the CSW 67 (E/CN.6/2023/NGO/165)
MBBI Statement to the CSW 64 (E/CN.6/2020/NGO/132)
MBBI Statement to the CSW 63 (E/CN.6/2019/NGO/109)
MBBI Statement to the CSW 62 (E/CN.6/2018/NGO/132)
MBBI Statement to the CSW 61 (E/CN.6//2017/NGO/37)
MBBI Statement to the CSW 60 (E/CN.6/2016/NGO/76)

Strategic Action & Policy Reform

WIPL advocates for systemic change by:

Supporting legal and policy reforms that protect women’s rights across borders.
Promoting gender-responsive budgeting and leadership training, especially for rural and conflict-affected women.
Addressing structural inequalities that hinder women’s access to leadership roles and decision-making spaces.

We emphasize intersectionality and recognize that lasting peace depends on addressing the interconnected impacts of gender, race, class, migration status, and other factors.

Building Partnerships

We work with allies across sectors—including Rotary, civil society, academic institutions, and local grassroots movements—to expand our reach, deepen impact, and ensure sustainability.

We are currently building:

A global International Women’s League to unite and amplify diverse voices in peace processes and women’s leadership.
Action groups that foster skill-sharing and focus on issue-specific advocacy that impact women.
Strategic collaborations with organizations and governments aligned with our goals.

Our Aspirations

We are committed to:

Continuing to engage with the UN platform to achieve the 2030 Agenda, especially combining SDG 5 (gender equality), SDG 16+ (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions) and SDG 17 (Partnership for the Goals), recognizing its centrality to all other goals.
Advocating for actions that elevate gender equality—through local engagement, funding for women-led initiatives, and public education to shift mindsets.
Sharing our insights and practices with international systems to help shape the Women, Peace and Security agenda and ensure it is meaningfully implemented.