The oldest ancient women's peace organisation has been turned over just in time for their forthcoming Jubilee Congress in The Hague on April 22nd to 27th . Lack of political analyses and wisdom make them congratulate themselves for an incomprehensible step that will lead to the abandonment of disarmament and peace work altogether and narrow down the WILPF to defend middle class women's interests. This is yet another move back in history, in times round about 1915, when the international women's movement split over the issue of war and peace. The majority of the middle class suffrage movement sided with their male counterparts who were responsible for the WAR. Right or wrong it is my country, this was their slogan. A minority of academic women under the leadership of Jane Addams decided to challenge the notion of male militarism and to speak out against the war. After the first World War had come to an end these women met again Zurich. They closed their rank and file and founded and international organisation in order to study the root causes of war and conflict, They pledged to work for another international world order and help overcome an unjust economic system that was understood to prepare the womb for further wars. The newly born WILPF supported the League of Nations the predecessor of the United Nations, which was founded after another round of atrocious wars, later named World War II.
Today we are in the midst of what will be called World WAR III by future generations.
The younger WILPF generation seems to have forgotten the lessons of their foremothers.
But some of the mothers are still around and they raise their voice against such unwise policies. They speak out in defense of the UN-Charter and in defense of the UN spirit. They point out to those powers who bear the responsibility for blocking any peace and disarmament work within and without the UN-system. Instead of walking out and by doing so giving way do so promote the imperialist business, they continue their educational job. They advocate for nations under attack and speak out for solidarity with the victims of aggression, knowing that without such solidarity those nations will be at loss. They are those who defend up to this very day an alternative world order that will help to establish peace eventually.
To call the UN "a citadel of nations" is unwise and helps support those, who do not accept the notion of sovereignity as enshrined in the UN constitution that forms the bases for this internationally irreplacable organization. The UN-Charta treats all nations as equal, be they
small or large and so supports the non-interference into their national affairs. (Irene Eckert)
See article:
http://www.pjcvt.org/dbpjc/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/AprilMayJune2015.pdf
Speaking Truth to Power at the United Nations
BY Robin Lloyd
“...this may be the last time our voice is heard here......”
— excerpt from Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom
(WILPF) Statement to the UN‘s Conference on Disarmament on International
Women’s Day 2015, prepared and delivered by Reaching Critical Will, a program of WILPF
T he UN has become a citadel of nations, ruled over by five nuclear potentates with veto power in the Security Council. Periodically the fortress is besieged by civil society organizations knocking on the door for entry, raising their banners for peace and justice. This is most observable at the meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women during the first two weeks of March. Women flood the Church Center across the street from the UN, overflowing into the Armenian Convention Center down Second Avenue, sharing issues, strategies and concerns. Members of each women’s NGO share a limited number of passes to the UN building itself. This year, in a different UN-body, on International Women’s Day, something
unprecedented happened. It was a David and Goliath moment. It’s been a long time
coming – and, though largely symbolic, it made me proud
that my organization, the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, took a stand in an environment that has become painfully oppressive.
More precisely we resigned from monitoring and engaging with the Conference on Disarmament.
We, who are proud of being the first NGO to be affiliated with the UN through the Economic and Social Council back when the UN was getting started in 1946; we who see – or saw – the UN as a feminist organization dedicated to saving ‘succeeding generations from the scourge of war;’ we who recognized it as one of the few places where small nations could have a voice; in short, we who have tried to engage with this body that has been hijacked by corporate and nuclear powers, we said enough is enough.
Didn’t read about it in the NY Times? OK here’s the story, with a bit of back- ground. The Conference on Disarmament roadblocks, termed indignities, are not experienced at other disarmament forums—not, RCW said, “at the First Committee, not at meetings of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, not at meetings of the Non- Proliferation Treaty.”
For the last few years, WILPF has been permitted to deliver a statement to the
Conference on Disarma- ment (CD) to mark International Women’s Day. This is the only time of year that any voice from civil society is allowed inside the CD chamber.
Gandenberger went on to say, “This may be the last time our voice is heard here...This is a body that has firmly established that it operates in a vacuum. That it is disconnected from the outside world. That it has lost perspec- tive of the bigger picture
of human suffering and global injustice.
Maintaining the structures that rein- force deadlock has become more important than fulfilling the objective for which it was created: negotiating disarmament treaties.”
We can no longer invest effort into such a body. Instead we will continue our work elsewhere. There is much work to be done....”
Indeed. WILPF is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. It was founded in 1915 at a conference at The Hague dedicated to stopping WW1, by women is the forum that has been used by its member states, currently numbering 65, to negotiate the Biological Weapons Convention and the Chemical Weapons Convention. Since 1996, it has not negotiated any treaties or even agreed on which treaty to next negotiate, and it has put roadblocks in the way of any substantive conversation with civil society.
Reaching Critical Will (RCW) is a WILPF program that monitors the UN on disarmament issues. Mia Gandenberger, staff person for RCW, delivered a statement this year that said these research policy action
