“Women, Peace, Security” Agenda in Focus for the Women’s Fund

5 August 2024

In a previous article, we detailed the humanitarian support processes by the Women’s Fund Armenia, including our sources of cooperation and support for local organizations and groups. We had promised to present programs that are not only humanitarian but also directly related to various aspects of the “Women, Peace, Security” agenda.

In this context, we present our collaboration with several organizations and initiatives:

The programs implemented through this collaboration vary widely, which is crucial as it reflects the diverse positions and aspects involved in executing ideas under the “Women, Peace, Security” theme. For example, some programs have a specific agenda, such as the road map design by the FemForward Women’s Empowerment and Community Development NGO. This project aims to enhance the involvement of women in Armenia in the women, security, and peacebuilding agenda. The program will culminate in an extended panel discussion.

Another initiative focuses entirely on organizing the Women’s Peace Summit, which will help HUB Artsakh produce a summary report with the main findings and recommendations from the Women’s Peace Summit. This report will be available in English and Armenian and disseminated both locally and internationally. Additionally, the summit will create a network of motivated women advocating for a greater role in the peace process.

One program, distinct from summits and conferences, is in the “non-conference” format and is run by the Caucasus Research Resource Center. Its objective is to research and present the current life experiences of forcibly displaced women from Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh and their challenges. To achieve this, the CRRC-Armenia team, along with a young expert/activist from the displaced women, will develop research capacity and summarize their findings in a suitable abstract. This abstract will be published online and shared through a social media campaign, including policy recommendations.

Studying local experiences is vital, as is expanding international and regional connections and peace dialogues with neighboring countries. Although the Women’s Fund Armenia generally does not finance projects outside Armenia due to its limitations and goals, the Alvan Tsaghik NGO impressed the selection committee with its innovative “Purple Peace” program. This project aimed to demonstrate peaceful coexistence through the joint efforts of Armenian and Georgian women, promoting feminist peacebuilding. The project’s key concept was that peace can be more than a general, abstract idea; it can also be “purple” when women combine their efforts, goals, emotions, and abilities, showing the public that principles of sisterhood, solidarity, and collaboration can be crucial in peacebuilding dialogues.

Besides conferences, experience exchanges, and research, the programs also include elements that empower and educate participants. For instance, the Yezidi Center for Human Rights NGO‘s program, guided by gender sensitivity and the intersectionality of the “Women, Peace, Security” agenda, will address issues faced by national minorities, particularly Yezidi women. By emphasizing the meaningful participation of women and youth, the project aims to create a more inclusive and human-centered atmosphere in Armenia’s peace and security context. The program will focus on empowering ethnic minority women through capacity building and promoting their active involvement in human security discussions, making a significant contribution to peace and security in Armenia.

Continuing the trends of empowerment and self-determination, the short-term goal of the Martuni Women’s Council NGO project is to foster peaceful coexistence between refugee women residing in the Martuni community and local women by promoting social activism. The long-term objective is to contribute to the development of participatory behavior among active women in the Martuni community, regardless of their socio-economic status.

Similarly, the Agate NGO is incorporating elements of inclusiveness into the “Women, Peace, Security” agenda. The project’s goal is to leverage the transformative power of cultural activities to support the psychological well-being, resilience, and empowerment of displaced women while preserving their cultural heritage and enhancing community cohesion. It is also crucial to create a safe, supportive, and inclusive environment where displaced women from Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh can build networks of solidarity, mutual support, and empowerment.

The integration of cultural and artistic elements extends beyond this, as Emma Tigranyan and her colleagues employ the transformative power of art to address challenges to peace. The discussions about how to formulate art and position oneself as an artist are prevalent in the artistic and cultural sphere. This project seeks to explore answers related to the peace agenda, feminist perspectives on peace, artistic activism, and the role of women artists in these areas. The program primarily aims to uncover the role of women artists in peace discussions and processes, attitudes toward peace, and the potential of culture and art in peacebuilding and the development of personal peace for the participating artists.