VOIX DES FEMMES with Yanar Mohammed

Iraqi human rights activist Yanar Mohammed is the guest at this year’s VOIX DES FEMMES series of events organized by TERRE DES FEMMES Switzerland. From June 8-13, 2017, the feminist will be speaking in various Swiss cities about her fight for women’s rights in Iraq.

Fifteen years ago, Mohammed founded the first shelters to protect women affected by violence in her country. She has been awarded several international prizes for her work.

In order to achieve a fairer society, it is necessary to protect human rights activists from persecution and violence. Switzerland also has a responsibility under international conventions and must live up to this in order to protect human rights and their advocates.

With Yanar Mohammed, TERRES DES FEMMES Switzerland will be opening discussions about the work of human rights defenders, and particularly those who promote women’s rights, at four public events in Bern, Geneva, Lausanne, and Zurich.

PeaceNexus: a new member of KOFF

Launched in 2009, PeaceNexus is a foundation that invests in building the capacities and effectiveness of peace relevant actors. It provides advisory and facilitation services to organizations committed to preventing conflict and building peace in order to support organizational development and strengthen partnerships. The organization seeks to identify ‘peace-relevance’ through ongoing context analysis.

Current partners include both local and international NGOS, governments and multilateral organizations as well as the private sector. Its current geographical focus is on the Western Balkans, West Africa, Central Asia and Myanmar. The organization is governed by a board and has 12 staff members. The funding comes from an endowment provided by the Swiss philanthropist Hansjörg Wyss.

PeaceNexus joined the KOFF platform at the beginning of the year. As a KOFF member, it hopes to learn from the practical experience of other members and identify opportunities for collaborative initiatives.