Background
Women Peace Makers (WPM) is a leading organization working on the intersection of peace, gender and development. Originally starting up as a women and youth-led peacebuilding network in 2000 and establishing itself as an NGO in 2003, WPM envisions a peaceful and gender just society where everyone, regardless of identity and ability, can reach their full potential and live free from violence. To achieve that, WPM works to support the empowerment of women and youth, transform conflict, and prevent violence, including gender based violence, by providing creative tools and space for dialogue, deeper understanding and strategic intervention into issues of gender and peace. Today’s WPM is the culmination of more than two decades of actions and learnings in the field with a longstanding and well-recognized history of intervening in violent situations for women in Cambodia. WPM has developed a strong base of programming to raise awareness, empower women/youth, and advocate for change in the community and conflict settings. WPM thematic programming are Gender and Women Issues Program which includes initiatives related to gender equality, women and girls’ empowerment, feminist leadership, gender-based violence prevention, gender sensitive mediation, and minority inclusion, while the Peace and Conflict Transformation program includes initiatives such as women, peace and security, interethnic peacebuilding, peace education, freedom of religion and belief, and among others, peace and feminist participatory action research. WPM is grounded in its approach and community voices inform all of its continued learning and strategic directions.
Currently, WPM works at the local level with grassroots communities, at the national level with civil society and national key stakeholders, and at the regional level with other NGOs, universities and gender and peacebuilding networks.
Women Peace Makers’ Main Activities
WPM works to support the empowerment of women and youth, transform conflict, and prevent violence, including gender-based violence, by providing creative tools and space for dialogue, deeper understanding, and strategic intervention on the issues of gender and peace. WPM focuses on 2 intersectional thematic programs: 1) Gender and Women’s Issues and 2) Peace and Conflict. We work at the local level with grassroots communities, at the national level with civil society and key stakeholders, and at the regional level with other NGOs, universities, and networks. Our gender work focuses on gender dynamics, women’s rights, and leadership including girls, while the peace work focuses on building interethnic harmony, preventing violence, and transforming conflict. As a women’s rights organization, all WPM interventions aim to understand gender inequality in every context and are cognizant of power dynamics involving gender. Whether hosted in the gender and women’s issues program or the peace program, every activity provides the opportunity to explore and promote women’s rights and interests to wider audiences. WPM also uses approaches that can ensure rights-based principles grounded within all activities.
Partnership with Ponlok Chomnes
Under the Ponlok Chomnes II Program, WPM provides advisory support to Ponlok Chomnes Strategic Partners on GEDSI in research, communication, dialogues, and networks, as well as supports the program to ensure GEDSI is embedded in its processes and activities, where relevant. WPM will also support the program as the SheThinks Network’s Secretariat in year 1 and 2 of the program (2023-2025).
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