Listen To Us: Women’s Rights Cannot Wait
October 31 marks 23 years since UN and Member States pledged their support for women’s full, equal, meaningful and safe participation in peace and security.
October 31 marks 23 years since UN and Member States pledged their support for women’s full, equal, meaningful and safe participation in peace and security. Yet women’s rights today are under ceaseless attack in contexts marked by intensifying conflict, rising authoritarianism, militarisation. Women’s participation in peace processes remains unacceptably low and is decreasing.
This is the third year in a row that the Nobel Peace Committee has chosen to honour human rights activism. This year’s award goes to Narges Mohammadi in recognition of her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all. She is an outstanding individual who has shown extraordinary courage over more than a quarter of a century.
This year’s Sydney Peace Prize is awarded to Nazanin Boniadi, an Iranian-born human rights activist, for lending a powerful voice to support Iranian women and girls and the #WomanLifeFreedom movement. The Annual Sydney Peace Prize Lecture and Award Ceremony is on 2 November at Sydney Town Hall. Join us to recognise the contribution of Australian and Iranian women’s rights activists. Event details and registration link can be found here.
Recognising the outstanding contribution of women human rights defenders and women peacebuilders such as Nazanin Boniadi highlights the important issue of gender equality as an essential factor in a country’s stability and security.
Women’s rights are the backbone of resilient, peaceful, and democratic societies. If our national commitment to women peace and security means anything at all we must stand together for human rights and justice and elevate the many voices of solidarity and peace.
The Sydney Peace Prize Lecture and Award ceremony is on Thursday 2 November from 6:30 to 8pm at the Sydney Town Hall.