Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson held her annual “A World of Women for World Peace” Conference in Washington D.C. This peace initiative was started by the Congresswoman more than 13 years ago and has garnered international acclaim for bringing awareness to the role women play in creating world peace. The conference was attended by more than a hundred different peace activists and leaders from around the globe. Democratic House of Representatives Minority Leader, Nancy Pelosi, also offered remarks on the importance of these women led movements throughout the world.
“I began this women’s peace initiative in 2001 to bring greater visibility to the women who are victims of war and aggression and the women who promote peacemaking, peacekeeping and peace-building activities in their communities,” said Congresswoman Johnson. “I am thankful for all of our distinguished panelists. Today’s messages sparked conversations and offered solutions on how to bring more women to the table in these areas of the world where they are striving for peace.”
The panelists included a diverse array of leaders from various countries. All of the speakers have been making important strides in bringing peaceful solutions to areas of the riddled in conflict. The conference was moderated by Pamela Aall, senior advisor at the U.S. Institute of Peace, and featured two panels that focused on educating and improving the lives of women in areas of Afghanistan, Central Africa, and Pakistan. The first panel of speakers included: Dr. Otunba Basirat Nahib, founder of Women Advancement for Economics & Leadership Empowerment in Africa, Maryam Rashid, executive director of Afghan Education for a Better Tomorrow, and Paul Rusesabagina, the man that the Oscar nominated movie, Hotel Rwanda was based on. The second panel included the executive director of the Welfare Association for the Development of Afghanistan, Jean Kissell, Miki Kashtan, founder of Bay-NVC, and founder of the women-led Pakistan organization AWARE girls, Gulalai Ismail.
