Women, Peace and Disarmament: Perspectives and Actions from the Global South (UN Office in Vienna)

Written by: Abaigeal Lorge

The event was organized by Youth Fusion and PNND, and co-sponsored by Nuclear Wake Up Call, Security and Defence Wing – G100, and Youth for TPNW.

Chair: Michaela Higgens Sørensen

Speakers: Ela Gandhi, Ana María Cetto, Le Sen, María Garzón Maceda, Aigerim Seitenova

On May 24, 2022, the event “Women, Peace and Disarmament: Perspectives and Actions from the Global South” was held via Zoom to commemorate International Women’s Day for Peace and Disarmament. The event featured speakers from nuclear-free zones in the Global South who have worked to support the Women, Peace and Security agenda. This agenda is rather new in the security field and seeks to emphasize inclusivity and diversity. The speakers advocate human security via sustainable means. As put by Michaela Sørensen, “Our message is clear. [...] We are working for a just and peaceful world, one that meets

human needs, not violent ones.”

Ela Gandhi, South Africa

For Ela Gandhi from South Africa, women have an interest in the field of peace and security: “women are seldom involved in the creation of wars, but are always the victims of war.” Ms. Gandhi outlined some of the ways in which particular women have worked on creating peace and stopping the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Examples include organizations based on faith.

Furthermore, Ms. Gandhi briefly described the negative impact of weapons on our environment. By disarming, Ms. Gandhi claimed, states may reallocate funds that go into the production of weapons towards services that can provide people with access to clean water, education, healthcare, housing, and more. Ms. Gandhi suggests that security should be re-conceptualized as to focus on sustainable and human needs.

Finally, Ms. Gandhi called for women to unite “Women, let us unite today and let us call for an end to all wars and an end to the manufacture of armaments.”

Ana María Cetto, Mexico

Ana María Cetto from Mexico provided a list of international days regarding women, peace, and security, and explained their importance: “International days [...] are supposed to be the occasions to educate the public on issues of concern, to mobilise political will and resources, to address global problems, and to celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity.”

Ms. Cetto then showed a map of the nuclear-free zones around the world; most regions are in fact nuclear-free. Yet, military alliances such as NATO have been expanding since the end of the Cold War: “we can also see that NATO started to expand towards the West of Europe, touching the borders of Russia, as the former USSR, which did not seem like the end of the Cold War, in fact.” Ms. Cetto suggested that the Cold War may not have ended if we continue to rely on nuclear deterrence to ensure peace.

Lastly, Ms. Cetto believes that governments should not be relied on to take steps in the direction of nuclear disarmament as “it goes against their interests.” Therefore, we need to increase the diversity of perspectives and voices in policy-making. Similarly, “we need to put people and nature at the center of our attention, our efforts, our investment. This is the only path to peace.”

Le Sen, Cambodia

Le Sen from Cambodia emphasized intersectionality and inclusivity from a gendered lens. In her presentation, Ms. Sen noted that Cambodian “women are underrepresented and are being left out of policy-making.” Similarly, other minority groups–ethnic, religious, and cultural–are excluded from the conversation, and marginalized.

Ms. Sen currently works with WPM to engage marginalized peoples in Cambodia in policy by making their voices heard. WPM uses research-based strategies, where impacted communities tell their stories, and art-based approaches, where marginalized peoples express themselves through art. Consequently, women, and other minority groups, are given the opportunity to contribute to policy by voicing their concerns, solutions, and ideas.

María Garzón Maceda, Argentina

María Garzón Maceda from Argentina is interested in the “several layers of power dynamics that interact in the field of disarmament.” The Global South faces particular challenges, including financial and knowledge constraints which make it challenging to participate in, represent, and comply with WMD regulations.

Moreover, Ms. Maceda stated: “multilateralism and inclusive governance is, I think, the best path to ensure a more safe and secure world for all of us.” Once again, by increasing the diversity of perspectives we expand our understanding of security, and thus generate better analyses of the issues and achieve “more sustainable solutions.” Today's global problems can only be resolved through inclusivity and diversity. “They cannot be so closed and exclusive”, said Ms. Maceda.

Aigerim Seitenova, Kazakhstan

Aigerim Seitenova from Kazakhstan is interested in the intersectionality between gender and nuclear weapons. Ms. Seitenova recounted how her family, herself, and the other women from her hometown in Kazakhstan, Semey, were affected by nuclear testing. “The gendered impact of ionizing radiation which resulted from nuclear testing [by the Soviet Union for over forty years] has been following Khazak women and men for decades.” Stillbirths and newborns with disabilities became more common, while rates of cancer and blood diseases increased. At the same time, women became stigmatized, blamed for stillbirths and perceived as “contaminated.” After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Kazakhstan abandoned its nuclear arsenal and is now free of nuclear weapons.

Finally, like the previous speakers, Ms. Seitenova emphasized greater cooperation and inclusivity. She stated: “the glass ceiling stops women from realizing their potential”, and, “finally, it is time to crush the glass without violence.”

Discussion, Q&A, and Wordle Activity

One of the questions asked during the discussion part of the event was: “Is the public in Argentina and Mexico happy to be part of a nuclear-free zone?” According to Ms. Cetto, Mexico is proud of being a “pioneer” of nuclear-free zones. Ms. Maceda added that there is a difference between the issue of nuclear weapons and that of nuclear energy. Nuclear energy is not seen as a menace in the way that nuclear weapons are.

During the Wordle activity, participants were asked the following question: “What does Women, Peace and Security mean to you?”. Among the words that popped up were equality, solidarity, empowerment, and positive peace.