Mothers and Peace – Book launch

21.09.21

On International Day of Peace, we are celebrating the launch of Mères et Paix (Mothers and Peace), a book by our MMM colleague Pauline Ambrogi. Pauline holds a doctorate in contemporary history and is a writer and poet, and MMM representative at UNESCO.

What do mothers from around the world have to say about peace?

Interviewed by Pauline, their inspiring contributions highlight the very important role mothers play in passing the values of peace within their family, their communities and ultimately society as a whole.

Published by L’Ecole de guerre, the book is supported by Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr Denis Mukwege, whose words throw open the pages of the book:

“We are all involved. Everyone has a responsibility to contribute every day, through small and large acts, to maintaining peace in their family and in society”.

In tackling the book’s topic, Pauline poses some key questions:

  • What role do mothers play in peace building?
  • How do they act within the family, society and institutions?
  • What is peace for these mothers?
  • Is peace only for mothers?
  • And what about men in all this?

In a world that cares little for human beings, mothers are not afraid to break laws or the established order to save lives. Building a peaceful world is not unique to mothers, but thanks to their direct relationship with life and their mission as first educators, they show a special sensitivity that must be heard.

Sacrificing, forgiving, freeing the word, resisting, knowing, communicating, training, educating, caring, daring – this is what these mothers do, working in silence in the midst of chaos.

Seventy-five of them, from forty countries, have testified to show their commitment with conviction.

Overview

Mères et Paix is a book that fights against the indifference and contempt of all those who physically or psychologically denigrate mothers, by acts or by words.

Although imperfect, mothers are the first educators of their children and pass on the values that they consider indispensable. Training, empowerment, education, transmission, care, mutual aid, knowledge of rights, justice, truth, self-esteem, trust, love, family, are words that these 75 mothers regularly used to evoke peace, even though they do not all speak the same language, have different levels of language, come from different social, cultural, ethnic and religious backgrounds, have different education, lifestyles and traditions.

Mothers play a role at the family level, but they also play a role at the community, national and international levels. Mothers have the capacity to overlook the settings of family, professional and public spaces, because for them, there are no borders.

Order a copy here – We hope that an English version of the book will be available soon – we will keep you updated.


Photo above: Pauline Ambrogi, author of Mothers and Peace (right), in Colombia with Cécile de Laage, who took many of the book’s photographs

Most read articles

Envisioning care as a common thread to global crises

29.07.24

UN New York - Our virtual HLPF side-event brought together experts to shed light on how the various global crises we face (in particular climate change and other environmental crises,

Lire plus

We call for multi-stakeholder approach to recognise and support unpaid care work

21.07.24

UN New York - Participating in the meeting of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) on care and support systems, MMM reaffirmed the principle of co-responsibility, which should underpin

Lire plus

The New EU Gender Equality Roadmap : A Call for Inclusion of Mothers

04.03.25

The European Commission’s initiative on a new Gender Equality Roadmap post-2025, marks a significant step forward in addressing gender disparities across the European Union. Make Mothers Matter (MMM

Lire plus
See all the articlesof the category

Latest News from MMM and its Network

Joint Letter to EU Leaders: MMM and Partners Advocate for Strategic Investment in Children and Families

09.07.25

Make Mothers Matter, along with 24 member organisations of the Alliance for Investing in Children, has sent a joint letter to Ursula von der Leyen (President of the European Commission), Roberta Metsola (Presid

Read more

Unpaid Care at the Core: A Catalyst for Achieving the SDGs

06.07.25

UN New York / HLPF - Register now to join us online for our High Level Political Forum side-event.

Read more

Placing Target 5.4 at the Core: A Key to Accelerating SDG Synergies

06.07.25

UN New York – Ahead of the 2025 High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) MMM's written statement focuses on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 on Gender equality, which is under review this year. More specifically

Read more

Financing for development: time to invest in Care and Wellbeing

06.07.25

From 30 June to 3 July, Make Mothers Matter was in Sevilla, Spain, for the 4th UN International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4). Here’s a look back at this major UN event and the key takeaways

Read more

Financing for development matters for mothers

05.07.25

Following the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) in Sevilla, Spain, we explore why Financing for Development is critical for mothers around the world.

Read more

Belgian Mothers Face Alarming Rates of Burnout and Perinatal Depression, New EU Survey Finds

03.07.25

Belgian mothers are facing a mental health crisis. According to the State of Motherhood in Europe 2024 survey by Make Mothers Matter (MMM) and Kantar, Belgium reports the highest rates of both maternal burnout

Read more