18.11.19
15th November, Brussels - The 3rd MMM ESPERAS Peace Lab brought together two keynote speakers Professor Christina Bache and women’s rights activist Passy Mubalama who through their expertise offered two complementary examples - academic and grassroots - of the important role of women and mothers in peace.
Professor Christina Bache, author of the 2019 EU commissioned study: ‘Women’s role in peace Process’ is a visiting fellow from London’s LSE Ideas. She lives in Brussels where she is also adjunct professor at Vesalius College.
She underlined the necessity for the inclusion of women throughout the peace process. “People are failing their communities if this is not taken into consideration,” she said. “Women should be negotiators, observers and even signatories.”
From left to right: Laurence van Abeele, President of MMM Belgium and partner of Esperas, with Leen van Waes from Esperas, and students
She explained that women are active in grassroots organizations and as such, their voices are critical, because they represent the diversity within their communities. They have a role to play: they are engaged in dialogue, as community leaders.
And as mothers, they have above all else, a crucial responsibility to educate their children in a non-violent way.
Passy Mubalama, who lives in Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo, provided the grassroots perspective. She was in Belgium to receive her ‘Changemaker’ award from the 11.11.11 coalition of NGOs, unions, movements and various solidarity groups in Flanders (Dutch-speaking Northern part of Belgium) who work together to achieve one common goal: a fair world without poverty.
Passy passionately believes that women should not be seen as victims but rather, as agents of change.
To facilitate her work, she set up Aidprofen, an organization that promotes education for women in her country and calls for more of them to actively participate in politics.
See also another article on Esperas and its projects here
Passy Mubalama, founder of Aidprofen in DRC, with Myriam Mitu, a volunteer for Esperas
11.10.23
UN Geneva, Human Rights Council - Entitled ‘Centrality of care and support from a human rights perspective’, this landmark resolution was presented by the governments of Argentina, Iceland, Mexico
09.10.23
In June this year, the European Union (EU) Commission announced a new high-priority initiative to address the mental health of all Europeans.
13.02.24
UN New York, CSocD62 - MMM's intervention to the Commission on Social Development reiterates that investing in mothers through recognition, education, protection and adequate support is a smart invest
09.07.24
Mothers play an essential role in families by ensuring their loved ones are nourished, educated, and healthy, but their unpaid care work often leads to economic and social injustices, known as the motherhood pe
02.07.24
UN New York / HLPF - Register now to join us online at this year’s High Level Political Forum side-event.
20.06.24
UN Geneva, Human Rights Council - MMM was invited to contribute to a side-event organised by Widows Rights International to discuss the unique challenges faced by widows who are mothers, while continuing to sho
19.06.24
UN Geneva – A resolution aimed at strengthening the right to education in international legal instruments will be negotiated during the 56th session of the Human Rights Council, which began on 18 June. This r
16.06.24
UN Geneva, 112th International Labour Conference (ILC) – MMM contributed to the discussion on the International Labour Organisation Director General’s report calling for a new social contract.
16.06.24
UN Geneva – A general discussion on decent work and the care economy was on the agenda of the 112th International Labour Conference (ILC), which took place over the past two weeks. MMM was there, providing in