Who We Are

Feminist peace analysis is our superpower. We understand how war, economic exploitation, climate destruction, and oppression are linked through the same systems. That's why we've been fighting for total peace, not just the absence of war, but justice in every form.

Our Values

Courageous Truth-telling

We speak truths others won't say. When organizations stay silent to protect funding or avoid controversy, we name systems of oppression, challenge power, and refuse to be silenced.

Sisterhood & Solidarity

We have each other's backs across generations, races, classes, and regions. Our bonds of mutual support sustain us through disagreement and fuel us through struggle.

Community Organizing

We build relationships locally while thinking globally. Following Jane Addams' Hull House legacy, we start in the community and organize where we live.

Credible Voices

We are trusted ambassadors to speak for feminist peace work. Our track record and principled stands give us credibility that opens doors and changes minds.

Inclusive Feminism

We center women's leadership while confronting all systems of oppression. Our feminism is intersectional. We address racism, classism, and every force that divides us, creating space for all voices in our movement.

Our Vision

WILPF envisions a transformed world at peace with racial, social, and economic justice for all people everywhere. A world where needs are met equitably, everyone participates in decisions that affect them, and human societies are designed for sustainable existence in harmony with the interconnected web of life.

Our Mission

WILPF members create the peaceful transformation we seek by connecting past struggles to present action, linking root causes of oppression, racism, sexism, militarism, economic disparity, and building movements for justice, peace, and democracy.

 

Why WILPF Is Feminist—and Why That Matters for Peace

At WILPF, feminism is not an add-on to our work—it is the framework that shapes how we understand power, violence, and peace. To be clear, feminism is not about excluding men or elevating one group over another. It is about dismantling systems of domination.

That clarity matters, because peace is not simply the absence of war. Peace requires transforming the systems that produce violence in the first place. It begins with a clear understanding of power: who holds it, how it is exercised, and who is excluded from decision-making.

A Young WILPF US member from India put it this way:

“Feminism opposes power imbalance. The dominant narrative is the misunderstood version of feminism. Feminism is not anti-male, because a lot of men suffer the same patriarchy that women suffer from. In fact, they suffer it harder in the country where I come from—where the number of male suicides far outnumber female suicides. It’s because the problem is always patriarchy. Feminism is such a powerful word that we should hone it, we should own it, and then we should not let other people misinterpret it.”

Those are powerful words. Feminism, as WILPF practices it, is not about exclusion. It is about balance, dignity, and building a world where peace is sustained through justice.

Feminist. Fearless. For Peace.

WILPF Through The Years

1919

Influencing the League of Nations

In 1919, WILPF was among the first to denounce the Treaty of Versailles, warning it would sow the seeds of future war. That same year, we moved WILPF’s global headquarters to Geneva to stay close to the League of Nations, which was later replaced by the United Nations.

1930

The San Fransisco Conference 25 April-26 June 1945

Resistance Against Fascism and War

In the 1930s, WILPF watched the rise of antisemitism with despair and mobilized to help Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany. In 1936, WILPF issued an “Appeal to the Non-Jews of Europe,” urging those with courage and freedom to denounce Hitler’s pogroms.

1945

Shaping the United Nations and Human Rights

Shaping the United Nations and Human Rights

At the founding of the United Nations, WILPF advocated for global security grounded in freedom and justice and not in military power and prestige. We gained consultative status at the UN Economic and Social Council in 1948.

1950

Educating for Peace

After World War II, WILPFers embraced education as key to peacebuilding. In 1946, a Pennsylvania group launched “Art for World Friendship,” exhibiting children’s drawings imagining a world of harmony and equality. The works are now held in Swarthmore College’s Peace Collection.

1960

Cold War and Entanglements with the FBI

In the 1950s and 1960s, WILPF US members were closely monitored by the FBI for their anti–Cold War stance and were often labelled “commies.” A WILPF dinner hosted by US President Kay Camp, following a visit from Soviet women peace delegates, even appeared in FBI files.

1970

Working Against Apartheid

WILPF helped organize the 1974 NGO Conference Against Apartheid and Colonialism in Africa in Geneva and played an active role in the 1978 International Conference for the Liberation of Southern Africa and Against Apartheid in New Delhi, India.

1980

Linking Ecological Justice to the Peace Movement

In the 1980s, WILPF began linking patriarchy with environmental destruction. In 1983, Harriet Otterloo of the Göteborg branch wrote: “Peace means peace with the earth… the ecology movement is part of the peace movement.”

1995

The Beijing Conference and The Birth of a New Feminist Peace Agenda

At the 1995 Beijing Conference, WILPF initiated the famous Peace Train from Europe to China, uniting activists to demand recognition of peace as a women’s rights issue. Our efforts helped secure the Women and Armed Conflict section in the Beijing Platform for Action.

2000

Adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1325

After years of sustained advocacy, WILPF played a key role in the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, which affirmed women’s essential role in conflict prevention and peacebuilding. We’ve continued to monitor its implementation and push for accountability through our Women, Peace and Security programme.

2015

WILPF’s Centenary and Renewed Focus on Intersectional Feminism

To mark 100 years of feminist peace activism, WILPF hosted a conference in The Hague, where our movement began. We reflected on our legacy, honoured past struggles, and renewed our commitment to intersectional feminism in the face of escalating global conflicts and injustice.

2025

Addressing New Global Challenges

Amid rising authoritarianism, environmental collapse, and deepening inequality, WILPF has continued to mobilize across movements. From resisting militarised responses to crises to advancing feminist economies and climate justice, we work to ensure that peace is not only possible but transformative.

A Legacy of Resistance

In 1915, Jane Addams and international women leaders founded the Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom US (WILPF) in the midst of World War I, refusing to accept war as inevitable. Since then, WILPF has shown up when it mattered most. We’re often described as a two-time Nobel Peace Prize-winning organization. We’ve been under FBI surveillance for speaking truth. We’ve influenced international policy at the UN. We’ve stood with marginalized communities through every struggle for justice. Our history isn’t just credentials, it’s proof that speaking truth and refusing to compromise work.

Today, WILPF operates in 40 countries with offices in Geneva and New York City, maintaining consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council since 1948. This global reach gives us power: what we learn locally, we take to the UN. What we push for internationally, we organize for at home.

WILPF US is building on 110 years of resistance while creating space for new voices, new strategies, and new visions of feminist peace work. We’re organizing against militarism in an era of endless war. We’re connecting climate justice to demilitarization. We’re calling out genocide and occupation when others stay silent. We’re proving that experienced organizers and emerging leaders build unstoppable power together.

Peace isn’t passive, it demands system change. And whether you’ve been in the movement for decades or you’re just getting started, WILPF US is where feminist peace-builders show up, speak truth, and fight for the world we deserve.

Ready to organize for feminist peace?

From signing petitions to leading campaigns and local to global events, there are countless ways to take action with WILPF US.

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