Global Campaign “Women Lead to Peace” Launched to Bring Hundreds of Women to Syrian Peace Talks in Switzerland
Call for ceasefire, humanitarian aid and women at the peace table


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 18, 2013


Contact: Jodie Evans, CODEPINK Co-founder, 310-621-5635, Jodie@codepink.org

Medea Benjamin, CODEPINK Co-founder, 415-235-6517, Medea@codepink.org

Alli McCracken, CODEPINK Organizer, 860-575-5692, alli@codepink.org


Global Campaign “Women Lead to Peace” Launched to Bring Hundreds of Women to Syrian Peace Talks in Switzerland

Call for ceasefire, humanitarian aid and women at the peace table


Venice, CA - A global coalition of women's groups will bring hundreds of women to Switzerland as part of the new campaign initiative, Women Lead to Peace. The group calls for a ceasefire in Syria, more humanitarian aid delivery to the victims of the conflict, and the active participation of Syrian women in the peace talks scheduled to start on January 22, 2014. The coalition is mobilizing a physical presence of hundreds of women from all over the world to meet in Switzerland from January 20-22.


“After three years of fighting and over 100,000 deaths, it’s time for women to say 'Enough!' It is men driving the violence and destruction. It's time for a ceasefire and there can be no peace without women at the table,” says Jodie Evans, Co-Founder of CODEPINK, who is a key organizer of the campaign.


Women—and male supporters—will arrive in Switzerland by January 20, 2014 to plan and learn from each other. On January 21, a Summit will be held with testimonies from Syrian women and humanitarian aid workers, testimonies from women from countries that made the transition from war to peace (such as Liberia, Ireland, Bosnia, Rwanda) and testimonies from Arab women who have been leaders in non-violent struggles in countries such as Egypt and Tunisia. The Women Lead to Peace Summit will end by modeling what the first day of the negotiations could and should look like.  On January 22, the beginning of the official peace talks, participants will bring creative, beautiful and exciting actions to public attention.


The Women Lead to Peace Campaign is led by CODEPINK, Women International League for Peace and Freedom, Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation, Karama, Madre and Nobel Women’s Initiative. It has been endorsed by a growing group of organizations and individuals, including Nobel Peace Prize Winner Shirin Ebadi, The Square Director Jehane Noujaim, V-Day Founder Eve Ensler, Author Alice Walker, Actress Geena Davis, Nobel Peace Prize winner Mairead Maguire, European Union former Vice President Luisa Morgantini, Global Fund for Women, Institute for Policy Studies’ Phyllis Bennis, Embrey Foundation President Lauren Embrey, Journalist Chris Hedges and Center for Constitutional Rights’ President emeritus Michael Ratner.


The coalition is inviting all peace-loving people to join, as organizations or individuals, and add their efforts to amplify the voices of women from Syria and beyond.


Campaign page: www.codepink.org/WomenLeadtoPeace


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