The Kurdish Women’s Union in Switzerland (YJK-S) and the European Kurdish Women’s Movement (TJK-E) will hold an international Women’s Peace Conference in Zurich, Switzerland, on April 4 under the slogan “Peace Cannot Be Without Us.”
At the conference, discussions will focus on the role of women in peace processes, negotiation experiences, equal representation, freedom of organization and the social foundations of sustainable peace. The organizing committee stated that approximately 140 delegates from the four parts of Kurdistan and many countries are expected to attend.
Among the speakers are Pervin Buldan, member of the Imrali Delegation of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) and Deputy Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, former Colombian senator and peace negotiator Victoria Sandino, and former political prisoner Kizkitza Gil de San Vicente from the Basque Country.
Dilan Dirayet Taşdemir, a member of the conference organizing committee and a Kurdish woman politician, said that women are not only those who suffer the heaviest consequences of war, but also the strongest social actors of the struggle for peace.
Dilan Dirayet Taşdemir spoke to Yeni Özgür Politika and said that the conference will not be limited to sharing experiences, but also aims to socialize the advocacy of peace. She stated that women are often rendered invisible in peace processes and added: “Without women, a real and lasting peace cannot be achieved.”
It was also noted that holding the conference on April 4, the birthday of Abdullah Öcalan, is a deliberate choice. Organizers said that this date carries not only symbolic significance for Kurdish women, but is also directly connected to the struggle for peace, democratic society and women’s freedom. Due to limited physical participation, it was announced that the conference can also be followed online.
Conference details
Date: Saturday, 4 April 2026
Time: 10:00
Venue: Rote Fabrik, Zurich
Website: https://kurdischefrauenunion.ch/index.html
Conference program
“Frieden? Nicht ohne uns!” / “Peace? Not without us!”
10:00 – 10:10
Opening
Welcome and introduction to the conference
10:10 – 11:30
Panel I: International experiences of women in peace processes
Sharing experiences of women’s roles in peace and conflict resolution processes from different regions
Speakers:
Pervin Buldan – Member of the Imrali Delegation, Deputy Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (Turkey / Northern Kurdistan (Bakur))
Victoria Sandino – Peace negotiator, former senator, feminist activist (Colombia)
Kizkitza Gil de San Vicente – Former political prisoner (Basque Country)
11:30 – 12:30
Break
12:30 – 13:15
13:15 – 14:00
General discussion: Questions and shared reflections
Open discussion with speakers, comparative perspectives and audience questions
13:15 – 14:00
Lunch break
14:00 – 16:00
Parallel workshops
Workshop 1: Women’s movements after peace processes – perspectives and strategies
Workshop 2: From peace processes to a democratic society – the founding role of women
Workshop 3: International women’s solidarity and common grounds for action
16:00 – 17:00
Presentation of workshop outcomes
Sharing key conclusions from the workshops and overall evaluation
17:00 – 18:00
Closing forum
Summary of the main findings of the conference, common messages and perspectives for future cooperation
18:00
End of the conference
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