The “Peace Cannot Exist Without Us! The Role of Women in Peace Processes and Global Experiences Conference,”attended by 180 delegates from the four parts of Kurdistan as well as from different regions and countries, emphasized that peace processes are not limited to ending conflicts; they are multidimensional processes that include the establishment of justice, social transformation, and the reconstruction of coexistence.
The Kurdistan experience was addressed specifically at the conference, and it was emphasized that, in line with the perspective of Abdullah Öcalan, women are a founding subject in peace processes. While the inclusion of the women’s movement in negotiation processes was described as an important achievement, it was stated that this participation must be further strengthened.
The final declaration is as follows:
“The ‘Peace Cannot Exist Without Us! The Role of Women in Peace Processes and Global Experiences Conference,’ organized on April 4, 2026 in Switzerland by YJK-S and TJA, was successfully held with the participation of 180 delegates from the four parts of Kurdistan as well as from different regions and countries.
The conference demonstrated that peace and negotiation processes cannot be reduced merely to the cessation of conflict; they are multidimensional processes that include the establishment of justice, the realization of social transformation, and the reconstruction of coexistence. It was emphasized that women, who are part of struggle processes and often pioneers of them, must be part of negotiation and peace processes, and that their participation contributes not only to women’s freedom demands but also to broader social freedoms and needs. For this reason, it was stated that the women’s freedom struggle should not be postponed until after the revolution (peace), but must be carried out persistently and intertwined with the national struggle. In this framework, the presence of women in peace processes was evaluated not only as a political demand but as a fundamental condition for achieving lasting and sustainable peace and the democratic society aimed to be established.
At the conference, women from different peace processes—especially from Colombia, the Basque Country, Bakur (North Kurdistan), Rojava, and El Salvador—shared their experiences. These experiences clearly demonstrated that the active, organized, and independent participation of women in peace processes makes negotiations more inclusive, more realistic, and more socially grounded.
In the evaluations, the following key observations stood out: as historical experiences also show, women have always been those most affected by war. At the same time, women play a decisive role in repairing the deep destruction caused by war; however, despite serious efforts, this is not sufficiently reflected in the laws adopted during peace and negotiation processes. Women’s participation in peace processes often remains limited and symbolic, while negotiations are conducted within narrow and male-dominated political frameworks. Nevertheless, women develop ways to intervene in the process through local organizations and solidarity networks. Developing the women’s freedom struggle within negotiation processes in a persistent manner and intertwined with the national struggle is vital for protecting women’s achievements and gaining new ones. At the same time, for peace processes to inspire trust and become lasting, the parties conducting negotiations must participate under equal conditions.
At our conference, the experience of Kurdistan was addressed in a distinctive way within this context. Accordingly, in line with the perspective put forward by Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan, it was emphasized that women are a founding subject in peace processes, and basing the political and ideological line of the process on the historical accumulation of the women’s freedom struggle emerged as a fundamental difference. The insistence of Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan on including women and the women’s movement in the negotiation processes he has conducted was evaluated as a major opportunity, and at the same time the importance of increasing and strengthening the participation of women in the negotiation process was underlined.
At the conference, a strong demand was also expressed for the freedom of Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan in order for peace and negotiation processes to be carried out under healthy and equal conditions.
The representative presenting on the Rojava experience stated that women have become not only participants in peace processes but also subjects who build an alternative social and political model. Women’s direct participation in governance through the co-chair system, women’s councils, and self-defense mechanisms demonstrated that peace and coexistence can be built not only through negotiations but also through democratic structures established in practice, and it was noted that today this women’s experience is under serious threat. In the Rojava experience, equal representation, self-organization, and democratic governance mechanisms were described as shared achievements of women, and the importance of expanding the struggle to protect these achievements was emphasized.
Another key point highlighted throughout the conference was that women’s participation in peace processes should not remain limited to individual representation. The participation of women as an organized and collective will in the process was considered one of the most fundamental conditions for the socialization of peace. In this context, the establishment of peace and reconciliation commissions at the local level was seen as important for strengthening the process on a social basis.
The development of international solidarity networks among women, the mutual sharing of experiences from different countries, and the creation of common peace perspectives were also among the important outcomes of the conference.
It was emphasized that efforts to build social memory must be developed in order for peace to become lasting; recording past experiences and ensuring social confrontation were described as vital for the sustainability of peace processes.
Within this framework, the following main proposals are shared with the public:
-The equal, effective, and organized participation of women in peace and negotiation processes must be guaranteed.
-Women’s representation in negotiation delegations must be strengthened.
-Peace and reconciliation commissions should be established at the local level.
-Women’s rights must be constitutionally guaranteed.
-Peace processes should be approached from a perspective that includes democratization.
-Peace memory work should be institutionalized.
-International feminist solidarity networks should be strengthened.
The conference once again demonstrated the founding role of women in peace processes and the vital importance of the socialization of peace. This perspective, developing under the leadership of women, strongly emphasizes that peace does not merely mean the end of conflicts but the construction of a free, equal, and just life.
At the same time, this perspective has been turned into a concrete political line through the “Now Is the Time for Women” campaign launched by the Kurdish Women’s Movement in Europe (TJK-E).
Peace Cannot Exist Without Us!
Jin Jiyan Azadî.”
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