News

After a long search, we have finally found a new location for the women of Soufra Catering in the Burj el Barajneh refugee camp in Lebanon. For the purchase and renovation of the building we now need 85,000 Swiss francs. To finance this large sum we have started a crowdfunding. For this we need every small and big support - also yours:

Please help us to offer the refugee women in Beirut the urgently needed perspective.

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Bertha von Suttner's novel "Lay Down Your Arms!" became the signal for the emergence of an organized peace movement in Austria and Germany. Bertha von Suttner was active for the peace movement until the end of her life. Her last words were; "Lay down your arms! Tell many - many..."

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2021 marks the 75th anniversary of Caux as the European conference centre of the worldwide movement of Initiatives of Change (then called Moral Re-Armament).Throughout the year, under the theme of ‘75 Years of Encounters’, we will celebrate, take stock and look towards the future. A kaleidoscope of events, predominantly online, will recall the rich history of the centre and the impact of the reconciliation work, training programmes and conferences held here. Stay tuned!

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Inclusive Employment of young women in developing countries like Albania is crucial for the sustainable economic progress. Based on the 2019 report of the National Institute of Statistics in Albania (INSTAT), the percentage of women owners or administrators in active enterprises across the country scored 25.4%, which is an improvement compared to the previous years. Despite the increasing trend, the numbers remain low and mainly come from small enterprises.

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Today we celebrate the International Women's Day! The pandemic showed us more than ever that our ability to manage a crisis and our feeling of security basically relies on women coping with providing paid and unpaid care work. That is why our project on Women, Peace and Security (UNSCR1325) argues that women’s participation can only be achieved if it is consistently thought and implemented through a care lens, abroad as much as at home.

learn more | read our latest interview

Reconciliation and state formation in Somalia’s Galmudug region have been greatly challenged by multiple factors. Between 2015-2019, the situation in Galmudug was aggravated as the region was split in two, with separate administrations based in both Dhumasareb and Adado. In 2019, the Ministry of Interior, Federal Affairs and Reconciliation of the federal government, initiated a process to establish a new state for Galmudug. After repeated failed attempts of reconciliation by various parties, this latest process has been met with some success.

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QUNO and OHCHR have recently published a report on ‘Sustaining Peace: How can human rights help? 2016 – 2020 retrospective.’

It builds on learnings from a joint project which focused on Operative Paragraph 11 of the 2016 Sustaining Peace resolutions and reflects on a selection of key developments, opportunities, and challenges in integrating human rights in sustaining peace, and highlights areas for strengthening collaboration and coherence.

The report hopes to serve as a basis for continued reflection, learning and discussions following the 2020 Peacebuilding Architecture Review and resulting twin resolutions.

read the report (eng) | learn more

Playing as a challenge, as entertainment, and as a shared experience is part of humanity's DNA and is a passion for many, especially for children. For International Gaming Day on May 28, 2021, SOS Children's Villages Switzerland is therefore launching a charity stream via Twitch for the first time. Gamers share their enthusiasm and collect money for a good cause at the same time.

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The COVID-19 pandemic reveals in all clarity the often precarious living conditions of millions of people worldwide. HEKS, the aid organization of the Protestant Churches in Switzerland, has therefore already adapted many of its projects in Switzerland and abroad to the specific needs in this crisis at the beginning of 2020. With the national campaign "Keeping Together while Keeping a Distance" HEKS is now once again calling on the Swiss population to show solidarity with those people who have been hit particularly hard by the consequences of the virus.

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cfd, PWAG and KOFF contribute to the Swiss National Action Plan on resolution 1325 by gathering valuable information among Swiss civil society & their partners on women's participation in peace processes as they did in an interview on a project in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Read our latest interview featuring Ivona Erdeljac, Program Director of Amica Educa (BiH), and Lea Breitner, Program Officer Eastern and Southern Europe at cfd. Learn more