Women's Organizations for Peace

“Since 2008 the international community has insisted that the negotiations to solve the Cyprus problem are a “Cypriot-led” process. Yet 20 years after UN Security Council Resolution 1325, the top-down, male-led methodologies of last century prevail. It is perhaps no surprise, therefore, that the negotiations have been marked by successive failures. In this timely book, Dr Papastavrou maps how Cypriot women from across the divide have organized over this period to advocate for best practise and a more inclusive and effective process, while also examining how successful these efforts have been.”
— Fiona Mullen, Director of Sapienta Economics Ltd

This much anticipated book tackles the complex issue of women and peace in the context of Cyprus, providing us with insights into the deep patriarchy and highly militarised state of the island which underpin the major challenges faced by grassroots women's organisations. By giving voice to women from both sides of the divide as well as projecting their collective voice and desire for peace, the author showcases the evolution of the women's peace movement in Cyprus.
--- Pembe Mentesh, Peace activist, UNDP Action for Cooperation and Trust in Cyprus
This book examines the work of three key women’s organizations working towards women’s rights and a peaceful solution to the Cyprus Problem. Based on a 13-year longitudinalqualitative study that develops a transnational feminist lens to look at the role of Hands Across the Divide (HAD), the Gender Advisory Team (GAT), and the Mediterranean Institute of Gender Studies (MIGS) organizations in women's activism on Cyprus, the research zooms in on three main questions: 1) How have women’s groups organized for peace? 2) What have been their key issues and organizing strategies? 3) What have been their organizing successes and challenges?
Sophia Papastavrou is Gender Technical Specialist with World Vision Canada and is based in Cyprus.