This holy season when Muslims, Jews, and Christians are celebrating Eid al-Fitr, Passover, or Easter ~ something remarkable occurred in Rome ~ mothers across all three faiths locked arms, walked in unison, and called for a permanent peace. Mothers’ Call for Peace ––a joint initiative by Women of the Sun led by Palestinian mothers and Women Wage Peace led by Israeli mothers––supported by Vital Voices Global Partnership, raised their voices, demanding an end to violence, a safe future for all their children, and the meaningful inclusion of women in the peace process. Barely a week into my new role as Senior Director for the Human Rights and Freedom program at The McCain Institute, I traveled there to experience this literal embodiment of hope, compassion, and courage as well as consider how to best support women in peacebuilding and security decision-making processes.
The partnership began when Reem Al-Hajajreh, Co-founder of Women of the Sun, and Dr. Yael Admi, Co-founder of Women Wage Peace, along with scores of women, gathered at the Dead Sea in March 2022 and signed a declaration to work together to bring an end to the conflict for future generations. Bound by both love and loss, this partnership has steadily grown into a transformative movement. Using peaceful demonstrations, events, and advocacy, they have united women across divides to demand change. In Rome, the mothers sought to raise further awareness, foster greater understanding, and build unshakeable bridges with other women determined to transfer hope into action. The women participated in several high-level peace dialogues with politicians at the Italian Senate and European Parliament. They heard from women peacemakers from around the world, including those from Northern Ireland, Colombia, and Sri Lanka, who shared their journeys and lessons learned. They also met with Pope Leo XIV, who expressed his support and admiration for their bravery.
Most notable was a dusk walk through the streets of Rome. Side-by-side, hand-in-hand, and barefoot ~ these women walked together humbly calling for peace and inspiring nearly 1,000 others to join them. In perfect harmony at sunset, the women sung a cappella “By the Olive Trees.” Composed and led by the singer Milck, the lyrics poetically highlighted a ‘prayer for brighter days, a desire for a different way, an intention to walk beside one another, and an affirmation that the mothers will lead us home.’
This walk prompted more than 40 ‘sister solidarity’ peace walks across many countries, including Japan, Argentina, Tanzania, Germany, and South Africa. It shattered their awareness-raising goals, with more than 100 media outlets (including Reuters, AP, The Guardian, and Al Jazeera) covering the event; and tens of millions of social media impressions, including posts by actress and film producer Viola Davis, singer and record producer Madonna, and British American television journalist Clarissa Ward.
Witnessing this powerful alliance of women united in their desire for a future filled with peace, freedom, equality, rights, and security reminded me of a simple truth that I have long experienced in my global travels. Every mother or guardian want the same thing ~ a happy, safe environment where their children can grow up freely with unalienable rights, dignity, and good health. They want their children to not only be free from hunger, trauma, and violence but also to flourish, find joy, and pursue their dreams. Women know their communities best yet historically have been significantly underrepresented in formal peace negotiations. The smart investment is to include women: research from the United Nations demonstrates that peace agreements are significantly more sustainable, durable, and less likely to fail when women are involved in the peace process. The McCain Institute provides an optimal platform to contribute to these goals, particularly garnering bipartisan consensus and promoting strategic partnerships to promote human rights, freedom, and women as leaders who are critical to every stage of any peace process. I look forward to taking this profound experience and engaging with the McCain Institute team, responsible for women, peace, and security programming, to find new ways to elevate leading voices from the field, to deepen cross-sectoral collaborations, and to bolster implementation of core women, peace, and security frameworks, especially the U.S. Women, Peace, and Security Act and UN Security Council Resolution 1325.
For more information on A Mothers’ Call for Peace, please visit Mothers-Call.org.