United by shared experiences and dedication to building lasting peace, diverse women’s rights activists, high-level government officials, EU, UN and NATO representatives, as well as conflict survivors from around the world, came together in Pristina on 2-3 June for the third annual Global Forum on Women, Peace and Security, hosted by the President of Kosovo, H.E. Dr. Vjosa Osmani Sadriu.
President Osmani Sadriu opened the Forum with a powerful truth: peace is not a passive state; rather, it is built, brick by brick, through solidarity, memory, and resolve.
In her keynote address, she offered not just policy, but poetry grounded in pain and purpose.
“We do not speak of peace from a distance,” President Osmani Sadriu said. “We speak of peace from the weight of memory with a forced sense of responsibility and to spread the message: Never again,” stressing that peace cannot be sustained without the leadership of women.
Peace is not what happens when the guns fall silent, she said. It is a process. She spoke of how cyberattacks have become the new battlefield, underscoring the need for new tools for peace, and setting the stage for the Forum’s focus on ‘The Security Code for Our Generation’.
She emphasised: “Peace is a matter of will, courage, and choice” and “never again” means choosing dialogue over guns, not only in the aftermath of conflict, but to prevent future wars.
Storytelling as a form of healing, testimonial empowerment and solidarity among women were other key themes that arose, starting with the President’s provision of the Presidential Metal Award to the Mothers of Srebrenica for their courage during the Bosnian genocide. Through telling their story, we collectively recognized their pain, honored their strength and commended their ongoing search for justice.
The concern of long-lasting psychological and transgenerational trauma reverberated throughout the conference, with the enduring impacts of violence on women and their children emerging as an ongoing issue, common across continents.
“Trauma does not leave when the fighting stops”, affirmed H.E. Sir Rodney Williams Governor-General of Antigua and Barbuda. “It spills into the everyday lives of our communities”. He further accentuated that conflict can “fray the fabric of society, and we see the resilience of women who hold that fabric together”, underlining women’s role in safeguarding the well-being of communities, and their adaptability and perseverance in the face of hardship.
The key role of women and civil society, in particular women’s rights organisations, in furthering peace and protecting those most impacted by war was a recurring theme throughout the Forum, as was recognition of the pressing need to enhance partnerships with and include civil society in all discussions regarding law, policies and their implementation. Several Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) member organisations engaged, sharing their vast expertise and decades-long experience throughout various panels and discussions.
KWN’s Executive Director, Igballe Rogova, shared how women have consistently organised for peace, even under the threat of Milosevic’s snipers in the 1990s. During a panel on “Lasting Peace in the Western Balkans”, she recalled the crucial role of the Women’s Peace Coalition, through which KWN and Women in Black Network Serbia united diverse women from across the two countries. “We sent joint letters to [Chief Negotiator] Ahtisaari and other actors engaged in the official Kosovo-Serbia negotiations.” she said. She shared the importance of Women in Black offering the first public apology for crimes committed in their name. Broadcast on RTV21, it was a moment that served as a turning point in forgiveness, healing and trust-building.
Reflecting on the present situation and the global pushback against women’s rights, Rogova declared: “Women are strong. Women are brave. That’s why the anti-gender movement exists.”
Sporting her own red shoes, Rogova called for joint action – urging women to come together to wear red shoes on Tuesdays – a symbol of women’s empowerment and strength in unison. She declared: “We stand up with red shoes to show solidarity among women. Without solidarity, there is no way forward.”
Several discussions revolved around women having a “seat at the table”, particularly in the ongoing Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue. In moderating a panel on “Peace-making in the 21st Century: What Does It Take?”, Ambassador Nancy Soderberg, Senior Country Director of the National Democratic Institute in Kosovo, expanded on Chisholm’s encouragement for women to “bring a folding chair”, concluding, “What I’m hearing is that women need to stop asking and just take the chair.”
Another key recommendation emerging from the Forum, was the urgent need for the EU, NATO and governments to step up and develop a clear strategy – a new Security Code – for addressing technological warfare that targets people’s minds. Both cyberbullying and disinformation were identified as serious risks to society, with digital violence disproportionality affecting women and girls. Disinformation and “information warfare”, in an age of exponential AI growth, were described by many as tools of war and threats to democracy. The double-edged nature of technology, as both a tool for humanity and a tool for harm recurred through the Forum, underscoring the critical need for proper regulation and safeguards.
Activists from several KWN member organisations engaged in the Forum, sharing insights and lived experiences, including:
- Feride Rushiti, Executive Director of the Kosova Rehabilitation Centre for Torture Victims, who spoke on panels “Empowerment as a Pathway to Peace” and “Toward Justice: The Strength and Story of Survivors”, about survival – not as an end, but as a beginning. Her words carried the weight of wounds unseen, insisting that dignity and justice are not optional-they are essential.
- Veprore Shehu, Executive Director of Medica Kosova, contributed to “From Ashes to Championing Democracy: Kosovo’s Transformation Story.” Her voice spoke not just of rebuilding a country, but of reimagining it—with women’s leadership as a cornerstone of democratic growth. Hers was a testimony to the power of starting over, together.
- Mirlinda Sada, Executive Director of Medica Gjakova, gave an emotionally resonant contribution on “Healing in the Aftermath: Survivors Reclaiming Their Lives.” With quiet strength, she told stories of survivors—broken, yet unbowed—who are reclaiming joy, agency, and voice. Her words reminded all that healing is political, not just personal.
- Abetare Gojani, Executive Director of The Foundation House, shared her experience on the panel “Digital Defenders: Technology, Protection, and Rights in Conflict Zones”.
Together, these leaders, wove together strings of expertise towards establishing a new “security code” for the world: one where memory inspires action, solidarity is a map forward and peace is feminist and lasting.
As the forum came to a close, one message echoed: peace is not just a dream, it is a duty. And women are not waiting; they are leading.
The Forum took place amid the global 25th Anniversary of the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, which laid the foundation for the Women, Peace and Security Agenda. Its Anniversary also marks 26 years since violence affected Kosovo, and since which women’s rights activists have actively invoked the resolution to call for their greater engagement in peace processes both in Kosovo and the wider region. Given their extensive experience and expertise, Kosovo’s peace-leaders sought to offer global solutions to current world challenges through dialogues among diverse actors at the Forum.
