Women and Peace-building

Today and throughout history women have played an integral role in the shift towards peace, whether it’s the peaceful resolution of conflict or peace in our everyday lives. Women and Peace-building will recognize these women and explore the many ways in which women are creating a more compassionate and peaceful world.

Since its inception in 1901, the Nobel Peace prize has only been awarded to 12 women – four of whom will be attending the Vancouver Peace Summit – yet the history pages of the peace movement are filled with incredible women working towards incredible change.

In fact, as the story goes, it was a woman, Baroness Bertha von Suttner, who first drew Alfred Nobel’s attention to the growing peace movement of the 1890s and inspired him to add a fifth prize – the Nobel Peace prize – to the list of annual awards. Another story of a woman’s inspiration for peace can be found in Ava Pauling, wife of Linus Pauling, the only winner of both the Nobel Chemistry prize and Nobel Peace prize. Linus, a scientist at heart, had no pacifist ideals until he met his future wife Ava. She encouraged him to petition for a ban on nuclear weapons testing, earning him the 1962 Peace prize. Linus maintained that Ava should have been named as a co-recipient of the award.

Women and Peace-building will be a chance to learn more about women like these who are working towards a more peaceful world as well as to discuss ways of ensuring women have a right to participate in future peace processes.

Joining the Dalai Lama will be Kim Campbell, Jody Williams, Maria Shriver, Ashley Judd, Fazle Hasan Abed, Swanee Hunt and Susan Davis. Tickets for this session are still available and can be found at www.ticketmaster.ca/dlcwomenandpeace