(Johannesburg) — On the margins of the first-ever G20 Summit hosted on the African continent, the United Nations Women’s Peace & Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) convened its landmark “Peace is All of Us Summit” in Johannesburg. The summit series is the cornerstone of the WPHF “Peace Is” Global Campaign, launched to amplify the voices and celebrate the resilience and solidarity of women who play essential roles in advancing peace and security across the globe.
Organized in partnership with African Odyssey, SAICA, and Brand South Africa, the summit brought together media representatives, business leaders, academics, and feminist activists on 20 November under the theme, “Peace is Ubuntu: Shaping the Future Through Collective Action.”
“Today we stand at a crossroads for humanity and are here in Johannesburg because peace begins with solidarity,” said Tonni Ann Brodber, Head of the WPHF Secretariat. “It is timely that South Africa is hosting the first G20 Summit on African soil. South Africa’s history crafted by women and men committed to freedom. Their latency a constant reminder that Peace is not abstract. Peace is economic opportunity. Peace is security. Peace is well being. Peace is access to justice. Peace is bodily autonomy. Peace is access to an education. Peace is solidarity. Peace is Ubuntu.
Photo credits: MDS Photography
The Summit held at 22 on Sloane featured keynote addresses and interactive panels exploring themes of racial and gender apartheid and supporting youth as the architects of peace. The summit concluded in a curated auction demonstrating how high-fashion and art can be leveraged to support women advancing peace worldwide.
“I’m honored to stand alongside WPHF to amplify the voices of South African women and showcase our country’s visionary leadership in peacebuilding,” said Carol Bouwer, activist, business leader, producer and WPHF Global Luminary. I am a child of apartheid, and I know that peace only prevails when we dismantle what that system left behind. At a time when echoes of apartheid are resurfacing worldwide, this work has never been more urgent.”
This intergenerational summit event brought together diverse voices and united civil society leaders from around the world to share perspectives, foster understanding, and collectively reflect on what solidarity means in practice and action – underscoring both the progress achieved and the urgent work still needed to advance women’s leadership in building a more durable peace in conflict and humanitarian settings.
“What gives us Afghan women the courage to keep going is the solidarity shown by women, men, and human rights defenders from every corner of the world – including here in South Africa,” said Nargis Nehan, a human rights defender and WPHF-supported partner from Afghanistan. “From the very day the Taliban took Afghanistan, people stood with us – helping with evacuations, mobilizing support, and reaching those in desperate need. That solidarity was phenomenal and continues to give me hope.”
The “Peace Is Ubuntu” Summit event examined the links between South Africa’s rich history of resilience in the face of apartheid and the rollback of the rights of women in Afghanistan, among other contexts – uncovering how South Africa’s history can serve as a model for challenging systemic discrimination, building global solidarity and dismantling systems of injustice.
“The discrimination that South Africa confronted—and that has been recognized internationally ever since—has clear parallels in Afghanistan and in many other places, from Palestine to Myanmar,” said Dr. Amrita Kapur, Secretary-General of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom. “Part of our task now is to name these connections and strengthen solidarity within and across countries. Real transformation happens when we build intergenerational bridges and listen to those who will lead next.”
After spotlighting the voices of women peacebuilders, humanitarians, and rights defenders in London, New York, and now Johannesburg, the “Peace Is All Of Us” summit series G20 edition will culminate in Cape Town, where WPHF and African Odyssey will convene women leaders from across the NGO ecosystem in an immersive experience at Robben Island to guide participants through South Africa’s historic path from division to inclusion powered by the resilience of its activists.
