Comments for International Alliance of Women

Comment on Reclaiming Leadership – the Women’s Jirga for Afghanistan by Dr. Sibylle von Heydebrand

Dr. Sibylle von Heydebrand — Thu, 14 May 2026 05:27:18 +0000

Thank you for your comment. The article does not suggest that solutions can or should be imposed from outside Afghanistan. On the contrary, one of the central ideas behind the Women’s Jirga is precisely to create space for Afghan women themselves — including those inside the country and in the diaspora — to articulate priorities and shape discussions affecting their future.
Given the realities under Taliban rule, many forms of leadership and participation necessarily take place under extremely difficult conditions. The initiative seeks to support, amplify, and connect these voices internationally, not to speak over them.

Comment on Two International Arrest Warrants of 17 March 2023 by Sanja Jeraj

Sanja Jeraj — Fri, 08 May 2026 12:51:58 +0000

Update:
On 25 October 2024, Ukraine deposited its instrument of ratification with the United Nations, and the Rome Statute entered into force for Ukraine on 1 January 2025, making it the 125th state party.
https://www.coalitionfortheicc.org/ukraine-becomes-125th-ICC-state-party
Armenia became the 124th State Party to the ICC Rome Statute on 1 February 2024, after depositing its instrument of ratification on 14 November 2023.
https://www.coalitionfortheicc.org/armenia-becomes-ICCstateparty

Comment on Reclaiming Leadership – the Women’s Jirga for Afghanistan by Sanja Jeraj

Sanja Jeraj — Fri, 08 May 2026 12:32:01 +0000

A strong and well-intentioned initiative — but the opening claim deserves scrutiny. The initiative was launched in New York, on the margins of CSW — by diaspora figures, not from within Afghanistan. Women still living under Taliban rule are largely forced to act in the shadows, under surveillance, with shrinking resources. This raises an uncomfortable question: how connected is this initiative genuinely to the women it claims to represent?

The key question remains how this can be realistically implemented, especially given existing structural and political constraints. The current Afghan government is unlikely to change its mind on its own. External intervention — like the Soviet Union’s ten-year war to prevent Afghanistan from falling out of its sphere of influence, which ironically it did: by resisting Soviet communism, Afghanistan moved toward becoming the Islamic state it is today — offers little, and certainly not lasting, success. Only when internal frustration and anger reach a point where risking one’s life seems the only option, is there a chance for change. External support is welcome — but it should be wary of claiming to know better what is right for Afghanistan. Imposed solutions rarely guarantee success.

Comment on Civil Society at CSW70 Presses for Gender Justice by Sanja Jeraj

Sanja Jeraj — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 10:04:06 +0000

It’s remarkable how long the incorrectly used article ‘the’ appears before the Alliance’s name in the publication, even as other details are corrected..

Comment on Support for the petition against sexual violence in sub-Saharan Africa by Sanja Jeraj

Sanja Jeraj — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 22:46:36 +0000

The copyright details for this photo have not yet been published. Here they are: Photo by Lekan Ridwan on Unsplash

Comment on Civil Society at CSW70 Presses for Gender Justice by Alison Brown

Alison Brown — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 20:07:29 +0000

I will thank the posters of such articles to remember that the official name of IAW is International Alliance of Women, not “the” International Alliance of Women (all four times) and that I, as President of IAW, was the official Head of the IAW Delegation to CSW70.

Comment on A Global Feminist Blueprint for the Next Three Years by Alison Brown

Alison Brown — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 11:45:38 +0000

The Action Programme comes in two parts. Here are its objectives: https://womenalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/IAW-ACTION-PROGRAMME-E-2025-2028-Strategic-Goals-FINAL.pdf
The Measures to achieve these Goals can be found on this website in the Governing Documents menu.

Comment on Support for the petition against sexual violence in sub-Saharan Africa by Virginia Morris

Virginia Morris — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 17:56:24 +0000

Dear Ilyassou Diallo,

We would be pleased to welcome you to the Coalition and would greatly appreciate your support.

The only requirement for joining the Coalition is to sign the Petition free of charge.

All members of the International Alliance for Women are welcome to sign the Petition and join the Coalition.

Please contact me by email so that we can work together to end violence against women and girls in Africa.

The Coalition is working with the African Union’s Women, Gender, and Youth Directorate (WGYD) to promote the signature, ratification and entry into force of the Convention as soon as possible to provide a Pan-African legal framework for ending violence against women and girls throughout Africa.

Virginia Morris
United Nations Office of Legal Affairs (1989-2017)
African Law Education and Advocacy
Coalition for African Treaties Ratification: AU-CEVAWG
virginia.morris@africanlawseminar.org
https://www.youtube.com/@AfricanLawEducationandAdvocacy

Comment on Support for the petition against sexual violence in sub-Saharan Africa by Virginia Morris

Virginia Morris — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 04:00:30 +0000

The African Union Legal Counsel, Professor Hajer Gueldich, gave a powerful lecture on the landmark AU Convention to End Violence Against Women and Girls for the African Law Seminar series last July. This lecture led to the creation of the Coalition for African Treaties Ratification for this Convention last September. The Coalition had over 1,000 members join during the first 10 days, 2,000 members before the end of the year, and currently has over 3,000 members in all 55 AU countries. The lecture is available on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmRQO2_v3C4