Alternative Women's Policy
With the solidarity and support of our friends from all over the world, we started the International Network of Women's Solidarity Against War / International Network of Women in Black. Since July 1992, there have been ten international conferences (in Novi sad, Totovo Selo, Subotica, Ulcinj. Together with Women in Black Italy, in October 2000 we organized the Ninth Conference of the Network in Brussels, in the European Parliament building.). In August 2003, Women in Black Italy have organized the Eleventh Conference of the Network in Marina di Massa near Florence.
This network brings together women from all the countries of the former Yugoslavia, Europe, USA, Latin America, Africa and Asia. The conferences promote women's solidarity across all state, ethnic, racial, and religious divisions and borders, encourage the creation of interethnic/intercultural peace coalitions, the participation of women in non-violent conflict resolution through peace negotiations, exposing common and global militarism, showing the connection between feminism and antimilitarism, etc.
Alternative International Gatherings
Over the twelve years of our existence, we have participated in formal and informal international conferences. Let us mention some of them:
- IWR (International War Resisters) in Thailand (1992), Brazil (1994) India (2002), etc.
- Feminist Network in Spain (1993)
- Conscientious Objection Movement of the Antimilitarist Network in Spain (MOC and OF)
- "Women and Health" organized by the Women's Global Network for Reproductive Rights: Brazil (1997), Toronto (2002)
- Summer School of Democracy in Croatia: 1996, 1997, 200, 2002
- The Fourth Session of the Helsinki Parliament, held in Tuzla, BH, in 1995
- The Permanent Peoples' Tribunal (Barcelona, 1995)
- The European Peace Congress (Oldenburg, 1996)
- Peace conferences, debates as part of the annual Peace Mach Perudia - Asissi), Italy
- The European Union Alternative Forum, Madrid, 1995
- The European Social Forum, Florence, 2002
Official International Gatherings
We have also participated at numerous official gatherings along with other alternative networks, with the aim to exert as much influence as possible on the institutions of political power, to change the contents of politics and the manner of pursuing political goals.
Let us mention a few of them:
- Vienna, 1993: UN Conference on Human Rights
- Cairo, 1994: UN Conference on Population and Development
- Peking, 1995: UN Conference on Women
- Council of Europe – European Bureau for Conscientious Objection, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003: sessions and seminars on conscientious objection
- Geneva, New York, Grenada, 2000-2003: UN sessions on refugees and women's human rights;
- Brussels - European Parliament, 2000: " Women's Contribution to Stability in East and Southeast Europe"
- Hanover, 2000: World Exhibition
- New York, Helsinki, 2002: sessions of the Counseling Body of UNIFEM on women, peace and security, etc.
Membership in International Networks:
- International Network of Women's Solidarity against War / International Network of Women in Black;
- War Resisters International (WRI)
- Women's Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR)
- International Federation of Reconciliation and Peace Bureau International (IFOR/PBI)
- Women Living Under Muslim Laws (WLUML)
- Non-violent Peace Force, etc.
Awards and Prizes
Out of the numerous awards from alternative networks and official institutions, let us single out the Millennium Award for Peace, which was conferred to us for the first time in 2001 by UNIFEM (United Nations Development Fund for Women). On behalf of the International Network, the Award was received by Women in Black, Belgrade, on 8th March 2001 in New York.
