On May 10, Women for Women International hosted our 2022 annual luncheon in New York City to reflect on how women in conflict-affected regions are rebuilding their lives and communities as survivors of trauma and the horrors of war.
Women bear the heaviest burden of violence, poverty and inequality in times of war and crisis. The fall of the Afghan government to de facto forces has resulted in the deterioration of women’s rights in Afghanistan. In Ukraine, 2022 began the ongoing invasion by the Russian military, where mass reports of attacks against women have risen from captured cities.
At our first luncheon since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, we were joined by award-winning journalist and documentarian Soledad O’Brien, who moderated the panel discussion held by government leaders and changemakers from around the world about their lived experiences of conflict in countries like Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as well as sharing the urgent needs of Ukrainian refugee women and the importance of including women in peace-making efforts.
“For almost 30 years, [Women for Women International has] invested in the power of more than 530,000 women survivors of war. With conflict on the rise in places like Afghanistan and now Ukraine, women face increasing injustice.”
-Soledad O’Brien
Laurie Adams, CEO, and Roya Rahmani, Afghanistan's first female Ambassador.
