The Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation’s established purposes are:

To conduct projects in regions of war and armed conflict that promote women’s self-reliance and self-esteem, women’s psychosocial and/or physical health; or that contribute to promoting women’s par­ticipation in the building of a democratic civil society.

To foster studies and research on the effects of war and armed conflict on women.

To bring to the attention of the public facts and information about the effects of war and to build public support for peaceful conflict resolution through the use of civil means.

VISION

Kvinna till Kvinna’s vision is a world with sustainable peace based on democracy and gender equality, in which conflicts are managed through non-military means. It envisions a world where human rights for women, men, girls and boys are respected, and all people are able to feel safe and secure. Women should have power and influence over decisions, and be involved as actors in the economic and political development of society to the same extent as men.

Kvinna till Kvinna literally means ”Woman to Woman”. They strengthen the organisation of women in conflict regions by collaborating with women’s organisations and supporting their work to promote women’s rights and peace. The goal is for women’s power and influence to increase.

Their partner organisations organise meeting points for women in environments where it is difficult for them to interact. The organisations influence policy and generate dialogue across conflict borders. They work to promote women’s health, to provide information and education about women’s human rights, and to prevent human trafficking and violence against women. Their role is to provide financial sup­port and to mediate contacts between organisations.

Today, Kvinna till Kvinna supports more than 100 women’s organisations in five regions afflicted by conflict: Central and Western Africa, the Middle East, the South Cau­casus and the Western Balkans.

Kvinna till Kvinna provides information about the situ­ation facing women in conflict zones and the important work for peace that women’s organisations carry out. They also do advocacy work in Sweden and internationally to increase women’s repre­sentation in peace processes. Through contract teaching initiatives such as the ITP programme, they use their expertise to spread knowledge about women, peace and security.

 

MANDATE

Kvinna till Kvinna is to operate without attaching importance to religious, political, national or ethnic affiliation. These requirements also apply to Kvinna till Kvinna’s partner organisations.

Kvinna till Kvinna is not affiliated with any political party or religious movement.

Kvinna till Kvinna’s work is based on UN conventions on equal rights for men and women; the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), and the Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action. Kvinna till Kvinna pays special attention to, and works towards, the implementation of the global agenda initiated in 2000 by the UN Security Council with the adoption of Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security.

Based on the need of a global security policy that puts human security before military security, Kvinna till Kvinna has conducted a gender analysis of global peace and security. The analysis shows that destructive masculine norms contribute to the way violence is resorted to as a means of conflict resolution. It also shows that gender norms and notions of masculinity and femininity perpetuate and reinforce social structures in which male power and needs are consistently prioritised over women’s needs and participation.

Kvinna till Kvinna operates along the lines of a feminist power analysis to change these discriminatory structures and promote women’s participation, rights and safety.

As Kvinna till Kvinna is a fundraising foundation, they have no members. However, they do have volunteers – people who are committed to their issues and who help to convey their message in various ways. Kvinna till Kvinna is also linked to a number of organisations that support us in their work and help us to spread knowledge and informa­tion about the issues they work with.