International Women’s Day 2025: Together in Solidarity

In light of the current conflicts and increasing violence worldwide, on International Women’s Day (as well as every day that follows), UNOY shines a light on the ongoing struggles of women in conflict and the importance of focusing on solidarity with the lives of young women and girls. Crises often have the most devastating impact on those who are in most precarious situations, sometimes leaving them at the margins, and destroying the social fabrics of our communities.

It is essential that their realities are addressed and recognised, especially in a world where they are systemically left in the shadows. For that, acknowledging the intersectionality of these struggles is crucial— overlapping identities, such as being a young woman, queer, gender non-conforming, a woman with disabilities, from an Indigenous community, having a migratory status, or belonging to a specific religious or ethnic background, can intersect to create layers of marginalisation and unique lived experiences of oppression and struggle.

Trigger warning: This next section contains sensitive content related to sexual violence. We understand that this topic may be distressing or triggering for some readers. Please take care of yourself and feel free to skip this section.

The disproportionate impact of conflicts and crisis on women

It is undeniable that women around the world face unequal distribution of resources and experience systemic barriers when it comes to healthcare, education, economic independence and stability, or access to digital spaces, etc.; these conditions exacerbate the risks and precarity of the lives of many women. Crisis, conflicts and wars further worsen these conditions and often disproportionately affect women, young people, gender non conforming people, children, and other vulnerable groups. These often unfold as conflict-related sexual violence including sexual violence as a weapon of war, forced displacement, abductions and forced marriages, and human trafficking. It has truly devastating consequences, particularly lasting harmful effects on survivors’ physical, mental, sexual and reproductive health, destroying the social fabric of communities.

This social fracture can be shown in the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where sexual violence continues to be used as a weapon of war, where armed groups systematically target women, men and children, inflicting unimaginable suffering and trauma. The UN Refugee agency reported on February, 2025 of an average of more than 60 cases of rape a day.

Additionally, the war on Gaza, which left over a majority of hospitals destroyed and only few partially functioning, has had particularly devastating effects on women’s health, especially maternal care. The destruction of medical infrastructure, coupled with unbearable living conditions, has further worsened the already terrible situations for menstruating individuals, pregnant women, and mothers.

In fact, the life-threatening situations of millions of women as a result of armed conflicts shows a worrying reality that is on the rise. In 2023, the UN reported over 170 armed conflicts worldwide with the proportion of women killed doubling in that same year. Furthermore, an estimated 117.3 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced due to persecution, conflict and violence. Half of the forcibly displaced population are women and girls, and one in four are children under 12 years old.

From our network, our members are constantly facing and navigating these gendered realities. In 2023 alone, 26.5% of our members working on gender issues faced intimidation, threats, or violence for their activism. Prevention and protection efforts are urgent. Young peacebuilders are on the frontlines of conflicts, risking their lives in safeguarding fundamental women’s and human rights, and fostering lasting peace.

Their work is not only essential for conflict resolution and for transforming the paradigms of these realities; It is also reflected in the countless examples of solidarity amongst members in the network, showing collective strength and commitment. One recent example is a manifesto co-created by members from Europe and MENA. Reflecting on the regions’ shared history of both power asymmetry and cooperation, members called on young people to unite in a global solidarity movement to bring change.

“Between wars and continuous mass atrocities, young peacebuilders, women and girls carry intergenerational trauma leaving suffering imprints deeply in themselves. And yet, they remain hopeful. The power of community and solidarity is strong, it brings people together across physical and immaterial boundaries, such as frontiers, languages, intersectional gender identities, ethnicities, and ideologies to come together to reshape the concept and practice of international solidarity.” – Europe-MENA International Solidarity Manifesto

Around solidarity

In the midst of many struggles, solidarity has been widely used taking various forms and shapes. It has been used by nation-states, corporations, collectives and groups to show support and the recognition of a struggle, to acknowledge a common cause. Sometimes it can be used performatively, passively, lacking meaning and practice, thus creating gaps, often between the privileged and the oppressed. Other times, when performing or operating solidarity it can create further dilemmas between different struggles, falling in the trap of (mis)reading conflicts outside its geography or equating them. From the liberation struggles of Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen, to the resistance of the peoples of the Democratic Republic of Congo, to the current struggles in Colombia, Venezuela, India, the Philippines and Myanmar, to the struggle for justice of black communities in the United States. Each of these movements with their own stories of liberation struggle, fight for dignity and endless confrontation against imperialism, settler colonialism and oppression – acknowledging that not all struggles have been named, but all are constantly navigating tensions and precarities and the reclaiming of their space and sovereignty.

The dilemma around solidarity is for its complexity; In the words of Lépold Lambert, on Questioning our Solidarities, the 46th issue of The Funambulist Magazine, the issue of performative solidarity becomes relevant when we consider how social media shapes our understanding of solidarity. This isn’t to downplay the significance of verbal expressions of solidarity or statements of support between different struggles. Rather, it critiques the idea that simply making a statement is inherently an act of solidarity, or that the absence of such a statement automatically signifies rejection towards a struggle. The problem around the topic intensifies when certain topics are hypermediatized, or not mediatized at all, then solidarity becomes subjected to reactions, biased interpretations and media coverages. That is why It feels important to continue the introspection, the acknowledgement of colonial biases, asymmetries of the knowledge produced by the west and its impacts. We should continue reflecting and having conversation on the ways we enact solidarity, without moral judgments, and with more empathy and understanding towards one another because solidarity is a powerful tool for peace.

“We realise that our struggle is one: the challenges we face, the causes we strive for, and the incurrent crises and instability we have been living through are not mutually exclusive, nor cannot be hierarchised by order of importance. We work to leverage the resources we do hold for the common good.” – Europe-MENA International Solidarity Manifesto

In practice: Solidarity is a Tool for Peace

True solidarity cannot be forced or demanded, it comes from understanding, support and shared commitments.

Solidarity can be incredibly powerful when creating community, interconnectedness and genuine support. Solidarity is the ways in which we show empathy and care for others, understanding that we are all interdependent of each other, and we must do what it takes to ensure that everyone can exercise their fundamental human rights and can live in community and peace. As our Regional Coordinator Vera pointed out, it is most effective when it helps share narratives from the ground, and helps break the silence or break through the loud noise that covers the real voices of people living through conflict or crises.

In carrying out this practice, it can take different forms. For some people it is not about external, action-oriented practices but rather a deep introspection; a reflection of a conflict, researching, the pursuit of knowledge in the aim of understanding and educating about the struggles of others. It can also take the form of supporting arts, gastronomy and cultures of a specific community, help amplify their voices and give more visibility to those expressions and stories that have been historically silenced. It can be about listening and sharing, connecting to and with others. Music, food, literature, poetry are powerful tools for resistance and community healing.

Recent examples of solidarity that have been seen within the network and with women have been shared by the Regional Coordinator of the MENA Region, Vera. She shares that during the escalated aggressions in Palestine and the war in Lebanon, what was most effective was reaching out, connecting, asking and checking in on colleagues and members who are going under difficult circumstances of war, conflict, or violence, or climate catastrophes like the devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria. It makes a huge difference, and gives a sense of not standing alone.

A huge wave of solidarity was carried out with the help of UNOY network lead, alumni and the IS team who offered support to the organisation Peace of Art with sharing a fundraiser call, donating funds, offering well-being support to team members, reaching out, connecting to organisations providing online protection services and support, including online psychological support. All these common efforts allowed to give more visibility to the crisis and were super helpful for the organisation in their support for displaced women in Northern Bekaa area of Lebanon during the war, which was an area under heavy Israeli bombing, including accessibility to menstrual hygiene packages and medical supplies to its abilities.

Additionally, she shares that what was also helpful was mobilising networks and connections to support well-being, healing, protection, and digital safety. Youth for Peace Initiative, a UNOY member organisation based in Jordan, started an initiative to write down and publish the stories of women on Wikipedia, to break the under-representation of women on such platforms. This is an action to bridge the gender gap in digital spheres, challenge the systemic bias in media and history, and amplify the real stories of leading women. This type of solidarity practice has also been implemented by Peace Mentors Organisation, another MENA UNOY member based in Iran, working on knowledge production around feminism and the situation of young women in Iran and what it means to be feminist.

Other examples of solidarity that have been seen within the network have been seen in the support of the open letter addressed to the UN Secretary-General drafted by a coalition of youth organisations of civil society in the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) to address the concerning situation in the eastern part of the country. Other organisations, in particular from the Americas regions reacted with statements of support and solidarity with the people in DRC.

Additionally, a member of the International Steering Group – representing the Americas, Galia from OAJNU shared the commitment and efforts towards eradicating the intensified crisis of gender-based violence, She shares the practice of creating safe, cathartic spaces where young women can share experiences and foster connection, solidarity, and empowerment. Galia underscores the particular relevance of such spaces in the current climate, where hate speech is on the rise across the Americas, and feminism faces increasing resistance, and it is more crucial than ever to uphold the rights and dignity of young women.

We stand and practice solidarity with compromise and reflection. A solidarity that is about raising our voices, checking in, reaching out, sending love, resisting, sharing knowledge and resources, and being there for others in ways that really matter. Le’ts practice solidarity courageously, in ways that make a difference.

International Women’s Day 2025: Together in Solidarity

The disproportionate impact of conflicts and crisis on women

Around solidarity

In practice: Solidarity is a Tool for Peace

Recommended readings on this topic:

Laura Antón Montero, Vera Al-Mawla and Sara Donato