Women's Network for Peace

Frauennetzwerk für Frieden e.V. (FNF), known in English as the Women's Network for Peace, is a non-profit registered association based in Bonn, Germany. It was founded on 3 February 1996, following discussions at the 4th United Nations World Conference on Women in Beijing and Huairou, where women active in the peace tent concluded that the many scattered women's peace initiatives needed to be bundled and strengthened. The association's motto is "Kriege werden von Menschen gemacht. Frieden auch." ("Wars are made by people. Peace is too."). The network's purpose is to connect women's and peace-policy networks and to promote their cooperation. Its central aim is the building of a sustainable peace culture and the equal participation of women in all peace activities in politics and society, with a women's focus standing alongside a gender perspective. A main concern is the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on "Women, Peace and Security" in Germany and worldwide. FNF also works on a culture of peace by organising peer-mediation meetings (Streitschlichtungstreffs) at schools in and around Bonn. FNF has 14 member organisations and groups, and its networking work takes place both on specific themes and continuously through information and networking services. It organises events on women's and peace-policy topics, including lectures by women engaged in peace work from Germany and abroad, and has participated since 2011 in the coordination circle of the Bonn Peace Days (Bonner Friedenstage). It is active in the AG Gender und Frieden of the Bund für Soziale Verteidigung and in the civil-society "Bündnis 1325". A further focus is remembrance work for Bertha von Suttner, the first woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, for example by initiating a memorial stele at Bertha-von-Suttner-Platz in Bonn; in 2019 FNF converted a tram into the "Bertha-Bahn". In 2023, together with the Netzwerk Friedenskooperative, it launched the "Friedensweg Bonn" (Bonn Peace Path), inaugurated on 3 September 2023 during the Bonn Peace Days. The association also presents and lends the Austrian exhibition "Bertha von Suttner – ein Leben für den Frieden" and gives lectures in national and international contexts. The board consists of a chairwoman, two deputies and a treasurer (executive board), plus up to four assessors. Heide Schütz is honorary chairwoman. FNF has received several awards, including the 2015 Preis der Stiftung Else Mayer, the 2017 Helga-und-Werner-Sprenger-Friedenspreis of the Freiburg INTA Foundation, and in 2023 the BMZ Engagementpreis for outstanding personal engagement in development cooperation for Heide Schütz; in 2016 Heide Schütz received the Bundesverdienstkreuz am Bande for her long-standing peace work.

The idea for a women's network for peace emerged during the 4th United Nations World Conference on Women in Beijing and Huairou, where topics such as "women and armed conflicts" and "women as peace actors" were discussed. In the peace tent in Huairou, women met and found that many initiatives existed but were somewhat isolated, and that it would therefore make sense to bundle and strengthen them. As a result, Frauennetzwerk für Frieden e.V. was founded on 3 February 1996 in Bonn. Already in its first year, the association helped strengthen German-Czech relations: women from both countries carried out a reconciliation project called "Fenster zu Geschichte" (Windows on History) and founded the German-Czech Women's Forum. A second associated association developed with Ukraine, caring for orphanages in eastern Ukraine. At local and regional level, FNF was involved, among other things, in a coordination circle for the Bonn Peace Days, in the schools' peace run, and in networking schools through the supra-regional peer-mediation meeting in the Bonn area. A long-standing project was also to preserve the memory of Bertha von Suttner, the first woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, whose peace-policy analyses remain valid even after 100 years. The network's international orientation was also evident in its participation in the international project "1000 Peace Women Across the Globe / 1000 Friedensfrauen Weltweit", which aimed to nominate 1000 women for the Nobel Peace Prize. The accompanying exhibition was shown several times and was also available digitally. In 2019, FNF celebrated 70 years of Bertha-von-Suttner-Platz in Bonn and converted a tram into the "Bertha-Bahn". In 2023, together with the Netzwerk Friedenskooperative, it launched the "Friedensweg Bonn", inaugurated on 3 September 2023 during the Bonn Peace Days. The association has received several awards, including the 2015 Preis der Stiftung Else Mayer, the 2017 Helga-und-Werner-Sprenger-Friedenspreis of the Freiburg INTA Foundation, and in 2023 the BMZ Engagementpreis for Heide Schütz; in 2016 Heide Schütz received the Bundesverdienstkreuz am Bande for her long-standing peace work. In 2026 the network is marking its 30th anniversary with a celebration titled "Auf ihren Schultern – Fundamente feministischer Friedensarbeit".

• 2026

  30th anniversary celebration "Auf ihren Schultern – Fundamente feministischer Friedensarbeit".

• 2023

  Launched "Friedensweg Bonn" with Netzwerk Friedenskooperative, inaugurated on 3 September during the Bonn Peace Days.

• 2023

  BMZ Engagementpreis for Heide Schütz for outstanding personal engagement in development cooperation.

• 2019

  Celebrated 70 years of Bertha-von-Suttner-Platz Bonn and converted a tram into the "Bertha-Bahn".

• 2017

  Awarded the Helga-und-Werner-Sprenger-Friedenspreis of the Freiburg INTA Foundation.

• 2016

  Bundesverdienstkreuz am Bande for Heide Schütz for long-standing peace work.

• 2015

  Awarded the Preis der Stiftung Else Mayer.

• 2011

  FNF begins annual participation in the coordination circle of the Bonn Peace Days.

• 1996

  Frauennetzwerk für Frieden e.V. founded on 3 February in Bonn.

• 1996

  German-Czech reconciliation project "Fenster zu Geschichte" and founding of the German-Czech Women's Forum.

Non-profit women's peace network and civil-society association focused on networking, peace education, remembrance of Bertha von Suttner, and implementation of UN Resolution 1325.

1. 1Frauennetzwerk für Frieden – Impressumfrauennetzwerk-fuer-frieden.de
2. 2Frauennetzwerk für Friedende.wikipedia.org
3. 3Women's Network for Peacewikidata.org