Pioneers of Peace: How These Women Brought Forth Justice 

Peace, law, and justice. This year’s theme is something you will not be forgetting over the next week. However, within the dynamic landscape of peacebuilding, less publicized actions are often overlooked. This commonly applies to female changemakers in Lesser Economically Developed Countries (LEDCs). Meanwhile, we have all heard of Malala Yousafzai’s revolutionary efforts, but hundreds of women do not gain such attention. Committees will be discussing topics in which women have played essential roles, such as Tackling female genital mutilation and Strengthening the protection of civilians affected by armed conflict. Why not learn more about the individuals and groups revolutionizing this planet? Here, we will explore the stories of four women and how they work towards a brighter, peaceful future. 

Razia Sultana

As a Rohingya woman, Razia Sultana was born into a state of conflict. The stateless Rohingya people, an Indo-Aryan ethnic group who mostly follow the Islamic religion, are known to live in the region of Rakhine, Myanmar. From 2016 to 2017, the group faced a genocide led by the Myanmar military forcing roughly 800,000 civilians to flee to Bangladesh. Sultana is a lawyer, researcher, and educator, working to bring justice to Rohingya women and girls who have faced trauma, rape, and trafficking as a result of the genocide. Currently, she is practicing law in Bangladesh and works with women in refugee camps, documenting and reporting the systematic assault of Rohingya women. Additionally, she has taken a stance by becoming a Senior Researcher with Kalandan Press, a coordinator of the Free Rohingya Coalition, Director of the Arakan Rohingya National Organization’s women section, and the founder of Rohingya Women Welfare. She has appeared multiple times in the Security Council as a representative of her people, working to bring global justice to women facing violence in conflict. 

Leyla Hussein 

Born in Somalia, Leyla Hussein stands as a trailblazer in the fight against female genital mutilation (FGM). Having been subject to FGM herself, she founded “The Dahlia Project”, a non-profit organization that aims to support victims of FGM while preventing it within communities. While it is difficult to eradicate a deeply rooted tradition in many rural 

Somali societies, she campaigns locally for girls and women to exercise their power and rights, expand their choice and agency, and be free from all forms of violence. As a psychotherapist, she counsels victims and consults policymakers, while constructing effective legislation. For over 20 years, she has tirelessly worked to save the health of over 140 million women and girls subject to FGM. 

Leymah Gbowee

2011 Nobel Peace Laureate, Leymah Gbowee, originates from Liberia, where her efforts as a Liberian peace activist, social worker, and women’s rights advocate have helped end Liberia’s devastating 14-year-long civil war. As the founder of the “Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa”, she saw the responsibility of women to work proactively to restore peace and launched a non-violent movement bringing together Christian and Muslim women. Leading week-long protests consisting of thousands of women, Gbowee pressured then-president Charles Taylor to initiate peace talks with Ghana. Going far enough to create a 200-person blockade until leaders came to a peace negotiation, she paved the way for Liberia’s first female president: Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Since then, she has led lectures and discussions, promoting women’s strategic participation and leadership in peace and security governance on the African continent. Notably, she has appeared in multiple conferences, such as the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. 

Magdalena Sepúlveda Carmona

With a Ph.D. in International Human Rights Law, Chilean Dr. Magdalena Sepúlveda Carmona was a United Nations Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights. Having witnessed extreme poverty and violation of human rights amongst children in her local communities, Sepúlveda Carmona previously researched at the Netherlands Institute for Human Rights, and taught across various universities, often returning to educate students from her native Latin America. She focuses on fiscal and developmental policies, using improved tax allocation to provide government support in impoverished areas. Having strong ties to the UN, she has also served as a consultant to various international organizations, including UNWOMEN, the World Bank Group, UNHCR, UNICEF, ILO, and OHCHR. Sepúlveda’s work invites discussions on the importance of incorporating social justice and peacebuilding efforts, demonstrating how economic and gender equality can pave the way for lasting peace.

In recognizing the unique perspectives women contribute, their empathetic, resilient roles as architects of peace should not go unnoticed. From founding organizations, blocking meeting rooms, offering therapy services, and fighting for justice in the court of law, women can instigate deep systematic change, creating a more sustainable and peaceful future.