PAX has once again been selected as a strategic partner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Together with Amnesty International Netherlands, ABAAD and DefendDefenders, the peace organisation submitted an application under the subsidy framework Power of Voices. The proposal ‘Strengthening Civil Courage’ has been highly rated and finishes in third place out of twenty selected proposals. The amount awarded to the alliance is not yet known. The new partnership starts in 2021 and lasts five years.
‘PAX has been working with citizens around the world for decades to create peace and security for all. The strategic partnership is very good news: it enables PAX to continue our work in Africa and the Middle East in the coming years, together with our partners in conflict areas and involved civilians in the Netherlands’, says Anna Timmerman, General Manager of PAX. ‘The current corona crisis demonstrates just how important peacework is: we are only safe when everyone is safe. Together with its alliance partners, PAX will therefore continue to work for peace and justice’.
Local Partners
In cooperation with local partners, the Alliance focuses on inclusive peace building, by supporting human rights defenders and peace activists, promoting gender equality and mitigating the negative impact of external factors such as arms trade and corporations on conflict and human rights.
Alliance
The alliance Strengthening Civil Courage consists of peace organization PAX, based in Utrecht; human rights organization Amnesty International Netherlands, with its office in Amsterdam; ABAAD, resource center for gender equality based in Beirut Lebanon; and DefendDefenders, a network of and for human rights defenders in Africa, headquartered in Kampala, Uganda.
Women, Peace, Security
The application under the smaller subsidy framework Women, Peace, Security has also been approved. The proposal ‘Feminist Peace Leaders’ received a very positive evaluation and finishes second out of a total of eight selected applications. It concerns a programme in two countries aimed at strengthening the role of women change agents in peacebuilding and political transformation.