The Governing Board of the ICIP has awarded the 2025 ICIP Peace in Progress Award to the Syrian organisation Women Now for Development for its work in “supporting, protecting, and empowering Syrian women, both inside and outside the country, as a symbol of feminist resistance and solidarity in the face of violence.”
The award recognises Women Now for Development’s outstanding contribution to peace, justice, and dignity in Syria—a country deeply affected by repression, armed conflict, and forced exile. The organisation was selected from among twenty international nominations for its transformative and resilient work over the past decade.
Founded in 2012 by Syrian writer and journalist Samar Yazbek, Women Now for Development was established as a grassroots initiative to support women and girls during the early stages of the Syrian uprising. Its initial goal was to create safe spaces where women could gather, share knowledge and experiences, and collectively explore ways to support their communities. Since then, it has evolved into a leading feminist organisation working in both war zones and conflict-affected contexts, inside and outside Syria.
Over the past thirteen years, the organisation has developed a model rooted in feminist values and community solidarity. Women Now for Development has strengthened the role of women in both public and private spheres by providing tools, resources, and knowledge. In doing so, the organisation has helped shape a generation of women who continue to resist violence and build hope in the face of destruction.
A Survivor-Centred Approach
Through its presence in Syria, Lebanon, and Turkey, Women Now for Development has accompanied communities facing severe human rights violations such as sieges, forced displacement, and chemical attacks. The organisation’s work is defined by its survivor-centred approach, emphasis on protection, participation, empowerment, and strong belief in community organising. It also leads international advocacy efforts to amplify the voices of Syrian women, often marginalized in mainstream political discourse, and to push for justice and accountability.
Guided by feminist principles and staffed by activists deeply rooted in their communities, Women Now for Development continues to imagine and work toward a more just and inclusive future for Syria.
Upon receiving the award, the organisation’s Executive Director, Lubna Alkanawati, shared a powerful memory: “In 2014, during one of the harshest periods of siege imposed by the Assad regime on Eastern Ghouta, we were deprived of almost everything. My 65-year-old neighbour Mariam, the head of a twenty-member household living in unimaginable conditions, always made sure to share a small portion of her food with me. That single bite—offered with care and solidarity—helped me hold on to my humanity when war showed me its ugliest face. It reminded me what it means to remain human in inhumane times.”
Alkanawati dedicated the award “to Mariam, to the team at Women Now for Development, who continue to show the world how women can lead change with determination, will, and passion; and to all Syrian women who, through care, resilience, compassion, and courage, continue to resist destruction and create hope.” She also stated that receiving the ICIP Award “is a powerful acknowledgment of the unwavering commitment of Syrian women, who have resisted violence, built alternatives, and imagined justice even in the darkest of times. It is also a tribute to feminist solidarity, which crosses borders and strengthens us.”
Women Now for Development has consistently worked to ensure that women’s voices are central to all peacebuilding, justice, and accountability processes. The organisation believes that there can be no sustainable peace without justice—and no justice or peace without women.
Rooted in community-based efforts, its work has led to key milestones: the formation of the Adala Network in 2016; participation in local civilian negotiations through the Civil Block in Eastern Ghouta in 2018; and most recently, support for survivor-led movements advocating for the creation of the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in the Syrian Arab Republic (IIMP).
The ICIP Peace in Progress Award
Since 2011, the ICIP Peace in Progress Award has been granted annually to publicly recognise individuals, organisations, or institutions that have made an outstanding and long-standing contribution to promoting peace.
The award includes public recognition, a sculpture entitled “Porta del Sol” (Gateway to the Sun), created by Nobel Peace Prize laureate, artist, and activist Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, and a monetary prize of € 6,000. The award ceremony will take place in September 2025 at the Parliament of Catalonia, coinciding with the International Day of Peace.
