WOMEN OF COLOR ADVANCING PEACE, SECURITY & CONFLICT TRANSFORMATION UNITED KINGDOM CHAPTER Standing Together Against Racism and Discrimination We, the undersigned, stand together against the acts of racism and discrimination that are structurally and culturally built into the foundation of the United States, manifesting in the repeated targeting of Black people, and people of colour, so tragically illustrated in the murder of George Floyd. We echo the WCAPS Statements on the killing of George Floyd. However, the United States is not alone in perpetuating systemic racism; the UK and its neighbouring European countries share responsibility for perpetuating these ideologies throughout history having built them into the fibre of their own societies, and played a vital role in their creation. Through shared histories, whole societies were created on the backs of subjugation, slavery, Empire and colonialism. We shall not ignore the vast inequities that exist globally, and will instead employ them as a powerful catalyst for our communal effort to eradicate all forms of violence that wreck the lives and peace of Black people and people of colour around the world. As individuals and organizations that work to promote global peace and security, we are acutely aware of how racism and discrimination obstruct our goals. These racial attitudes exist in all facets of our lives, weakening our democracy, and opposing our values of equality, justice, and freedom. To root out institutional racism, it is vital that we re-examine our implicit and explicit biases, as well as biases within our organizations. We share a common vision of a world where all people are treated equally, fairly, and with respect. Institutional racism purposefully disadvantages Black people and people of colour through social, economic, and political systems, reinforcing white supremacy, and must be consciously confronted, addressed and removed. We understand that racism - in the US, the UK, across Europe, and the globe - will not be eliminated without a sustained effort. We must work within ourselves, our organizations, and in collaboration against any and all signs of structural racism and injustice that continue to permeate our culture, society, and ways of life. To truly combat racism and achieve our mission of peace and security for all, we must be willing to work on this issue every day. We commit to do so and to hold ourselves accountable. As individuals and organizations, we must commit to:
Actively change the face of international peace and security by ensuring that our organizations reflect the diversity of the peoples they purport to represent, and at all levels. Diversify our boards of directors and advisory committees to include Black people and people of colour. Elevate the voices of Black people and people of colour in the media and through other public engagements. Educate our leadership and staff on the prevention of racism and discrimination, and on their detrimental impacts. Call out racism and share the burden of dismantling racist structures in the UK. Acknowledge microaggressions and their detrimental impact on Black people and people of colour in the workplace, be that in academia, industry, think tanks, or elsewhere. Provide support, including financial support and resources, to groups that are led by Black people and people of colour that promote our values. Acknowledge the contributions of Black people and people of colour and credit their work in the fields of international peace and security. Develop a safe workplace where Black people and people of colour can share their concerns on issues of racism and racial discrimination. Develop meaningful diversity, inclusion, and equity strategies for Black people and people of colour, and our efforts on gender diversity will include women of colour. Develop processes for hiring individuals from local and low-income communities. We will develop mentorship programs for Black people and people of colour in our organizations. Some of us have already begun work in these areas, while others are just beginning. We recognize that each of us is in different places on this journey and we will work together to achieve these goals. We will join WCAPS in discussions on how we can ensure we are accountable for our efforts to address racism and discrimination in all its forms. We will be part of the solution.
Organisation and Network Signatures: Nina Bernarding Co-Director Centre for Feminist Foreign Policy
Bonnie Jenkins Founder and Executive Director WCAPS
Sebastian Brixey-Williams Co-Director BASIC
Jinsella Kennaway Director Demilitarise Education Ltd.
Dmytro Chupryna Deputy Director Airwars
Joanna Kidd CEO Ridgeway Information
Marissa Conway Co-Founder Centre for Feminist Foreign Policy
Patricia Lewis Research Director Conflict, Science & Transformation Director, International Security Programme, Chatham House
Anuradha Damale Director WCAPS United Kingdom ElsaMarie Dsilva Founder and CEO Red Dot Foundation Kate Ferguson Co-executive Director Protection Approaches Beatrice Fihn Executive Director ICAN
Beatrice Maneshi Founder Catalystas Consulting Marion Messmer Co-Director BASIC Angie Pankhania Acting Executive Director United Nations Association United Kingdom
Andrew Gilmour Executive Director Berghof Foundation
Ceciliia Passaniti Mezzano Membership Secretary Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, UK
Lucie Goulet Founder and CEO Women in Foreign Policy
Richard Reeve Co-ordinator Rethinking Security
Jacob Smith Chair UKSEDS
Melina Villeneuve Founder and Research Director Demilitarise Education Ltd.
Edward Stoddard Principal Lecturer Peace Security and Conflict Research Group, University of Portsmouth
Angela Woodward Acting Executive Director VERTIC
Sir Adam Thompson Director European Leadership Network
Our Generation for Inclusive Peace (Organisation-wide signature)
Individual Signatures: Praise Adeyemo Postgraduate Student London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Nasyah Bandoh Programmes Assistant Protection Approaches
Becky Alexis-Martin Lecturer in Human Geography Manchester Metropolitan University
Arjun Banerjee Deputy Commissioner Indian Revenue Service, Government of India
Louise Arimatsu Fellow Centre for Women, Peace & Security
Saraa Bouhouche Humanitarian Affairs, Peace, and Security Specialist
Nicky Armstrong Communications Manager LSE Centre for Women, Peace and Security
Hugh Chalmers Independent
Tara Arthur Projects & Membership Officer Global Interagency Security Forum Abigael Baldoumas Humanitarian Policy Advisor Oxfam
Thomas Cheney Executive Director Centre for a Spacefaring Civilization Christine Chinkin Professional Research Fellow London School of Economics
Janelle Coronado Consultant Walker & Associates Catherine Craig Front End Developer Investcloud Inc. Sneha Dawda Research Analyst in Cybersecurity RUSI Debra Decker Senior Advisor Stimson Centre David Dunn Professor of International Politics University of Birmingham Christina Elder Analyst Department of Defense Mari Faines Executive Project Manager Transperfect Translation Julia Ferrari Research Fellow London School of Economics
Aditi Gupta Coordinator All-Party Parliamentary Group on Drones Adrianna Hardaway Project & Influence Officer Mercy Corps Europe Matthew Harries Associate Fellow RUSI Niamh Healy PhD Researcher UCL, Student/Young Pugwash Arthur Holland Michel Senior Fellow Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs Zenobia Homan Project Co-ordinator and Research Associate King’s College London Nick Hughes Research Associate UCL
Marisa Figueroa Networks Manager European Council on Foreign Relations
Paulina Izewicz Senior Research Associate James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies
Andrew Gibson Coordinator Student/Young Pugwash UK
Charise Johnson Policy Adviser British Academy
Melissa Hanham Independent
Alphonsine Kabagabo Freelance Consultant
Nadia Khan Board Member WCAPS United Kingdom
Phesheya Nxumalo Student London School of Economics
Olawale Kuponipe Volunteer Black Cultural Archives
Jasmine Owens Social Media Director WCAPS West Coast Chapter
Jamie Kwong PhD Candidate King’s College London
Eni Owoeye Student New York University
Judith Large Senior Research Fellow Conflict Analysis Research Centre (CARC) University of Kent UK
Anahita Parsa Student SOAS
Mariam Malik Staff Assistant US House of Representatives
Evelyn Pauls Impact Manager LSE Women, Peace and Security Centre
Susan Martin Senior Lecturer King’s College London
Divya M. Persaud PhD Student UCL
Mariela Martinez MPP Candidate Brandeis University
Melanie Pinet Research Fellow Overseas Development Institute
Alberto Luigi Muti Senior Researcher VERTIC
Amanda Pope Office & Advocacy Coordinator European Council on Foreign Relations
Nina Nagel Newsletter Coordinator Women in Foreign Policy
Becca Potton Central Support Officer LSE Centre for Women, Peace and Security
Christopher Newman Professor of Space Law Northumbria University
Raven Nicole Pryee Recruitment Consultant ID Medical
Chris Raggett Editor ECFR
Carina Uchida Consultant International Labour Organisation
Keerti Rajagopalan Programme Officer Westminster Foundation for Democracy
Caroleena Vargas Fontes Sr. Program Co-ordinator Oxfam Africa
Hayley Ramsay-Jones Director, Geneva Office Soka Gakkai International Office for UN Affairs Shatabhisha Shetty Deputy Director European Leadership Network Sarah Smith Research Officer LSE Centre for Women, Peace and Security Elena Stavrevska Research Officer LSE Centre for Women, Peace and Security Sheryl Steadman Co-Executive Director WCAPS New York Lisa Sugiura Senior Lecturer Criminology and Cybercrime University of Portsmouth Aisling Sweeney Communications Officer The Global Interagency Security Forum
Melina Villeneuve Board Member WCAPS United Kingdom Heather Williams Lecturer King’s College London Henrietta Wilson Researcher/Teacher Freelance/University of Bristol Marike Woollard Board Member WCAPS United Kingdom Ariel Zarate Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Technical Advisor Humanity and Inclusion (Handicap International)
Organisation and Network Quotes: “Airwars willingly signs the Women of Colour Advancing Peace and Security (WCAPS)UK European Solidarity Statement: of Solidarity on Standing Together Against Racism and Discrimination. The public murder of George Floyd by a US policeman has rightly triggered a global wave of demonstrations over endemic prejudice and institutionalised racism towards Black People and People of Colour, led by the Black Lives Matter movement - and we must also take this opportunity to fight racism and discrimination within our own sector. We sign the WCAPS-UK European Solidarity Statement because we cannot call for the protection of civilians in conflict-afflicted countries - and those driven from their home nations by war - without also fighting for the dismantling of overt and systemic racism and White supremacy that continues to kill and harm Black people and People of Colour closer to home, both in the UK and in Europe. We commit to diversifying our own organisation to better represent and amplify the voices of Black People and People of Colour, both from the conflict countries we monitor and as subject experts in our field.” Airways “The staff of BASIC have watched with grave concern as peaceful protesters in the United States and abroad have been met with extraordinary displays of force as they protest racism and systemic inequality in recent days. At BASIC, we are proud of our values-driven work which centres active listening and empathetic engagement with diverse perspectives, with the aim of building bridges and cooperation. An important part of doing our work is fostering inclusive networks, recognising that diversity facilitates creative problem-solving. We would like to re-state our commitment to working on improving our sector: we strive to promote equity, diversity and inclusivity across our work.” BASIC “We are so thrilled to welcome WCAPS to the UK and stand in solidarity with their commitment to diversifying foreign policy. We are so grateful for the work of WCAPS, are actively working to build anti-racism into every aspect of our work, and look forward to working together to confront the UK's violent colonial legacies.” Centre for Feminist Foreign Policy "Racism and racial inequality today undermine peace and prosperity as well as individual rights across the world. Eliminating racial prejudices and their related, ingrained structures will not be possible without sustained effort. We look forward to working in collaboration with WCAPS and others to overcome these prejudices and structures, which perpetuate injustice in our fields of work as well as in our ways of life. We all need to be part of the solution." Chatham House
“Our Generation for Inclusive Peace stands in active solidarity with the Black community in our joint struggle against racial injustice and oppression. Our youth-led, intersectional feminist organisation will continue to challenge current policy, practice and structures in peace and security spaces to be just, inclusive, intersectional and decolonised. We strongly believe that peace cannot exist until we have peace and equality for all.” Our Generation For Inclusive Peace “Protection Approaches stands side by side with WCAPS and all who strive for a fairer, more equal world. No one should suffer because of how others perceive aspects of their identity; we believe that this work must always begin at our own table. Peace and security, whether at home or abroad, can only ever be achieved when racism, inequality, prejudice, discrimination, exclusion, and violence, have been eradicated; there can be no peace without justice.” Protection Approaches “It will take each of us to eradicate institutional racism. At Red Dot Foundation we as a team and I (Elsa Marie Dsilva) am personally committed to doing everything in my power to promote inclusiveness and equality and end all forms of discrimination including racism.” Red Dot Foundation “We believe that security is a common right that rests on solidarity rather than domination. As a UK-focused network, we recognise that no country in the world bears as deep a responsibility as ours for the injustices of subjugation, slavery, colonialism and imperial domination. Exclusion, injustice and violence remain deeply and unacceptably rooted in British society and policy at home and abroad. We commit to reflect on our own power and privilege and to act to make our network more inclusive and effective in combating racism and other injustices.” Rethinking Security “We mourn the loss of countless Black lives at the hands of systemic injustices. In the United Kingdom, our systems of policing, imprisonment and justice have failed people of colour for far too long. We will be a part of the solution. We will listen, learn and work to make the peace and security field better for all. We stand in unwavering solidarity with the UK Chapter of Women of Color Advancing Peace and Security and all those willing to be part of change.” Ridgeway Information “Over recent weeks we have watched with horror incidents of racially motivated police brutality globally, but with particular intensity in the United States. We have also watched with pride as ordinary people from around the world have made their voices heard in opposition. @UNAUK we firmly believe that #BlackLivesMattterUK and stand
full square in solidarity with this movement, as indeed does the UN Charter, and the commitment to racial equality and human rights it contains.” United Nations Association United Kingdom “VERTIC staff stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. We acknowledge the impact of longstanding systemic racism, specifically against Black people and other marginalised groups, in communities around the world, including our own international security community. We are committed to continuously learning, reflecting and taking action to improve diversity, inclusion, equity and accessibility at VERTIC and to removing barriers to equitable participation in our international security community. We are starting a process to review our organisational policies and activities, identify where we can improve our practice, and take action to be part of the solution. As with verification itself, this is a necessary and ongoing process. As a first step, we proudly sign the WCAPS-UK statement on Standing Together Against Racism and Discrimination.” VERTIC “There can be no equitable foreign policy workforce without first dismantling systemic racism, anti-Blackness and white supremacy in the institutions, organisations, NGOs and companies responsible for shaping and implementing policies, or setting up new ones based on anti-racist principles. Only then can we hope to build just and equitable systems both at home and abroad." Women in Foreign Policy "There is an existential need for Women of Colour to be at the forefront of discussions, policy-making and implementation of issues of Peace and Security. For far too long, discussions, laws and policies affecting their safety, bodies and lives have been made in the ivory palaces of Western Governments and their presence has long been missing at institutional tables. However, their voices have always echoed in the streets and community spaces across the globe. It is now time that these voices influence they highest levels of policy-making." Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, UK
Individual Quotes: “I stand strong in solidarity with George Floyd’s family, Adama Traore’s family and all the victims of the systemic and systematic violence, racism and discriminations. I join the European Solidarity Statement of the WCAPS-UK to call out white supremacy, intolerance and indifference towards the oppression endured by the black communities and people of color in our societies on a daily basis. The road is long.
Efforts towards a more peaceful and secure world are vain if the fight against racism is not placed central. I commit to continue to fight for equity and diversity by raising my voice, calling out injustice and requesting our black and brown bodies and minds are being treated equally, with dignity and with respect to our human rights.” Saraa Bouhouche “Each moment of the day should not be spent with the taught "What could have been done?", but instead "What am I doing?" The death of so many innocent individuals in the hands of the police, like Breonna Taylor, or at the hands of those emboldened to act in "the name of the law" to hurt their own community members, like Trayvon Martin, stirs not only the painful questions of "Why?" but also "What?". This solidarity and action will determine who stood up for justice and what kind of value we place on the lives of the human beings surrounding us.” Eni Owoeye “Institutional racism and structural racial inequalities have been pervasive in all sectors for too long, and this is particularly true for those working in development, peace and security. Hence, I commit myself to elevating the voices of Black people and people of colour in my organisation and beyond as well as creating a culture promoting their empowerment.” Melanie Pinet “The nuclear community has made important progress in increasing its diversity, but we can do better. I'm so excited for the opportunity to interact with WCAPS and to learn from Anuradha and others how I myself can do better.” Heather Williams