Updated on Oct. 25: The Alliance for Peacebuilding and Peace Direct express their deep concern over the detention of Professor Muhammad Ismail, the father of exiled peacebuilding leader Gulalai Ismail, in Peshawar, Pakistan.
Peace Direct and the Alliance for Peacebuilding can announce today that peace and human rights activist Gulalai Ismail is safe in the U.S. after facing threats and intimidation in her home country of Pakistan.
Since the arrest of Gulalai Ismail in Pakistan on 12th October, we have been deeply concerned and are continuing to call for no further interruption to her vital peacebuilding work.
From May 24-26, we joined some 400 diverse peacebuilding experts, practitioners, policymakers, and NGO representatives at the Alliance for Peacebuilding’s (AfP) annual conference in Washington, DC. The theme of the gathering, “Next Gen Peace”, spoke to the future of peacebuilding as a field, and the three days were full of energy, insightful panels, and thought-provoking discussions. For us, the event was a time to listen and learn from others, share our own work, and collaborate with the AfP community to encourage greater support for local peacebuilding, including the critical role of youth as peacebuilders. Our experience at the conference highlighted six key lessons for the future of peacebuilding.
This week, the Global Terrorism Index claimed the world needs more locally-led efforts to counter extremism and conflict in the world – the sort we support.
As the British government unveils new plans to tackle the ‘poison’ of terrorism, our partner Aware Girls continues its campaign to stop young people from joining violent extremists in Pakistan – and its approach has lessons for the UK.
As the government of Pakistan sanctions its first drone strike on home territory, we ask if there is a better way to tackle violent extremism.
Aware Girls, our peacebuilding in Pakistan, was founded by two brave, young Pakistani sisters, Gulalai and Saba Ismail. Outlook, a BBC World Service show, interviewed Gulalai and Saba about why they became peacebuilders and what their work involves.
Last week, Pakistani peacebuilder Gulalai Ismail was interviewed on the BBC World Service flagship Outlook programme
Aware Girls, our partner in Pakistan, is working with young people to challenge extremism and create a positive future for Pakistan, in which the violence has diminished.