Top Swiss politician calls for inclusive and sustainable peace

Maja Riniker, president of the Swiss House of Representatives, called for inclusive governance at the opening of the 15th Summit of Women Speakers of Parliament in Geneva on Monday. “Peace cannot last if it is built without women,” said Riniker. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox Women are too often excluded from peace processes and major decisions. According to the written version of her speech, this exclusion undermines the legitimacy and effectiveness of the results. Yet it is women and girls who suffer most from conflicts and instability. The politician lamented the “alarming” rise in violence against women, which is being used “strategically” in conflict zones, but “is also being brought into our homes via digital platforms”. “These facts emphasise the urgency of building robust mechanisms to address gender issues into our policies. The persistent negative norms of masculinity that perpetuate marginalisation and conflict politics remain barriers that ...