As the world marks 25 years of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda, the International Gender Champions’ WPS Impact Group launched a powerful campaign during the 2025 Geneva Peace Week. Under the tagline Let’s turn promise into action. #HearHerCall, the campaign brings the voices of women peacebuilders and frontline activists directly into the heart of International Geneva.
At a time when civic space is shrinking and the WPS Agenda faces growing polarisation, #HearHerCall responds by elevating women peacebuilders’ demands for peace, justice and inclusion. Through a series of short, emotionally resonant videos — each featuring a phone conversation between a Gender Champion and a peacebuilder — the campaign amplifies women’s leadership, lived realities, and urgent calls to action.
An interactive exhibition at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP) complemented the online campaign. Vintage telephones provided by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), paired with QR codes linking to the videos, invited Peace Week participants to connect more deeply with the voices and experiences of peacebuilders shaping change around the world.
By combining digital storytelling with a tangible installation, #HearHerCall reminds the international community that women peacebuilders already know what peace requires. Now it is our turn to answer their call.
Watch the campaign videos here.
Peacebuilders in focus
The following peacebuilders and Gender Champions participated in the #HearHerCall Campaign.
Shamsa Abubakar Fadhil
Mama Shamsa, officially known as Shamsa Abubakar Fadhil, is a renowned Kenyan peacebuilder, community mobiliser, and youth advocate from Mombasa. She has dedicated her life to rehabilitating young people affected by crime, violence, and radicalisation, offering them mentorship, counselling, and livelihood support. As the founder of Focus on Women and Youth in Coast Province for Political Development and the first woman to chair the Nyali Peace and Security Committee, she has broken barriers in community leadership. In recognition of her humanitarian efforts, she received the 2023 Zayed Award for Human Fraternity.
Watch her phone call with Agi Veres, Director of UNDP's Geneva Office, here.
Maitre Nelly Godelive Mbangu
Nelly Mbangu is a Congolese lawyer at the North Kivu Bar and an expert in gender and conflict resolution. A passionate human rights defender, she advocates for the rights of women and girls. She coordinates Sauti Ya Mama Mukongomani (SMM), a network of 56 women’s organisations across the DRC, and co-founded the Dynamique des Femmes Juristes (DFJ). Recognised as Ambassador of the Mama Muilu Prize for her work in peacebuilding and gender equality, she also represents national NGOs in the Humanitarian Coordination Support Pole and serves as DRC Focal Point for the Central Africa Conflict Prevention Coalition.
Watch her phone call with Mona M'Bikay, Executive Director of UPR Info, here.
Nina Potarska
Nina Potarska is a Ukrainian feminist peace activist, sociologist, and co-founder of the Women’s Network (WomenNet). She serves as National Coordinator for WILPF Ukraine and works at the intersection of social research, advocacy, and peacebuilding. Her focus is on amplifying women’s voices in post-conflict reconstruction, promoting gender-responsive peace processes, and strengthening community resilience.
Watch her phone call with Thomas Greminger, Executive Director of the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, here.
Bridget Akassise
Bridget Akassise is a Ghanaian peacebuilder and community organiser. She is the Manager of Sirigu Women's Organisation for Art and Culture, which empowers local women by training them in making traditional crafts and marketing their products.
Watch her phone call with Dr. Khalid Koser, Executive Director of the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund, here.
Sharon Bhagwan Rolls
Sharon Bhagwan Rolls is a Pacific Island feminist with close to four decades of experience at the intersection of gender, media, communications, and peacebuilding. A co-founder of the Pacific Women Mediators Network she continues to play a key role in leading civil society initiatives across the Peace - Development and Human Security Nexus.
Watch her phone call with Ambassador Clare Walsh, Permanent Representative of Australia to the Office of the United Nations and Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, here.
Negina Yari
Negina Yari is a dedicated Afghan civil society and advocate for women’s rights, peace, and equality. she has over 13 years of experience championing initiatives on women’s Economic Empowerment, Peace and security, Women’s Political leadership, and the protection of women’s and girls’ rights. She is currently pursuing her Master’s degree on Global Security. Negina is the Executive Director of the Window for Hope Organization (WFH). Her advocacy has reached global platforms, including ECOSOC and the UN Human Rights Council, where she has spoken on Afghanistan’s humanitarian and human rights crises. In addition, she co-produced “Unstoppable Women: The Afghan Women’s Movement,” a powerful narrative of loss and resilience among Afghan women. Through her leadership and global advocacy, Negina continues to amplify Afghan women’s voices and strives for a just, peaceful, and inclusive society.
Watch her phone call with Ambassador Claudia Fuentes Julio, Permanent Representative of Chile to the Office of the United Nations and other International Organisations in Geneva, here.
Natia Navrouzov
Natia Navrouzov is the first female Executive Director of Yazda, a Yazidi-led global NGO founded in response to ISIS’s genocidal campaign against the Yazidi community in Sinjar. A French-qualified international lawyer and Fulbright scholar specialising in human rights and transitional justice, she has been a driving force in Yazda’s work since 2018. Under her leadership, Yazda has advanced justice for ISIS crimes by documenting evidence, collecting survivor testimonies, and collaborating with national war crimes units and international partners. Natia continues to champion accountability and empowerment for survivors of mass atrocities, especially women and girls.
Watch her phone call with Samuel Emonet, Executive Director of Justice Rapid Response, here.