WFWP Europe's Open Letter to Presidents Biden and Putin

Carolyn Handschin-Moser June 14, 2021 On the occasion of the June 16, 2021, Summit in International Geneva, Switzerland Hand delivered to the US mission and sent to all UN missions in Geneva, translated into French and English. Press release sent out.

Honorable Presidents and Excellencies:

In the name of the world’s women and children, we wish to share with you our profound desire and need for a more peaceful world - a world in which every man, woman and child can experience a life filled with dignity and opportunity, without fear or want.

We ask you on this auspicious occasion of your meeting in International Geneva on 16 June 2021, to speak to one another on our behalf on the right of all people to be free from violence and fear. It has been said “that we need to end wars, or wars will end all of us”. Armed conflicts and military arsenals are one of the greatest temptations to violence in the world. We have convinced ourselves that wars are necessary and overlook the danger and trauma they present to women, children, as well as the brave soldiers.

Women and children represent 75 % of the world’s population, the world’s largest constituency, yet we have little to say in decision-making processes and therefore in shaping the economic, social and political environment we live in. It is imperative that our thoughts and visions, skills and lived experiences and our deep aspirations for a more just and peaceful world are used to catalyze system-wide transformations for equality, sustainable development, and peace.

We are waiting for your leadership on a more sustainable future so that all children and grandchildren, including yours, do not inherit the dangerous and fragile world we are leaving them. Women who give life to all humanity, must be given the right to co-design the world we share and to raise our children to serve as changemakers and ambassadors for peace in their own and other nations.

Let peace begin with you today, to take a strong stand for a more just and equitable world. We are calling on you to commit here in International Geneva, a city for peace, human rights, and service to humanity- to ensure lasting peace for women, children and all mankind.

Carolyn Handschin-Moser

President, NGO Committee on the Status of Women, Geneva