Nobel Women's Initiative

06/05/2026

What happens when three extraordinary women leaders come together to discuss social justice, peace building and environmental action? ✨

In Nairobi, Kenya, Oleksandra Matviichuk, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, joined Maria Butler, Executive Director of the Nobel Women's Initiative, and Wanjira Mathai, Chair of the Wangari Maathai Foundation, for an inspiring conversation on “Seeds of Change: Inspiring Women Driving Justice, Peace and Climate Action.”

Hosted by NTV Kenya, the discussion explores how women leaders are confronting some of today's greatest challenges—from defending human rights and advancing peace to championing climate justice and strengthening communities through collective action.

Their message is clear: meaningful change begins when courage, leadership, and solidarity come together. 🙌

The Green Belt Movement Wangari Maathai Center for Civil Liberties / Центр громадянських свобод

🎧 Watch the full episode here:

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06/03/2026

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Oleksandra Matviichuk received the European Order of Merit in recognition of her work defending human rights, democracy, and European values amid Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine

In her remarks at the European Parliament, the head of the Centre for Civil Liberties warned that the threats facing Ukraine extend far beyond one country’s borders.

“Europe is less about geography, but more about values,” she said. “Europe must defend freedom and democracy, because only readiness to defend our values defines the society that has a future.”

As the world faces growing attacks on democratic institutions, journalists, civil society, and international law, the work of women peacebuilders and human rights defenders remains essential. Oleksandra Matviichuk continues to remind the global community that justice, accountability, and freedom are inseparable from lasting peace.

The Ukrainian human rights defender and European Order of Merit laureate said that after three centuries in Russia's shadow, Ukraine is now "back in Europe.”

06/02/2026

If you're in Berlin, join us for a screening of Samidoun: The Steadfast Women of Palestine, followed by a conversation. 🇵🇸🎬

Samidoun: The Steadfast Women of Palestine is a powerful short documentary that shares the voices and lived experiences of eight Palestinian women—including a student, a surgeon, a teacher, a journalist, and lawyers and musicians—as they navigate life under occupation.

Through their stories, the film offers an intimate and deeply human portrait of resilience, dignity, and everyday acts of resistance.

The screening will be followed by a conversation moderated by Dîldar Kaya from the Nobel Women’s Initiative, creating space for reflection and dialogue to engage more deeply with the women’s stories.

📅 Friday, June 5
🕖 7:00 PM
📍 bUm Berlin, Paul-Lincke-Ufer 21, Berlin
https://www.bum.berlin/

🎟️ FREE ENTRY

06/01/2026

When Nobel Peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai fought to protect Kenya’s Karura Forest in the 1990s, she understood something that still holds true today: environmental destruction is often justified in the name of “development.” 🌳

Now, new proposed amendments to Kenya’s Forest Conservation and Management Act are raising concerns among environmental advocates about the future of the country’s public forests.

As highlighted by the Green Belt Movement, the proposed changes could create new legal pathways for infrastructure development within protected forest areas, threatening ecosystems that are critical for biodiversity, water security, climate resilience, and public health: https://www.the-star.co.ke/opinion/star-blogs/2026-05-26-giathi-kenya-cannot-afford-to-weaken-protection-for-public-forests

Karura Forest survived because citizens, activists, and environmental defenders refused to stay silent.

Wangari Maathai’s legacy reminds us that forests are not idle land waiting to be developed. They are life-support systems, and protecting them is inseparable from protecting communities, democracy, and future generations.

The Green Belt Movement Wangari Maathai

05/29/2026

On May 28, the International Day of Action for Women's Health, advocates around the world are sounding the alarm: health, sexual, and reproductive rights are being pushed to the breaking point by war, climate disasters, austerity measures, displacement, and rising authoritarianism.

From Palestine to Sudan to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, communities are facing collapsing healthcare systems, attacks on civilians and hospitals, and growing barriers to life-saving care. Women, girls, LGBTQIA+ people, migrants, Indigenous communities, and other marginalized groups continue to bear the heaviest burden of these intersecting crises.

The report calls for governments and global institutions to:
• Invest in equitable public healthcare systems
• Protect bodily autonomy and SRHR
• End militarization and austerity policies that weaken care systems
• Defend civic space and human rights defenders
• Ensure health justice in every crisis response

Read it in full here:

Consolidated findings from over 100 organizations and rights advocates worldwide · Global Consultations, April 21–23, 2026

05/28/2026

“We are living through the Filipinization of America.”

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa recently spoke with The Dartmouth about authoritarianism, disinformation, fear, and the global erosion of press freedom.

After years of politically motivated charges, arrests, and online attacks for her reporting in the Philippines, Maria continues to sound the alarm on what happens when truth itself becomes a target.

“It’s an existential moment for journalism,” she warns.

Read the full interview: https://www.thedartmouth.com/article/2026/05/filipino-journalist-and-nobel-peace-prize-laureate-maria-ressa-says-this-is-an-existential-time-for-journalism

05/26/2026

A recent Taliban decree in Afghanistan reportedly treats a girl’s silence as “consent” to marriage. These are devastating news for millions of girls whose rights, safety, autonomy, and futures continue to be systematically stripped away.

The regulation reportedly legitimizes child marriage and further erases girls’ autonomy and rights.

This is not just a policy change. It is another step in the systematic erasure of girls’ rights, autonomy, and childhoods.

Behind the headlines, there are millions of girls whose futures are being decided for them before they are even old enough to understand what freedom, choice, or safety truly mean. Girls who should be dreaming, playing, and learning are instead being pushed into lives shaped by fear, control, and enforced silence.

A girl’s silence is NOT consent.

The world cannot normalize structural violence against women and girls. Afghan girls deserve safety, education, dignity, freedom, and the right to shape their own futures.

We must continue to speak out and continue amplifying Afghan women’s voices.

https://nypost.com/2026/05/16/world-news/taliban-legalizes-sickening-child-marriages-with-rules-in-afghanistan/

In Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, girls can effectively be sold before they are even old enough to walk.

05/21/2026

“Human rights activism is not a crime, and no advocate should ever be imprisoned for it.”

These words were shared by Kiana Rahmani, daughter of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, after warning that sending her mother back to prison would be “a death sentence” and calling for all charges against her to be permanently dropped.

Following Narges Mohammadi’s release from the hospital, we continue demanding her permanent freedom, safety, and an end to her persecution.

Join this call and add your organization’s signature to the statement: https://www.nobelwomensinitiative.org/we-demand-to-free-narges-mohammadi-permanently

05/18/2026

Last May 13, we gathered in Nairobi with the Palestinian Art Festival Kenya for a screening of Samidoun: The Steadfast Women of Palestine, creating a deeply moving space for reflection, conversation, and solidarity with the people of Palestine.

During the panel discussion, Jeanette Gitobu, Nkatha Muthaura, and Mutheu Mutuku from the Sister-to-Sister programme, alongside Amy Ochiel from Amnesty International, reflected on the connections between the realities faced by Palestinian women and the work they continue to carry forward through movements and activism in Kenya.

What made the evening especially powerful was the feeling in the room: a thoughtful and welcoming space where people connected, listened deeply, and reflected together on what solidarity with Palestine can look like within our own communities.

Thank you to everyone who joined us, shared space with us, and contributed to such a meaningful evening. And thank you to the incredible team at Palestinian Art Festival Kenya for continuing to create spaces for solidarity.

🎬 You can watch the full documentary here: https://www.nobelwomensinitiative.org/samidounpalestinewomen

05/15/2026

Narges Mohammadi remains in critical condition under intensive cardiac care. She must never be returned to prison. But her case is not an exception — it is a pattern.

Across Iran, human rights defenders are imprisoned and silenced for peacefully defending equality and freedom.

At a time of escalating war, militarization, and violence in the region, civilians, human rights defenders, and feminist movements continue to face grave risks. We condemn attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, as well as state repression targeting those who defend human rights. The Iranian people deserve safety, dignity, and justice.

We call for the immediate and unconditional release of Narges Mohammadi and all women human rights defenders imprisoned in Iran.

Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition
PEN America

Sign on and share widely:

Feminist organizations and human rights defenders call for the immediate and unconditional release of Narges Mohammadi and all imprisoned women activists in Iran.