Feminist Leadership Transforms Peacebuilding: Women History Month Spotlight in South and Southeast Asia

Feminist Leadership Transforms Peacebuilding: Women History Month Spotlight in South and Southeast Asia

As Women’s History Month draws to a close, the spotlight shines bright on the remarkable female leadership in South and Southeast Asia who are revolutionizing peacebuilding efforts with their unwavering courage and visionary feminist leadership. These leaders, supported by USAID, are rewriting the rules, prioritizing self-care, and amplifying diverse voices to create more inclusive and sustainable peace.

Htet’s journey exemplifies this transformative shift. As the founder of a local Myanmar non-profit organization, Htet* developed her career in peacebuilding thinking that caring for others came before looking after oneself. That is what she felt society expected from her, until recently when she became part of Networks for Peace. Through the project, she was exposed to feminist leadership principles—one of which is the prioritization of self-care and wellbeing. She discovered the importance of self-care and wellbeing, particularly how it leads to more inclusive and sustainable initiatives. The emphasis on wellbeing sparked her interest in feminist leadership and eventually led to her embracing its tenets.

Networks for Peace, funded by USAID, connects peacebuilders in South and Southeast Asia and supports them in promoting inclusive peace and religious harmony in the region. Through training and ongoing support, the project has helped Htet, and many others, integrate Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) into their work. The project has also inspired peacebuilders to adopt feminist leadership, a transformative and collaborative approach that aims to achieve social justice and empowerment for all.

Sharing Power and Collaborating

“To me it is all about believing in the people we work with. It is important to show empathy, compassion, listen carefully, and share power with those around us, so we can collectively create a positive impact that takes everyone into consideration,” Htet reflects while referring to her organization, which works tirelessly to drive lasting change in the lives of Myanmar's children through quality and inclusive education.

Applying one of the key feminist leadership principles in her work: dismantling power imbalances by valuing diverse perspectives and developing new decision-making processes, Htet challenged the conventional hierarchical leadership to create a space where every voice is heard and valued equally. Encouraging a more collaborative approach allows team members to share their diverse voices, empowering them to act more confidently. This fostered a stronger sense of commitment and belonging among her colleagues.

The International Women’s Partnership for Peace and Justice (IWP) has been instrumental in nurturing Networks for Peace members feminist leadership skills among peacebuilders. “Not all female leaders necessarily practice feminist leadership: we can have a case where a female leader uses her power over other women or men that have less power than her,” explains Ouyporn Khuankaew, IWP’s co-founder. “While changing power dynamics in organizations can require more time, we encourage peacebuilders to start sharing power at work, but also at home, within family, and with their communities. A culture of partnership and justice can start from the grassroots level.”      

A Supportive Network of Female Peacebuilders

The IWP, in partnership with the International Network of Engaged Buddhists, has also supported the creation of a diverse network of female peacebuilders in South and Southeast Asia, including those from different faiths, female clergy, members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA+) communities, and women with disabilities. The network serves as a connection-building community and provides a safe space for female peacebuilders to explore a journey of learning and unlearning, both individually and together with others.

“We bring women together because they normally don’t have a space to talk and share. Many have been taking many roles together: leading within their family, within their organizations, in their communities, but they are not being recognized, particularly women from minorities leading grassroots movements. Bringing them together allows us to recognize their role and give them the safe space to share, reflect, and empower each other,” says Ouyporn.

Encouraging the Integration of Heart, Mind, and Body 

The network also goes further by providing female peacebuilders direction, structure, and opens their mind to alternative ways to support their communities. These include focusing specifically on well-being, self-care, compassion, and deep listening, while inviting participants to explore the power within themselves and others.

Panadura Vishuddika from Sri Lanka and Thissadee Sawangying from Thailand share their transformative experiences within the network, underscoring the profound impact of prioritizing individual and collective well-being in sustaining lasting change for justice. Panadura says,“the network allowed me to find a more organized, practical, and meaningful way of engaging in community service, making me grow personally and spiritually.”

Thissadee received financial support to organize workshops that addressed a significant gap in peacebuilding activism—the lack of culture focused on well-being. Following these engaging activities and the eye-opening discussions they generated, female peacebuilders left with a renewed sense of purpose, armed with practical methods for self and collective care such as guided meditations, nature walks, storytelling circles, and therapies through art and music, and a deeper connection to their spiritual well-being. 

As these female peacebuilders continue to champion gender equality and social justice, they are not just building peace—they are building a movement that is stronger, fairer, and more compassionate for all. 

* The use of aliases has been employed in this article to safeguard the anonymity and safety of those mentioned.

--

Networks for Peace is a five-year regional project (2019-2024) funded by USAID/Regional Development Mission for Asia that fosters positive, collective engagement across Asia and supports communities and organizations to promote inclusive peace and religious harmony in Cambodia, Myanmar, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and the Tibetan community in exile in India. Learn more about the project here.