Pakistani Women make their way to 2020 Women Building Peace Award

F.P. Report

Tabassum Adnan and Asia Jamil from Pakistan among the 10 finalists for the inaugural Women Building Peace Award announced by The U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) chose among over 150 nominations of women peacebuilders from 51 countries.

The 10 finalists were selected by USIP’s Women Building Peace Council, an 18-member group of experts and leaders in the fields of gender and peacebuilding, for their exemplary commitment and leadership as peacebuilding practitioners and their key roles in ending and preventing violent conflict. Collectively, they represent eight countries and an intergenerational group of peacebuilders.

Tabassum Adnan, a longtime advocate for justice, accountability, and peace in Pakistan is notable for her inspiring personal story and the breadth of her peacebuilding experience mobilizing women within her community, men and civil society and state entities to help address issues related to violence against women and girls.

Her jirga to administer justice at the local level is an innovative idea and resonates within Pashtun culture. Establishing the first women’s jirga in Pakistan and being the first woman to attend a male jirga, Tabassum has earned the respect of the most influential male powerbrokers in her community, a remarkable testament to her leadership and impact.

 Asia Jamil, another Pakistani human rights defender, feminist activist and founding member of the nonprofit Professional Development Organization whose dedication to peacebuilding is remarkable. Asia has been able to develop strong, meaningful relationships with both local government officials and local law enforcement, a very impressive achievement.

Asia’s accomplishments show how successful she is at working across diverse audiences and finding creative ways to build peace and catalyze conversations on difficult topics. Despite receiving threats from the Taliban in the region, she fearlessly continues her work on nonviolence.