In his remarks at the high-level meeting on peacebuilding and sustaining peace at the opening and the 83rd plenary meeting of the General Assembly, H.E. Mr. Miroslav Lajčák, President of 72nd session of the General Assembly, acknowledged the work done by our partner, Visaka Dharmadasa, founder and chair of the Association of War Affected Women (AWAW).

H.E. said, “We had the wrong perspective – for too many years. We believed the power to make and build peace lay only in the hands of a few people. The elites. The politicians. The diplomats. And, always, the men. Women were seen as victims. Young people, as soldiers or agitators.

But, we are starting to tear down this narrative. Some of the people in this room are doing it with their own two hands.

For example, Visaka Dharmadasa. She helped to save peace talks in Sri Lanka from breaking down, through communication and confidence-building. She is not a victim of conflict; she is a champion of peace.”

This is a well deserved global recognition of Visaka’s work, and of the work done by many women across the globe who strive to make a positive change, and are indeed “champions of peace”.

To watch H.E.’s statement, please click here.

To read the statement, please click here.