On March 9 and 10, 2026, the International Conference for World Harmony was held at UNESCO, with the main theme being “The Role of Women in Promoting Peace”.

Organized by the Permanent Delegation of the Republic of Madagascar to UNESCO, the World Buddhist Organization, the Amitabha Buddhist Association, and the Master Chin Kung Association for Peace and Harmony Development, this conference featured six roundtable discussions bringing together experts from around the world.

Pax Christi International participated in the opening roundtable titled “Barriers and Bridges: A History of Women in Interreligious Dialogue”. Represented by Dr. Mawa Abdelbagi Osman Mohamed, an expert on the Sudanese context, the movement was able to raise awareness about women’s experiences in armed conflicts and highlight the crucial role they can play in promoting interreligious dialogue and peace.

Drawing on the example of Darfur, Dr. Mawa Mohamed explained that long before the escalation of violence on the 15th of April 2023, women in Sudan had already developed practices of peace in their daily lives by establising spaces for dialogue, economic cooperation, and social mediation. In times of crisis, women mobilized religious and moral language to transcend identity divisions and affirm shared human dignity, protecting life without discrimination.

As a peacebuilding practices, Dr Mawa Mohamed also mentioned women’s work inside Sudan and displacement camps as well as the work of Emergency Response Room (ERR) and PCI initiatives on Active Nonviolence.

She also shared more on her engagement with Pax Christi International. As the only Muslim woman within a diverse group, she acted with others with the common objective to end the conflict in Sudan and raise awareness internationally on the violations of human rights on the ground. This advocacy work was done with a collective commitment to peace.

Women’s leadership extends from small level such as camp-level mediation to broader civic mobilization and advocacy networks. Their agency demonstrates continuity across phases of conflict, rather than episodic or reactive engagement.

Pax Christi International was grateful to be able to raise awareness about the situation in Sudan, which is still very critical. We continue our work of advocacy to make this war end.