what is winpeace
The Agro Tourism, Peace Education and the Literature Exchange Projects are funded by the European Union and realized with the collaboration of the Eymir Culture Foundation. The contents of this web page is the sole responsibility of Winpeace, and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union
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WHAT IS WINPEACE?
OUR MISSION
A large part of humanity's past is located in the Mediterranean. The Aegean is the cradle of remarkable civilizations which have influenced the course of history. For centuries, at the crossroads of East and West, humanity found cultural models; ideas were exchanged, and new systems were shaped.
The civilizations and cultures varied but we women could always found common denominators. Our common denominator was/is the inequality between men and women, where women were/are placed at a disadvantage within the society, excluded from decision making, marginalized and subject to oppression and exploitation.
Our long struggles within the women's movement endowed us with rich experiences. Feminism is not a way of thought and action aimed solely at sexual discrimination. We learned to study the culture of others. We learned how to analyze and distinguish the differences between us, which allows for the opening of new roads of action. With great sensitivity, we can see invisible, probable, bridges of communication. For women, mutual understanding, peaceful co-existence and non-violence in resolving our differences, are imbedded deeply in our consciousness and are inviolable principles.
In the international women's movement we learned to collaborate and struggle for those things that unite us, and to turn our differences into an asset. Thus we intend to carry this capacity of women into then relations between Greece and Turkey.
Our intention is to sustain solidarity and peace in the region. This is our obligation to our children and to the future.
We are conscious and we appreciate the efforts made till now by different groups to flourish the friendship and the humanitarian feelings rooted among Greeks and Turks. Now we appeal to all women in both nations to join hands in this effort to know each other, to develop harmonious relations, to nourish peaceful ideas, to produce non-violent actions. Our aim is to create a network for the de-escalation of tensions and in times of crisis to influence our governments with our peaceful interventions.
This grassroots movement has started with the joint efforts of both Greek and Turkish women who believe in social equality, equal opportunities and peaceful co-existence.
OUR AIMS
- To take joint action in building a peace culture and enhancing women's role in conflict resolution;
- To urge Greek and Turkish governments to reduce their military budgets by five percent (5%) by the year 2003, to be reviewed at that time. The saved resources would be channeled to the human needs of women, education, health and the arts.
OUR OBJECTIVES
- a common project for women in agro-tourism;
- to encourage cooperation between small and medium women's business enterprises;
- to eliminate gender discrimination and negative images of neighbour countries through revision of school book and public information brochures;
- to begin a series of training, workshops and summer camps for women and children for education in conflict resolution, democracy and human rights;
- translation and a series of publications of women writers from both countries;
- preparation of TV documentaries on the lives of Greek and Turkish women;
- encouragement of cooperation between the women's sections of professional organizations;
- co-authoring of books by Turkish and Greek women writers;
- to set up a Media Watch to monitor the press of both countries.