The NWM-Norway network is part of the Nordic Women Mediators (NWM). The mission of the Norwegian network is to enable women mediators’ and peacebuilders’ inclusion and meaningful participation in all phases of peace and dialogue processes to achieve sustainable peace.
The Nordic Women Mediators (NWM) is a regional network that was launched in Oslo in November 2015 and comprises of women from the five Nordic countries who have professional expertise relevant to conflict mediation, peacebuilding and negotiations. NWM is a collaborative forum, building on national women mediators' networks in all five Nordic Countries – Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.
NWM-Norway is a diverse national network of some 40 professional women with different backgrounds and expertise in mediation, from diplomats and lawyers to military and police officers to communications and logistics specialists. Members have either direct experience on mediation teams or directly supporting negotiations. The membership's diversity is also reflected in terms of their language competence, where they are in their careers, and which processes they have been involved in. Members are currently involved in a variety of processes including in the Philippines, Colombia, Syria and Iraq, as well as having experience from past processes in Nepal, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Israel-Palestine.
The objectives of the NWM-Norway are to:
1. Strengthen women's participation in peace processes at all levels by:
- amplifying the voices of women mediators and peacemakers in conflict affected areas;
- advocating for all peace processes to be inclusive;
- developing and fostering partnerships with other mediation and peacebuilding networks and organisations; and
- creating and supporting joint activities among members and with partners, as appropriate.
2. Strengthen Nordic women actively involved in international peace-making efforts by:
- enabling the sharing of experiences, knowledge and know-how among members, including through networking opportunities;
- promoting and supporting members in their functions, as well as drawing on members' expertise across networks; and
- facilitating access and providing networking opportunities with mediating and peacebuilding actors globally.
The PRIO Centre on Gender, Peace and Security and the Norwegian Centre for Conflict Resolution(NOREF) are the network's operational partners in Norway. Contact persons at the operational partners are:
- Stine Aspevik Bosheim, PRIO Centre on Gender, Peace and Security: stibos@prio.org
- Ingebjørg Finnbakk, NOREF: ingebjorg.finnbakk@noref.no
