Research and Resources

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 triggered the largest refugee movement in Europe since World War II. As of 2023, Germany hosts approximately 1.1 million Ukrainians under temporary protection — the largest share in Europe — making it a primary destination and significantly expanding the country’s Ukrainian diaspora. Importantly, this refugee flow has been highly gendered. Under Ukraine’s martial law, most men aged 18–60 are required to stay in-country, so about 90 percent of those fleeing to the EU have been women and children. The result is a Ukrainian diasporic community in Germany that is predominantly female and often organized around family and caregiving networks, even as its members take on public roles.

The Amazigh people are the Indigenous people of North Africa, who have been colonized by various civilizations from the Arab Muslim conquests in the 7th century to the French and Spanish states in the 19th and 20th centuries. Today, these communities reject the stigmatizing, pejorative term Berbers, preferring to call themselves Amazigh, which in the Tamazight language means “free noble people.” This case study explores how Amazigh Moroccan-Dutch women in the diaspora navigate questions of identity and culture while integrating into European society and naturalizing in the Netherlands. It focuses particularly on their self-organized peacebuilding efforts within their local communities.

This case study explores the experiences and visions of Black women in Britain. leading the fight against racial injustice and criminal legal system harm. It examines how we protect and heal our communities amid systemic violence, racism, and state neglect. Our work is emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual labor — yet too often we are met with a lack of care. This research offers insight into how our leadership can be recognized, resourced, and sustained, affirming that we cannot carry this work without infrastructures that protect our well-being. Positioned within global traditions of Black resistance and diasporic solidarity, it honors Black women’s everyday peacebuilding. For us, peace is not the absence of conflict, but the presence of justice, safety, and collective flourishing.

In an era defined by human mobility and overlapping global crises, diaspora communities have emerged as vital actors in shaping peace and social cohesion far beyond traditional conflict zones or homeland politics. Within these transnational networks, however, the contributions of women remain largely obscured. Disciplinary silos and policy frameworks continue to treat peacebuilding, migration, and gender as separate domains, limiting recognition of diaspora women’s leadership and impact. This report begins from the conviction that understanding diaspora women’s peace work requires an integrated lens. Such an approach traces diverse migration trajectories, centers gendered experiences, and connects international law, community activism, and feminist care practices.

2025 marks the 25th anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and the creation of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda. The Women Waging Peace network, which was created in 1999, has supported women peacebuilders around the world as they work to create more peaceful and equitable societies over the same time. The members of the network are implementing Women, Peace and Security priorities in their communities, advocating for gender equality and gender-responsive solutions to violence. This report shows the reality of their work: even after 25 years of the WPS agenda, they feel frustrated with formal WPS policies and programming, they consistently face threats to their safety and they believe that ensuring gender equality and preventing genderbased violence are fundamental to building peace. This policy brief is drawn from the 2025 annual Women Waging Peace report, which serves as a guide for policymakers and funders and draws directly from the recommendations and priorities of women peacebuilders around the world.