VOW Statement on Ukraine – Feb. 24, 2022

February 24, 2022

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Canadian Voice of Women for Peace (VOW) strongly condemns all acts of war and military aggression in Ukraine and denounces any threats to use nuclear weapons.

VOW urgently calls for a comprehensive ceasefire in the region, for the Government of the Russian Federation, Ukraine, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to immediately demilitarize and de-escalate the conflict, and to resume multilateral diplomatic negotiations based on the United Nations Charter in order to ensure lasting peace and security in Ukraine, Russia, and Eastern Europe.

Women and girls suffer disproportionately from the horrors of war and must be meaningfully included in all aspects of peacebuilding and conflict prevention, in accordance with UN SC Resolution 1325.  VOW stands in solidarity with the thousands of civilians in Ukraine, particularly in the Eastern regions of Donetsk and Lugansk, experiencing unthinkable violence and whose safety remains in peril due to militarized conflict. There is no military solution to this crisis — peaceful resolution can only be achieved through principles of non-violence and common security. We are standing in unity with all women, and all of humanity, for a world without war.

Reference: VOW has signed onto this longer statement with other civil society groups here: https://www.foreignpolicy.ca/ukraine