At the Munich Security Conference, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya spoke at the panel discussion “Catalysts for Change: The Power of Women’s Political Movements in the Fight for Freedom”. The event focused on strategies and experiences of women’s initiatives in building and strengthening democratic governance.
Alongside Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the discussion featured:
- Evgenia Kara-Murza – human rights advocate, Advocacy Director of the Free Russia Foundation.
- Masih Alinejad – Iranian activist, President of the World Liberty Congress.
- Oleksandra Ustinova – Member of Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada, Chair of the Special Commission on Arms Control.
- Maria Ionova – Member of Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada, Chair of the Subcommittee on Legislative Support of the Strategic Course for EU and NATO Membership.
- Oleksandra Matviichuk – Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Head of the Center for Civil Liberties.
In her speech, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya outlined key steps to expand women’s opportunities in the fight for democracy:
- Defend the rights of politically imprisoned women. Over 160 Belarusian women remain behind bars. We must continue the fight for their release.
- Make women visible. Peace or democracy cannot be discussed without the women leading the struggle to achieve them.
- Support women-led organizations. These organizations are on the front lines but are often the first to lose funding. Aid must reach those who keep communities together under repression.
- Ensure women’s presence at decision-making tables. Democracy without women is only half a democracy.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “In Belarus, there is no women’s or men’s resistance – only a shared fight for dignity, freedom, and the future. But women have always been at the forefront: in 2020, in the underground, in exile. And they will remain there until the end.
That is why politicians must financially support women-led movements, protect women activists, and hold regimes accountable for persecuting them. Women are not a footnote in revolutions. We are their foundation!”
