Maria Victoria “Mavic” Cabrera Balleza

Maria  ‘Mavic’ Cabrera Balleza (@MavicCBalleza) is the founder and CEO of the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders (@GNWP_GNWP). Mavic pioneered  the local application of  United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR 1325) on women, peace and security.  Her work is regarded as a best practice example and has been applied in at least 20 countries.

UNSCR 1325 stresses the importance of women’s equal participation and full involvement in all efforts for the maintenance and promotion of peace and security; and calls on all parties to conflict to take special measures to protect women and girls from gender-based violence, particularly rape and other forms of sexual abuse, in situations of armed conflict.

Mavic initiated the Philippines National Action Plan process on UNSCR 1325 and also served as the international consultant to Nepal’s National Action Plan. Mavic has provided technical support on UNSCR 1325 national action planning in Guatemala, Japan and South Sudan, and facilitated costing and budgeting workshops of national action plans in Georgia, Jordan, Lebanon, and Nepal.

She co-authored From Best Practice to Standard Practice: A toolkit on the Localization of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women and Peace and Security and Costing and Financing 1325, and edited the 2010 through to 2014 editions of Women Count: Civil Society Monitoring Report on Security Council Resolution 1325. In 2014, Mavic led the establishment of the Young Women for Peace and Leadership, a network of young women in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, DRC, Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, South Sudan, and Ukraine, who are leading peacebuilding efforts in local communities.