Hasnae Bakhouch
Pronouns: She/Her
Organisation: YoungPeacebuilders Morocco, Womediation
Country of origin: Morocco
Profile
Hasnae Bakhouch first took an interest in peacebuilding during her bachelor’s study in Political Science at the Mohammed V University in Rabat, Morocco. Her motivation to get more women into the peacebuilding field was already a driving force at that time. She specialises in peacebuilding, more specifically in mediation, and is focused on educating and spreading knowledge on these topics.
She currently pursues a master’s degree in World Politics and International Relations at the University of Pavia, Italy. In 2019, she started her programme YoungPeacebuilders Morocco, an organisation that aims to educate people about the international instruments of peace. Examples of this are various resolutions, the various concepts of doing no harm, conflict resolution, and alternative dispute resolution. After being selected by the UN Women Regional Office of Arab States for a training programme in mediation and peacebuilding, she is now starting a new initiative called Womediation. With this new project, she aims to spread the culture of mediation together with a network of women all over the MENA region. Its goals are to promote mediation as a tool for peace and to include more women in the field.
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Hasnae Bakhouch finds it important to spark people’s interest and give them the tools to understand and care about peacebuilding and mediation. ‘For me, it’s a passion,’ she said. ‘It is motivated by my interest in empowering young people, empowering women, my interest in international affairs, my sense of patriotism, and my sense of responsibility, because endangering human lives is not a game.’ Hasnae said that in Morocco there is still a culture of underestimating women. But this culture has only led Hasnae to work harder. She said, ‘You do the opposite, and you prove them wrong.’
She found her passion when she noticed that the people around her cared about certain Sustainable Development Goals but showed disinterest in the goal ‘peace, justice, and strong institutions’. This motivated her to engage more young people in politics, peacebuilding and mediation. She especially wants to involve more women. She said, ‘Women can be gentle, have this emotional intelligence that men don’t have. So we can really be a success in the diplomatic field if we are given the opportunity.’
In her quest to spread mediation and peacebuilding education, Hasnae faces certain challenges. The first one is age and the issue of not being taken seriously: ‘When you’re young, you’re seen as incapable, as someone not really able to do things. Especially if you’re a woman, they don’t give you a chance,’ she said.
She also found difficulty with local organisations, which she says are often too focused on how the proposal serves their agenda and what benefits it will bring them. The last challenge she mentioned is a lack of motivation in the peacebuilding environment. She said she has issues finding support for small-scale projects that have not proven themselves yet. She said she also has encountered difficulties with people who are seeking titles instead of real achievements.
‘They do the talk, but they don’t walk the walk,’ Hasnae said. She said that this resistance from NGOs, which can cause projects to be put on hold, sometimes becomes a mental burden. However, she always tries to refocus and come up with a new action plan and she said she is now aware that peacebuilding is a ‘long-term advocacy type’.
‘They do the talk, but they don’t walk the walk,’ Hasnae said. She said that this resistance from NGOs, which can cause projects to be put on hold, sometimes becomes a mental burden. However, she always tries to refocus and come up with a new action plan and she said she is now aware that peacebuilding is a ‘long-term advocacy type’.
Hasnae said that while she may not always get the result she might have been expecting, she believes in small-scale impact since the people who gain interest and learn something about peacebuilding will attract others to become invested in the topic as well. She said she remains passionate, ‘I’m just happy with the simple fact that I do something with all the means that I can get my hands on and empower people into knowing.’