Report from the 30th triennial congress.

The theme of this year's National Congress, "Moving Forward, Making Peace," proved provocative. The entire first day of our gathering in Indianola, Iowa was set aside for internal WILPF concerns that arose last fall, such as the lay-offs of the national office staff, the financial crisis, temporary shut-down of the office, and ensuing structural changes. Congress attendees and members from branches across the U.S. asked many questions and insisted on answers. The board has focused on transparency and accountability since the events of last fall, and members made it clear they want backup for their branch work and up-to-date information, but not top-down leadership or obscure direction. Attendees also stressed the importance of a strong national presence for our venerable, 94-year old organization. Overall, the first days' discussion was constructive and fruitful.

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Traditionally, the heart of WILPF's Triennial Congress has been to establish a program for the next three years. This year, rather than choosing campaigns as we did for 2005-08, WILPF established a mini-grant program for the branches and issue committees. Branches (individual and group of branches) may apply for mini grants to support an issue they are working on--building our national campaigns from the bottom up.

On Friday through Sunday. Congress workshops, actions and guest speakers covered the major concerns facing U.S. and the world. Save the Water and Women Challenge U.S. Policy in the Middle East reported on their efforts over the past three years and their future plans. The overall emphasis was on multilateralism and the internationalist mindset shaping all the work we do. Our unique position on peace and justice serves as a point of reference for other NGO, progressive, and governmental entities.

The 30th Triennial Congress ushered in more appreciation for WILPF's international office and the work they do. Susi Snyder, secretary general in Geneva, Dr. Hanan Awwad, president of Palestine WILPF, and Diane Brace, president of the U.K. WILPF section, all gave presentations.

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Susi held remarkable workshops on international WILPF's program, which is organized into four pillars: Challenge Militarism, Invest in Peace, Strengthen the United Nations, and Build WILPF. Dr. Awwad covered in more detail the Palestinian history of peace efforts and described WILPF's condition and life in Jerusalem as highly "checkpoint-ed" but alive. Diane Brace, a long-time labor activist, attributed her WILPF membership to Phyllis Yingling, past president of U.S. WILPF. Three years ago, Diane started London WILPF, which now numbers more than 60 members, many of them young women. Her secret to success is to "carry WILPF applications all the time" and train new members.