Edith Ballantyne

It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of our mother, Edith Ballantyne. She died peacefully in hospital on March 25, 2025, after a sudden infection. She would have turned 103 on December 10, 2025.   Edith was a strong, independent woman with a sharp mind and a fierce spirit that never waned.…

Dear Edith It was such a great pleasure to visit with you last in December 2024, before I left for Finnland, my home country. Maybe we both sensed it could be the last time to have a wonderful chat and exchange views – even if we didn’t always agree, in particular on the role of…

Nachruf Edith Ballentyne Noch vor 2 Wochen hat mir Edith in einem Telefongespräch erzählt, wie sehr sie der Genozid in Gaza und die ungebremste Gewalt des Israelischen Militärs gegen die Palästinenser bedrückten und was WILPF tun müsste um die Stimmen aus der Region für Frieden zu verstärken. Sie war immer am Ball und dachte aktionistisch.…

In the 90s Edith was President and I was Secretary General of WILPF in Geneva. A time where the bi-polar world, the Cold War time came to an end and the International community held a series of global conferences on human rights, on women, social common goods. Edith was very much connected within different NGO…

When I first arrived in Geneva in 1990 to take up my position as Secretary-General of the International Peace Bureau, Edith was one of the very first people I was taken to see. Her reputation had preceded her: I was somewhat in awe. But that soon dissolved when I realised what a welcoming, kind, and…

I met Edith at the IB held in Madrid and from the first moment I realized that she was a great reference for WILPF. She was a woman with a great deal of experience and knowledge, but she maintained a discreet attitude, was open to listening and had a broad vision of peace linked to…

My daughter Lillian took this selfie during a visit to Edith a few years ago— I loved my visits to Edith apartment and treasure them. Edith was the most beautiful soul—wise, politically astute, and deeply, deeply kind. I am forever grateful for her vision, her truth, and the time she so generously gave. WILPF was…

I first met Edith in 1996 when I went to Geneva from Cambodia to  help organize a landmines review conference for the landmine campaign & she and Felicity let me stay in the WILPF house. A fleeting connection for a few months, but a huge impact on the course of my life and journey as…

Thanks for your support, Edith. Rest in Power.

Heartfelt Reflection on Edith Ballantyne’s Spirit I will forever hold onto the memory of visiting Edith Ballantyne in December 2022, just before her 100th birthday. Though nearing a century, she was full of warmth and energy—setting the table herself, placing the plates, and pouring the wine. Her grace and hospitality were remarkable, a true reflection…

I first met Edith when I was asked to organise WILPF’s 100th anniversary. While I felt the weight of this immense responsibility on my shoulders having only been with the organisation a year or so before, Edith immediately put me at ease. Rather than be terrified of disappointing everyone for whom WILPF and the 100th…

Edith was an inspiration and a guide especially for the young WILPFer I was when I met her 19 years ago, and throughout the years, we would try to find time to meet so I can get a bit of her wisdom and care around a bottle of red wine, cheese, charcuterie and salad, in…

Knowing Edith changed my life. I met her thirty years ago when I was 28 at the Helsinki WILPF Congress.  I heard so much about her before we met and didn’t believe someone could be so fabulous.  Then she made a speech leading to my first words to her: “I agree with everything you said…