Muslim Filipina Peace Advocate Amina Rasul-Bernardo just won the prestigious Intercultural Achievement Award for her pioneering podcast program “She Talks Peace” in the City of Vienna in Austria. Rasul-Bernardo is the only Asian to be granted this award.

A long-time peace worker, Rasul-Bernardo has tirelessly advocated for peace and stability in her birthplace, Mindanao, specifically Sulu. Rasul personally received the award in Vienna last October 10. The award was given by the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs in its initiative to honor successful and innovative civil society projects in the field of intercultural and interreligious dialogue, both in Austria and on a global scale.

It rewards those who successfully break new ground in intercultural dialogue, who have mastered a specific challenge through intercultural action, and who promote the dialogue of cultures and religions through their media presence.

“She Talks Peace” is a weekly podcast launched in August 2021. Hosted by Amina Rasul-Bernardo, President of the Philippine Center for Islam and Democracy(PCID),
podcast episodes share the exceptional efforts of peacebuilders, particularly women, from the Philippines and the world.

Each episode delves into pressing issues while immortalizing the inspiring stories of these women, from local communities in the Philippines to national leaders worldwide. The podcast guests discuss relevant issues crucial to peacebuilding: democracy and human rights, radicalization and violent extremism, gender, religion and law, among others.

“She Talks Peace” is a tool for peace education, anchored on the United Nations Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Agenda. The episodes provide easily digestible content, bridging the gap between complex ideas and a broad audience. The podcast has amplified the voices of women leaders from Yemen, Liberia,Indonesia, Cyprus, Afghanistan, Malaysia, and many other nations.

Hosted by Podcast Network Asia, it can be accessed on Spotify, Google, Apple Podcasts and other platforms. Ms. Rasul’s co-hosts include Dina Zaman, co-founder of the Malaysian think tank IMAN Research, and Dr. Ayesah Abubakar,Professor at Albukhary International University. She Talks Peace has listener sacross 100 different countries as of October 2023. Recently, it has been awarded the Intercultural Achievement Award (IAA) 2023 for Media by the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs. As the only recipient from Asia, the podcast was recognized for its successful and innovative endeavor for inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue.

In the first month of its operations, She Talks Peace had listeners primarily originating from the Philippines, with some listeners in the United States, Canada,and Malaysia. Years later, data analytics provided by Spotify and ACast presented exponential and steady increase in its subscriber base.“She Talks Peace”currently has listeners across 99 different countries as of October 2023.