In October, a representative of Tostan’s Peace and Security Project participated in the launching of a guide created by the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) designed to help national governments and civil society organizations to develop and adopt actions plans for the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325. The conference, held in Accra, Ghana, brought together government and organization representatives from the majority of the West African sub-region countries.
One of the main objectives of Tostan’s Peace and Security Project is to engage local communities in West Africa in regional peace-building initiatives. By connecting grassroots initiatives for peace and security with regional policy makers, Tostan can contribute to a stronger and more secure region.
A dopted by the UN Security Council in 2000, Resolution 1325 stresses the importance of women in peace and security, emphasizing women’s roles in the resolution of conflicts, peace negotiations, peace-building, peace-keeping, humanitarian response, and post-conflict reconstruction. The resolution calls on UN Member States to create national action plans to increase women’s participation in peace and security processes and to take measures to protect women and girls from gender-based violence.
During the conference representatives from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), WANEP, national government, and civil society groups spoke about the undeniable role women play in peace-building and how, despite this role, women are still excluded from decision-making processes. WANEP’s guide provides suggestions on how to make national action plans that incorporate advocacy, education, and training in order to reach gender equality in peace operations.
