DIIS event

Experiences of women, peace and security in diverse African contexts

In this webinar, national and regional practitioners of the women, peace and security agenda exchange their experiences in advancing women’s role in peace governance and challenges for policy implementation in Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali and beyond

Monday 18 September 2023, 14.00-15.15
DIIS ∙ Danish Institute for International Studies
Online via Zoom

It has been 23 years since the UN Security Council adopted a groundbreaking resolution to include women in peace and security governance, yet effective implementation continues to be a problem. Across Africa, 34 out of 54 countries have adopted national action plans for context-specific women, peace and security agenda. 18 of those action plans are currently in the process of implementation.

We have invited practising speakers from Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali and an international expert based in Senegal to share how they tackle the challenges of engaging local grassroots actors, what kind of funding is required for sustainable implementation and the challenges of monitoring and reporting progress. Finally, this online roundtable will discuss the role of policies like national action plans in a broader ecosystem of women, peace and security action. This is a unique opportunity to hear from actors on the ground as they discuss the future of gender-inclusive peace processes in diverse contexts across Africa.

Speakers

Viviane Tassi Bela, WPS Policy Specialist, UN Women Mali - peace building, conflict management and women, peace and security expert with 15 years of experience in the field. Bela has been a Senior Evaluator and Team Leader across diverse UN agencies.

Simone Mbodé Diouf, Programme Officer for Africa, Global Network of Women Peacebuilders (GNWP) - women, peace and security implementation, conflict prevention and peacebuilding specialist, with an interest in preventing violent extremism. With experiences from UNODC and UN Women, Diouf is now managing GNWP Africa portfolio.

Lensa Biyena, Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association (EWLA). EWLA is Ethiopia's leading women's rights organization and a member of the National Steering Committee of Ethiopia's first national action plan on women, peace and security.

Phyllis Muema, Executive Director, Kenya Community Support Centre (KECOSCE) - social development practitioner based in Mombasa, Kenya, with expertise in inclusion of women, youth and grassroots actors in conflict management and countering violence extremism.

Jacqueline Mbogo, Co-Chair of National Task Force on WPS - expert in peace building and conflict management programming. Head of DFID REINVENT program working gender inclusive peace and security in 18 counties across Kenya.

Marie Kolling, Senior Researcher, Danish Institute for International Studies - co-author of the DIIS report 'Implementing the global women, peace and security agenda in Ethiopia, Kenya and Mali'.

Karmen Tornius, Researcher, Danish Institute for International Studies - co-author of the DIIS report 'Implementing the global women, peace and security agenda in Ethiopia, Kenya and Mali'.

Programme

14.00-14.10 Introduction, Marie Kolling and Karmen Tornius
14.10-14.40 Online roundtable with all the speakers, moderated by Karmen Tornius
14.40-15.10 Q&A
15.10-15.15 Closing remarks, Marie Kolling