Women, Peace and Security Initiatives: West Africa Region

12th Pre Summit Consultative Meeting on Gender Mainstreaming in the African Union
June 21-23 2008, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt

This 12th Pre Summit was organised by the "Gender is My Agenda" network, composed of 40 members and coordinated by Femmes Africa Solidarite. The event was offically opened by the First Lady of Egypt, H.E. Mrs Suzanne Mubarak,who strongly advocated for the empowerment of women, respect for their freedom and dignity. In the outcome document of the meeting called Solemn Statement and Recommendations, the women also undertook to take measures to protect Zimbabwean women and girls affected and displaced by violence after the March 29 Presidential and Parliamentary elections. The women in attendance agreed to send a Women Solidarity Mission to Zimbabwe to support women of that country after the Presidential Run-Off election scheduled for June 27, 2008.

To read the press release for the 12th Pre Summit meeting, please click here
To read the Solemn Statement and Recommendations, please click here

IANSA woman leads sessions at Expert Workshop
In April 2008, Bridget Osakwe from Women in Peacebuilding Network (WIPNET) in Nigeria, part of the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP), led a session at the Expert Workshop on Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) in West Africa at the Kofi Anan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, Ghana. The workshop enhanced the skills of selected West African experts in SALW control and management. Participants validated a training manual that will be adopted as a standard document for training in SALW programmes in West Africa. They also discussed the ECOWAS Convention, and specific training needs and issues important for the establishment of durable peace in the sub-region. Participants explored the impact of SALW on society, politics and the economy and how they relate to the specific West African context. Moreover, participants were also exposed to the global, regional and national agreements on SALW control and their implementation challenges.

To learn more about WIPNET programs, please click here

International Rescue Committee 16 Days Blog
The International Rescue Committee is working with writer, photographer and long-time women’s advocate Ann Jones to give women in war zones an opportunity to document their own lives with digital cameras and make their voices heard.Ann is blogging from West Africa, posting new photos and stories each day for 16 days, starting Sunday, November 25 — the kick-off of “16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence.”

For more information, please click here

Giving Women a Voice in Guinea
Search for Common Ground
Guinea
Guinea is at a critical juncture where newly emerging political, social and economic issues are threatening peace and security with severe implications for the most vulnerable groups, especially women. Simmering tensions jeopardize the rights of Guinean women to fully express and share their experiences in preventing and managing conflicts as they occur locally. SFCG will support women’s efforts to manage local conflicts and improve their leadership in peace building. This project will train women in conflict prevention and resolution skills, build women’s confidence through sharing and networking, partner with local radio stations to include women’s voices in their programming and create local fora to discuss messages of peace. Hence, women’s roles in resolving conflicts will be significantly increased by their improved skills and confidence. Further, their messages of peace and non-violence will reach a larger audience through improved efforts and partnership with local media. To learn more about the project and/or contribute to their current need of $12,000, please click here. Project Contact: Spès Manirakiza, Guinea Coordinator, SFCG, Search for Common Ground West Africa, Conakry, Guinea.

Voices of Women Radio Program in Guinea Bissau, Gambia and Senegal
Women in Peacebuilding Program (WIPNET)
January 2004
Radio programs designed to reach women in rural communities are being discussed at the expert level by WIPNET and WANEP. These radio shows will be broadcast in three West African countries in their respective national languages – Guinea Bissau (Criole), Gambia (Mandinka) and Senegal (Dioula) – and will focus on peace-building, conflict resolution and the important role that women play in these areas in West Africa. The radio programs will also be a forum where women can express their concerns with regard to peace efforts, health, culture and human rights, specific per their subregions. For more information on these programs, please email the WANEP organizer at tekiyor@wanep.org, or Dr. Joyce Ogwezi at joyceogwezi@yahoo.co.uk.

The Women in Peacebuilding Program
West Africa Network for Peacebuilding
The Women in Peacebuilding Program of the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding examines avenues through which West African women can play more functional roles in peace building. The program seeks to outline the roles of women at different stages of conflicts. They have programs in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Nigeria, Gambia and Guinnea-Bissau. WIPNET organized the 1st symposium on "Engendering peace studies programs in West Africa" in collaboration the Peace & Conflict studies program at the University of Ibadan. WIPNEYT also conducts research; in 2002 the women in peacebuilding program conducted a research on "Engendering early warning systems in West Africa: through the inclusion of women". Due to requests from women's groups in other countries, in the last quarter of 2003 and early 2004, the program will organise a series of consultations and capacity building programs in Guinea Bissau and Burkina Faso. For more information on their activities, please click here.

Stop Child Trafficking in West Africa
2003
Over a million children world-wide are being recruited and displaced from their own homes to exploit their labor. Thousands of them are form West Africa. While traveling long distances without adequate food and shelter, they often suffer severe injuries or death on the way. Usually, they undergo extreme forms of physical and mental abuse, including beatings, death threats, and the prospect of never seeing their families again. Under International Law, governments have the obligation to protect children by preventing their recruitment and trasnport, by providing basic protections to victims of child trafficking, and by prosecuting traffickers. Improving the access to education, especially for girls, is a crucial step. For more detailed information on child trafficking illustrated in a case study on Togo, see the Human Rights Watch report, Borderline Slavery: Child Trafficking in Togo. To contact legislators, international lending agencies and multilateral organizations click here. For more information visit Human Rights Watch.

HIV/AIDS Initiative
1999
Africare’s HIV/AIDS initiative focus on HIV prevention through education, voluntary counseling, information and testing, and on supporting people already infected with HIV or suffering from AIDS as well as assisting orphans. The education is centered in subjects, such as gender inequity, cross-generational and transactional sex, and stigma reduction, among others. They also seek to support and strenghten capacity building in local communities to mitigate the impact of the epidemic in the region. For more information visit Africare.

I am child but I have my rights too!
Since 1998
Plan for Action has been producing, since 1998, the regional children radio campaign “I am child but I have my rights too!”. The program inform parents, children and authorities on their roles and responsabilities to respect children’s human rights. 5 minutes stories are featured promoting the right to receive education, acces to water, health and security. The program is broadcasted in Burkina Faso, Guinea, Togo, Mali, Senegal,Guinea Bissau and Benin, by up to 10 radio stations in each country. This initiative has been awarded with the Silver World Medal and the Finalist Award in the Best Children Programmes category at the International New York Festivals in 2002 and 2003 respectively. For more information visit Plan International.