A series of workshops on women's participation in the Darfur Peace Process were organized throughout Darfur by the African Union - United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID). The forums, which targeted more than 160 local media representatives of which most were women, aimed at enhancing the capacity to advocate on the importance of the role of women in the peace and political process in the region.
The workshops, which began on 29 January in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, and concluded on 5 February in Zalingei, Central Darfur, focused on UN security council resolutions on women and, in particular, Resolution 1325.
During the two-day training the journalists were able to exchange ideas on how they can unify their efforts to play an effective role in their communities to empower women in issues related to peace and security.
Among the recommendations, the participants agreed that the media should highlight the concerns and experiences of various groups in the community, raising awareness on gender and women's rights. Also, the members agreed that the media should reflect and advocate on the role of women in peace building and conflict resolution.
As part of its mandate, UNAMID works on issues related to women, peace and security, which are guided by a number of UN Security Council resolutions to protect and promote women's rights, create an enabling environment in Darfur for the promotion of gender justice, respond to and mitigate gender-based violence and enhance women's participation in the peace process and decision-making.
Since 2008, the Mission has undertaken more than 240 capacity building trainings intended to raise awareness in issues related to gender-equality targeting the most effective groups from the local community to serve as agents to further spread the message.
