Regional Action Plan: ECOWAS
It outlines 4 key pillars and objectives for the implementation:
Participation:
• Promote women’s participation in mediation: more women will be trained as mediators and a community of practice of women mediators will be established at the regional level; ECOWAS and the AU will appoint more women as special envoys and senior mediators; database of female mediators in the region will be created; measures will be strengthened to encourage women’s full participation in electoral process and at all levels of decision making instances,
• Popularise Resolution 1325: through translations in local languages, training, sensitization, and awareness campaigns targeted at decision makers, police and military, judicial sector, schools, youth, local women as well as men groups. In addition the ‘Open Day’ will be institutionalized as a means for SRSGs to meet with women’s representatives regularly and be briefed on women’s issues in the region as well as an opportunity for sensitisation on the Resolution at national as well as regional levels.
Protection:
• Strengthen measures to combat Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV): political and security measures will be strengthened to protect women and girls from sexual and gender based violence during and after conflict; existing measures will be strengthened and new measures put in place where necessary to punish perpetrators of sexual and gender based violence. Furthermore, trainings, including pre-deployment trainings, on the prevention of sexual and gender based violence will be harmonized and conducted targeting civil and military personnel in peace keeping operations.
Prevention:
• Strengthen preventive diplomacy: request the Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations to use his good offices to actively and systematically consult with women, representing their demands in their efforts at preventive diplomacy in the region,
• Promote the development of a culture of peace by drawing on women’s traditional role as mediators and educators for peace so that future generations can be spared the scourge of war and violence; establishing a regional network of peace clubs in secondary schools and universities,
• Strengthen early warning mechanisms by launching the ECOWAS gender and early warning indicators and making resources available to populate them with data • Encourage research and documentation of lessons learned as well as causes and dynamics of conflicts to enhance response effectiveness.
Relief and Recovery:
• Adopt measures to ensure provision of adequate and accessible humanitarian servicesmeasures will be adopted to ensure that humanitarian services provided reach women and girls and that such services can be accessed safely,
• Strengthen post-incident relief measures - measures will be strengthened to provide adequate access to health, psycho-social services and trauma counseling for sexual and gender-based violence survivors,
• Strengthen socio-economic reintegration measures - measures will be strengthened to ensure effective socio-economic integration of women in post conflict reconstruction and rehabilitation programmes.