How To Build Feminist Peace Using an Intersectional Perspective

We are excited to bring you the 3rd Edition of the Feminist Peace Series.

For this edition, we invited authors to work on how to build peace using an intersectional approach. Authors have written based on their personal and professional experience in building peace grounded in feminist peace understanding. Each article shares experience of how intersectionality operates in conflict and post conflict

Download : Feminist Peace Series 3rd Edition

The African Continental Free Trade Area as a driver of Continental Peace and Security

In line with the 2023 AU theme of the year “Acceleration of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA),” GIMAC hosted its 39th pre-consultative meeting from February 12th to 14th, 2023 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The meeting focused on the implementation of the AfCFTA and breaking down barriers for African women to ensure their inclusion in the process. It provided a platform for African Union (AU), Regional Economic Communities (RECs) , Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), and partners to discuss the opportunities that AfCFTA can create for a gender inclusive implementation and inspire commitment for collective action with the AU mechanisms responsible for its implementation.

In collaboration with the African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD) and Femmes Africa Solidarite ( FASNGO), Women’s International Peace Centre hosted a panel discussion on the #AfCFTA as a driver of continental peace and security. 

The panel highlighted conflict as one of the greatest obstacles to women’s participation in trade citing its devastating impact on economies and exacerbation of gender based vulnerabilities.

The closure of borders and disruption of supply chains strains economies, while women oftentimes face insecurity, displacement and violence. Not to mention, the high risks women dealing in cross border trade face of forced detention by armed forces while accessing markets.

“The Rwanda-DRC conflict makes cross borders trade particularly difficult for women,” Juvenal Lushule, a panelist said. “Moreover, women are often the targets of attacks from armed groups who rape and detain them as sex slaves.

 “In South Sudan, it’s the men in uniform who interrupt our agricultural and trade efforts. They sell our produce and sexually assault us using the gun.”, another panelist commented.

This not only causes immense suffering for the victims, but also undermines their economic participation and overall development.

To address the challenges discussed, the panel emphasized the need for;

1) Systematic support provided to victims for restoration of their livelihoods and enable them to respond to challenges of displacement, insecurity and violence.

2) Greater efforts directed towards addressing the root causes of conflict such as inequality and poverty rather than focusing efforts on ending the conflicts themselves.

3) Peace, reconciliation and justice to be considered in the development of trade policies to address the weak mechanisms for dispute resolution among communities engaged in cross border trade

4) African leaders to implement accountability measures for women to trade in peace

In conclusion, there’s no doubt that the AfCFTA has potential to boost the continental’s income and increase intra-Africa exports. However, without addressing the challenges faced by women and girls, the outcomes would be unequal. Therefore, African leaders and the AU were urged to fulfill their commitments to addressing the insurgence of armed groups and eliminating all forms of violence against women

The GIMAC Network meeting concluded with several recommendations, which will be presented at the AU Heads of State and Government Summit in February 2023

EXPRESSION OF INTEREST AND QUOTATION

 

Terms of reference to undertake the Development of the Strategic Plan 2024-2028.

 1.0       BACKGROUND 

Women’s International Peace Centre (The Peace Centre) works in conflict and post-conflict countries, providing groundbreaking approaches to addressing women’s rights in fragile settings and what it means to be at peace with oneself, one’s community and country. Over the years, The Peace Centre has emerged as a leader in the feminist discourse on peace and security, using national and international frameworks such as the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR1325), Women, Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action Compact (WPS-HA), National Action Plans on 1325 (NAP), the Sustainable Development Goals 5 and 16 and other women, peace and security frameworks.

The Peace Centre has been implementing a five-year strategic plan (2019 to 2023) which was greatly informed by the achievements and experience of The Peace Centre since its formation, recognizing that the need for peace in the African region and globally, was direr than ever. The Peace Centre’s focus for the period was to enhance the position of women in peacebuilding processes powerfully and unapologetically to transform peace-building spaces. The Peace Centre also intended to become the ‘go-to’ Centre on women and peacebuilding. To contribute to sustainable peace, two outcomes were deemed necessary, that is, increased participation of women in peace processes articulating and influencing gender responsive and sustainable peace; to support and empower women to advocate and seek justice; contribute to peacebuilding and most importantly influence those spaces and processes; and transformed gender-responsive peace processes in terms of prevention, mediation, dialogues, peace building and negotiation.

To support and work towards the achievement of the goal and outcomes, The Peace Centre designed key outputs or results, achievable in the strategic period. They include:

  • Enhanced Technical Expertise of women to participate in peace processes.
  • Information is available for women to influence decision-making in peace processes.
  • Deliberate attempts to claim spaces and influence for women to participate in local, national and regional peace processes.
  • Holistic Well-being of women in peace processes ensured.
  • Enhanced institutional capacity for the effective and efficient implementation of the strategic plan, while maintaining a healthy working environment.

2.0      THE STRATEGIC PLAN 2024-2028

The core mandate of The Peace Centre is to amplify the voice and the needs of women in conflict and post-conflict situations in key geographical locations. We are looking to be bolder and more ambitious in our focus and scope of work. The proposed plan will define a more expanded reach in Africa and Asia and articulate realistic strategies that will enable us to take the organization to another level taking into account the current geopolitical dynamics globally.

2.1      Objectives of the Strategic Plan 2024-2028

This strategic plan seeks to:

I) Streamline intersectional approaches to women, peace and security for sustainable peace.

II) Internationalization of the Peace Centre.

III) Holistic Well-being of Women Human Rights Defenders.

3.0       KEY DELIVERABLES

  • An Inception Report detailing the agreed methodology, work plan and the proposed outline of the strategic plan to be presented to the Board not later than 10 working days after signing the contract.
  • Meeting with Peace Centre staff, partners, and the Board to harvest areas of focus for the Strategic Plan
  • Presentation of the draft plan to the Board for review.
  • A final strategic plan approved by the Board of Directors of the Peace Centre.

4.0       QUALIFICATIONS  

  1.  The strategic plan development will be conducted by the consultant(s) who will have substantive knowledge of peacebuilding, gender analysis and governance programming. ii. Familiarity with the existing and ongoing peace processes in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.
  2. Team members will be part of a Consulting Firm (‘the Consultant’) with clearly demonstrated expertise and experience in conducting evaluations and impact assessments using a variety of quantitative and qualitative methods in the field of peacebuilding, leadership, democratic governance and adult education. The firm/individual consultant should have legal registration according to the national consultancy firm registration requirements.
  3. Evidence of ability to produce high-quality analysis reports in English, and work within tight timeframes.
  4. A strategist with Six to ten (6 to 10) years of experience in program development, design, monitoring, evaluation, research, learning and adaptation.
  5. Demonstrated experience in developing strategic plans with clear references and hyperlinks
  6. Ability to reliably access the internet, as well as relevant national policy and planning documents and surveys.
  7. Critical thinking and analysis.
  8. Time Management.

5.0      GUIDING PRINCIPLES AND VALUES 

It’s important that Bidders highlight measurements to which the strategic plan development will meet ethical standards, feasibility, relevancy and accuracy, as well as propose other quality performance measures that will be refined during the inception phase if found to be necessary.

6.0       TIME SCHEDULE

 The duration of the assignment is 8 months including all the preparation and field-related work, as well as the writing of the inception report, data collection and analysis, presentation of preliminary document and submission of the final product. The assignment is estimated to be undertaken between February and September 2023.

7.0       APPLICATION AND SELECTION PROCESS

 The Consultant to carry out the assignment will be selected according to the “Open Tendering” method, following the procedures, templates and instructions of The Peace Centre’s “Standard Request for Proposals for Consultancy Services”.

Applicants will be required to submit a Technical and Financial proposal. Proposals will be evaluated using the principle of Quality and Cost Based Selection, with a weight of 80% given to the Technical Proposal and a weight of 20% given to the Financial Proposal.

Applications should be submitted via email to procurement@wipc.org or delivered to Women’s International Peace Centre, Plot 1 Martyr’s Garden B, Minister’s Village, Ntinda, Kampala.

The closing date for receiving both the Technical and Financial proposals is Friday 17th February 2023 at 5:00 pm East African Time (EAT).

Only shortlisted candidates shall be contacted.

 

 

 

 

Request For Expression of Interest and Quotation to Conduct a Needs Assessment on Women’s Rights Organisations’ Staff Wellbeing

1.0 Background
Women’s International Peace Centre (The Peace Centre) is a feminist organization, that seeks to ignite women’s leadership, by amplifying women’s voices and deepening their activism to (re)create peace. We are one of the leading actors on Women, Peace and Security informed by the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR1325), the Sustainable Development Goals 5 and 16 and other Women, Peace and Security frameworks.

One of the Peace Centre’s strategic objectives is intentional well-being and is an area that we believe is critical for building sustainable feminist leadership and movements. The Peace Centre believes that there is a need for deliberate and intentional investment in self-care and wellness of feminist leaders through specific tailor-made initiatives and mainstreaming wellness in all programmes and
interventions.

The Peace Centre is implementing a project on “Women’s Advocacy for Voice and Empowerment Phase 2 (WAVE2) through inclusive platforms in Uganda” in partnership with five organizations namely: Freedom and Roam Uganda (FARUG), Forum for Women in Democracy (FOWODE), Mentoring and Empowerment for Young Women (MEMPROW), National Association of Women’s
Organisations in Uganda (NAWOU) and National Union of Women with Disabilities in Uganda (NUWODU). To build a strong feminist movement where women are rejuvenated and minimise burnout, the Peace Centre plans to conduct a needs assessment on the emotional, mental and physical well-being of women leaders at a personal and organisational level, among the consortium partners.

2.0 Request for Expression of Interest
The Peace Centre invites eligible and qualified individuals to indicate their interest to conduct a needs assessment among the consortium partners. These will include staff from the following organisations’ Freedom and Roam Uganda (FARUG), Forum for Women in Democracy (FOWODE), Mentoring and Empowerment for Young Women (MEMPROW), National Association of Women’s Organisations in Uganda (NAWOU) and National Union of Women with Disabilities in Uganda (NUWODU) and the Peace Centre.

Objectives of the assignment
1. To conduct a needs assessment of the emotional, mental and physical wellbeing of women leaders’ at a personal and organisational level among the consortium partners.
2. Establish physical and emotional priority actions for staff well-being.
3. Develop a well-being plan for each of the 6 institutions.

3.0 Required Qualification, Skills and Competencies
I. First Degree or Masters in the field of Social Sciences, Psychology, Mental Health, Medicine, Social Work and Social Administration or any other relevant subject area.
II. Ability to collect data, analyse and communicate data with relevant stakeholders in a nontechnical language.
III. Have a deep and thorough understanding of self-care and wellness
IV. Strong Communication and Interpersonal skills.
V. Excellent writing skills.

4.0 Application Process
Expression of Interest marked “Expression of Interest to conduct a needs assessment on Women’s Rights Organisations’ Staff Wellbeing” can be submitted as a soft copy via the email address procurement@wipc.org. Hard copies can be dropped at the address below on or before 17.00 hours local time on Wednesday 8th February 2023. Only shortlisted candidates shall be contacted.

Applications should be sent to:
The Executive Director,
Women’s International Peace Centre
Plot 1, Martyrs Garden B, Ministers Village, Ntinda, Kampala
P. O. Box 4934, Kampala, Uganda
Tel : +256 414-698684

Accelerating Impact through Partnerships for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies

Women’s World 54 seeks to reflect on the strategies used and lessons learned in the implementation of the Just Future programme by civil society partners in Burundi, DRC and South Sudan.

In this edition, the partners report on progress in their advocacy initiatives,
using the knowledge and skills gained from the various interventions. They offer recommendations for the improvement of the Just Future programme and similar
coalitions as well as how the participation of their core constituencies can be enhanced by bringing attention to key areas for their growth and highlights from their regional advocacy efforts which allow them to influence peace and security discourse and practice at that level.

The experiences shared underscore several successful approaches that can be leveraged, scaled and replicated by like- minded entities, by adapting them to their own programmes to advance the Women, Peace and Security agenda.

Download : Women’s World 54_EN

Women’s World 54_FR

Building and Conceptualising Peace: Feminist Strategies and Approaches

Co-authored by our Executive Director, Helen Kezie-Nwoha, Nela Porobić Isaković, Madeleine Rees and Sarah Smith, the article focuses on global governance structures of peacebuilding and the securitization of peace, examining in turn how these operate to block women’s participation and feminist strategies of peace.

Download the Article here: Building and conceptualizing Peace

Leading Change; Young People’s Agency in Peace Building in Uganda

The Peace Centre is running a project Women Reclaiming Agency for Peace building in Uganda aimed at strengthening the knowledge and skills of women and youth to effectively participate in peace building processes.

This report documents the unique experiences, strategies and changes seen
by implementing the project.

Download the report: Leading Change; Young People’s Agency in Peace building in Uganda

Vacancy Announcement: Programme Officer, Burundi

Job title:                                  Programme Officer

Number of Positions:              1 (One)

Duty Station:                           Bujumbura, Burundi

Reporting to:                           Country Coordinator

 

About Women’s International Peace Centre

Women’s International Peace Centre, formerly Isis-WICCE, is a feminist organization founded in 1974 and based in Kampala, Uganda. Our mission is to ignite women’s leadership, amplify their voices and deepen their impact in recreating peace.  Our WEAVE model intersects research (on women’s specific experiences and needs), evidence-based advocacy (to influence national, regional and international policy and practice), holistic healing (to enable women’s wellbeing and participation in peace processes), skills and movement building (to equip WHRDs with necessary skills, build networks and facilitate exchange of strategies to advance women’s leadership for peace.

The Peace Centre works in Africa, Asia, at regional and global level with women war survivors, women human rights defenders, and women’s rights organizations to amplify women’s voices and advocate for policies and programmes tackling the impact of conflict on women and communities using our WEAVE model. The Peace Centre’s current strategic plan (2019-2022) focuses on amplifying the voices and agency of women and women’s rights organisations to build and sustain inclusive peace and security in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nepal, South Sudan and Uganda

 Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall guidance of the Deputy Executive Director, and the direct supervision of the Country Coordinator, the Programme Officer for Burundi will support the implementation of The Peace Centre’s programmes within the specific country, facilitating linkages with regional and global advocacy and networking.

The Programme Officer will support the Country Coordinator to lead the project development, management and administration; provide technical assistance, policy advice and support; and facilitate diverse partnerships and mutual capacity strengthening at country level.

They will;

  • Support implementation of the project within in Burundi in liaison with the Strategic Partnership and Advocacy Manager and the Country Coordinator.
  • Develop detailed activity work plans, and manage the implementation of project activities to ensure proper and timely execution to the required standards and guidelines of the organization.
  • Participate in handling day-to-day management of the programme in country, including effective programme implementation, documenting progress and managing the programme budgets in line with Peace Centre policies.
  • Monitor/follow up country-level short-term consultants and provide guidance on substantive and operational issues, to ensure timely achievement of quality outputs.
  • Assist in managing the Advocacy support desk and provide ongoing support on advocacy to national partners; linking to regional actors and processes; strengthening national capacity for regional advocacy, gender mainstreaming, and influencing on inclusive peace and security priorities
  • With the support of the Strategic Partnership and Advocacy Manager and the guidance of the Country Coordinator, develop training manuals and provide training on regional advocacy, and lobby, on accountability and leadership, on gender and inclusive peace and security, gender transformative programming among other identified needs.
  • Maintain and grow partnerships with key stakeholders at national, regional and global level. Ensure ongoing coordination of programme implementation with partners and other stakeholders including ensuring their involvement to support inclusive and transparent processes
  • In liaison with the Strategic Partnership and Advocacy Manager and the Country Coordinator participate in and contribute to monthly, quarterly and other scheduled program planning, progress and performance review exercises.
  • Participate actively in documentation of success stories, lessons learnt during program implementation and blog writing for information sharing.
  • Develop country advocacy strategies in conjunction with all Peace Centre stakeholders
  • Take advantage of the expertise acquired by The Peace Centre partners as a result of training and exchange programmes conducted by The Peace Centre
  • Develop The Peace Centre partnership with all local and regional stakeholders to promote gender equality and inclusion of marginalised groups.
  • Develop a national strategy for localising the UNSCR 1325 on Women, Peace and Security from a perspective on inclusion, participation, prevention, protection and community recovery with a view of promoting gender equality of the most marginalised groups according to the “Leave no one behind” principle in the dynamics of implementing all the SDGs.
  • Prepare monthly, quarterly, bi-annual, annual and final program narrative reports; contribute to the development of the organization’s annual fundraising plan and proposal writing to support program activities;
  • Carry out all procurement and financial accountability in line with The Centre’s guidelines/policies.
  • Perform any other duty assigned from time to time.

Education and Experience:

  • Bachelor’s degree in any of the following areas Peace and Conflict Studies, Gender, Development Studies, Political Science, Social Sciences or any other related fields. A Postgraduate degree will be an added advantage.
  • Five years of relevant work experience in peace building and conflict management and previous experience working with national and local governments, women’s groups, regional networks.
  • Diverse knowledge and experience in results-based programme management, monitoring and reporting.
  • Demonstrated knowledge of peace building and experience in advocacy or influence on the Women, Peace and Security agenda.
  • Excellent analytical, written and oral communication skills.
  • Demonstrated ability to work as a team player in a multi-disciplinary team with minimum supervision.

To apply, submit a motivation letter and CV demonstrating your suitability by 30th November 2022 to applications@wipc.org

Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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