Advocacy is essential in promoting women’s inclusion, equal representation and effective participation in decision making processes to build transitional justice, human security and access to justice. The Peace Centre convened a training on advocacy for the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on women, peace and security from 21st-23rd April 2021. The training aimed at deepening staff knowledge and skills in preparation for the Just Future project. The 3 days training was guided by an existing training manual and focus on Understanding the Need for Advocacy for UNSCR 1325, Assessing The Policy Environment for UNSCR 1325, Developing a UNSCR 1325 Advocacy Strategy and Implementation Plan, and Monitoring Advocacy.
The Peace Centre ran the Advocacy Training as part of the Orientation project of personnel who will run the Just Future Project in DRC, South Sudan and Uganda. Under Just Future, we envision a world in which all people in fragile states benefit from more accessible, responsive and accountable security and justice institutions, and more inclusive arrangements for political governance and peace-making. The training was successful in helping the participants to understand the necessity to advocate for the implementation of UNSCR 1325, build their capacity to assess policy environment and stakeholder influence and interest, and develop skills for generating an advocacy strategy. With the support of the training, the staff members have been able to carry out discussions about social construction on gender, SGBV, and understanding the need to advocate for the implementation of UNSCR1325.
