Through implementing the project “Strengthening Capacities for Women’s effective Participation in Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding in South Sudan (2022)”, the Women’s International Peace Centre project seeks to strengthen the capacity of women in South Sudan to mitigate conflict and sustain peace through enhancing their peace building skills.
From 22nd to 25th May, 2022 at Royal Suits Hotel, the Peace Centre in collaboration with the Center for Strengthening Community Voices (CSCOV) trained 27 women peace mediators in Wau State, South Sudan with the intention of enhancing their capacity to participate in peacebuilding with practical skills for conflict prevention and conflict transformation.
The 3-day residential training focused on context-specific content delivered through power point presentations, lectures, group discussions, and presentations on topics such as; the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda in Wau Context, Understanding Conflict, and Analysis tools, Conflict Early Warning, Dynamics in conflict monitoring, Peace Building, Safety and Security of Human Rights Defenders as well as Advocacy and Lobbying.
In Ms. Victoria Night’s presentation of the WPS Wau context, she highlighted that Western Bar-El-Ghazal’s security situation is still a complex one as the area has for a long time been affected by war which has in turn caused long-term suffering for hundreds of women and girls. She also cautioned that with women and girls disproportionately affected during conflicts yet under represented, there is a great need for their representation in key decision-making processes to cover wider human security concerns such as land, credit, education, training, employment, and justice.
“It’s important for women because if there’s peace and security, there will be growth and development in all aspects of life,” She said.
Ms Diana Oroma, a facilitator for the session understanding conflict and analysis tools started off by emphasising the low progress toward gender equality despite the essentiality of women’s engagement in peace and security.
She further discussed mechanisms for making the women, peace, and security agenda a success which included; mediating and resolving conflicts, peacebuilding and recovery, peacekeeping, protecting the rights of women and girls, countering violent extremism by promoting a gender-sensitive approach e.g. expanding and deepening a data-driven evidence base on the drivers of extremist violence and its impact on women and girls, National Action Plans, coordination and reporting, engagement with policies, duty bearers at different levels.
Participants were later introduced to the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 and its pillars of prevention, participation, protection, and peacebuilding and recovery, highlighting it as the focal point for galvanizing worldwide efforts to deal with the many challenges that women face in situations of conflict
Other topics of discussion included; conflict management and conflict resolution, conflict early warning, peacebuilding, advocacy and lobbying.
