The contribution of women as powerful agents for peace has long been acknowledged. The landmark United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, adopted in 2000, acknowledged not only the differentiated impact of conflict on women and girls, but also women's significant role in conflict prevention and resolution, peacekeeping, and peacebuilding. It paved the way for eight subsequent resolutions that address barriers to women’s effective participation, as well as the protection and rights across the conflict cycle. The resolutions collectively make up the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda.
To address the implementation of the WPS agenda, CCCPA, in collaboration with the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), conducted a foundational training course on enhancing Arab women’s participation in peace processes. The training, held from 24-28 March 2019, aimed to equip Arab women diplomats with an enhanced understanding of conflict, dynamics and causes, mediation process design, and entry points for the inclusion of women. Through simulation-based exercises, participants applied conflict analysis tools in the design of gender-inclusive mediation interventions.
CCCPA Director General, Ashraf Swelam, highlighted that "the training comes as part of CCCPA's contribution to the implementation of UNSCR 1325, and the WPS agenda in Africa and in the Arab world, by ensuring women’s meaningful participation and engagement in peace processes to achieve sustainable peace".
On her part, Rachel Dore-Weeks, Deputy Regional Director of UN Women, stated that "peace only holds when women are directly engaged in its brokering. This relationship between UN Women and CCCPA is central to UN Women’s work in this area – in bringing together exceptional women and leading experts from the region and across the world to continue to demonstrate women’s leadership in peace making".
This training comes as an activity under the ongoing UN Women funded project “Enhancing Women’s Leadership for Sustainable Peace in Fragile Contexts in the MENA region”.
