Projects

Short Description:

Overall goal

The project aims at improving the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325, which recognizes women as agents of peace and calls for their meaningful participation at all levels of decision making on matters of peace and security and governance. It will generate commitments from national and local authorities in 8 countries as well as support from regional and global multilateral organizations.

Expected results

1. Local and national policy- and decision-makers and civil society understand the importance of women and youth’s participation, and have the capacities to monitor and ensure accountability for the effective implementation of Women, Peace and Security (WPS), Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) and the Sustaining Peace resolutions.

2. Women, including young women, have the capacities to participate in and influence peace and security and political processes, such as peace negotiations, implementation of peace agreements, development and implementation of National Action Plans (NAPs) and elections in Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, Kenya, South Sudan & Uganda

3. Journalists in Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and Kenya promote the implementation of the WPS, YPS and women’s participation in peace and security and political processes.

4. Women, youth, journalists, civil society, and policy- and decision-makers create and sustain local, national, regional, cross-regional and cross-border networks that coordinate and promote action for effective implementation of the WPS, YPS and Sustaining Peace resolutions, and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), across sectors and at all levels.

5. Best practices and lessons learned from the advocacy and implementation of the WPS, YPS, Sustaining Peace resolutions, and SDG are documented, disseminated, and inspire broader and more effective implementation at all levels.

Target group / Beneficiaries

1. Local women, including young women in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, Kenya, South Sudan & Uganda;

2. Local and national authorities, police and other security forces, traditional and religious leaders, community leaders, women’s rights groups, youth organizations, teachers and other key stakeholders;

3. Journalists and other media practitioners;

4. National policy- & decision-makers, including ministry officials and women and men parliamentarians at local and national levels;

5. Local and national women and men mediators;

6. Regional and international organizations, including the African Union, Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, European Union, North Atlantic Treaty Organization and UN Women.

Overall the project will target 890 people directly and more than 40.000 people indirectly.

Activities

The project will:

1) Enhance capacity of key local stakeholders for advocacy and implementation, as well as monitoring and evaluation of the WPS, YPS and Sustaining Peace resolutions.

2) Promote women’s participation in political decision-making and their participation as mediators in conflicts.

3) Forge partnership with the media, to ensure broad-based awareness and knowledge and garner support for the WPS and YPS resolutions, SDG, and the Sustaining Peace resolutions.

4) Create spaces for experience-sharing and cross-learning at the regional and international level.

Context

Although there are progressive and transformative policies on women and peace and security, youth and peace and security, sustaining peace at the global, regional and national levels, they do not create the necessary and practical change in local communities. Because of this gap, local populations do not fully benefit from the WPS agenda, and the leadership potential of local women and youth remains unrealized and unutilized.