The Women’s International Peace Centre (WIPC) opened on Monday 31 October 2022 in Goma, North Kivu, a training workshop for women and youth networks on understanding the African Union’s peace, security and governance architecture and regional advocacy.
According to the organisers, this workshop focuses on improving knowledge and understanding of the African Union, the Regional Economic Commissions (RECs) regional mechanisms and their operations.
The objective is to build the capacity of women’s and youth networks to engage on relevant lobbying and advocacy issues, with regard to the thematic areas of security, justice and peace, in particular the African Union Governance Architecture (AGA).
« Although these networks of organisations are not an integral part of the « Just Future » programme, they are carrying out commendable activities on the ground as Congolese civil society organisations committed to ensuring that the voices of women and young women, long marginalised and forgotten, are heard, » note the organisers.
He added: « Indeed, it was observed that these organisations are not well informed about the role that the different regional mechanisms would play in influencing national decision-makers in the DRC so that the participation of women and young people in decision-making bodies is effective ».
At the end of this training, participants from each province will be able to draw up a short-term action plan and implement the lessons learned thanks to the support of the Women’s International Peace Centre.
It should be noted that this 4-day training, which runs from Monday 31 October to Thursday 3 November 2022, is part of the « Just Future » project and brings together networks of women and young people working to promote resolutions 1325 and 2250, and who are active in the project’s areas of implementation.
This includes the provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu, Ituri and Kinshasa, funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs through CORDAID, in the Democratic Republic of Congo.