What:

The African Union (AU) is launching the Steering Committee of “FemWise-Africa” (Network of African Women in Conflict Prevention and Mediation) ahead of the imminent deployment of women mediators. FemWise-Africa aims to strengthen the role of women in conflict prevention and mediation efforts in the context of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA).

The Network provides a platform for strategic advocacy, capacity building and networking aimed at enhancing the implementation of the commitments for women’s inclusion in peace-making in Africa.

When:

2:30 pm EAT, 05 October  2017;

Where:

Committee Room 3, Old Conference Building, African Union Commission, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia;

Who:

The Steering Committee includes as core members: the female members of the AU Panel of the Wise and Friends of the Panel, as well as their counter parts from the RECs, the Peace and Security Department and ten pre-selected women mediators with proven mediation skills. Associate members, without voting privileges, are the UN Women country office, ACCORD, the Africa Leadership Centre, and, as necessary, thematic experts to provide regular substantive guidance and advice to the Secretariat of FemWise.

Why:

This launch is organised in furtherance of the decision of the AU Assembly of Heads of State (AU Summit) on 4 July 2017 (Assembly/AU/Draft/Dec.21 (XXIX)), to establish and operationalise FemWise- Africa.

This initiative is established to ensure that peace processes in Africa are shaped by women’s leadership and participation,  targeting the following expected long-term outcomes :

1. Women’s movement in Africa is mobilized and brought together to foster women’s participation and contribution to conflict prevention, mediation and peace stabilization;
2. Conducive environment for women’s leadership and participation in peace processes is created at different levels in Africa;
3. Enhanced capacity of African women engaged in conflict prevention and mediation to ensure their engagement and influence in conflict prevention, mediation and peace stabilization efforts;
4. Enhanced synergy between women leading and active in conflict prevention and mediation efforts at sub-national and community levels and political processes at Tracks 1 and 2;
5. Enriched political solutions at tracks 1 through the Involvement of women’s social options approaches are promoted;
6. Women leadership is systematically mobilized to facilitate quick impact projects and resource mobilization efforts to lead social cohesion activities at the community levels, healing, reconciliation and quick recovery projects.