From 13 – 15 February 2024, ACCORD participated in the 10th Gender is My Agenda Campaign (GIMAC) Network Young Women’s Advocacy Training and the 40th GIMAC Pre-Summit Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) Consultative Meeting on Gender Mainstreaming in the African Union and Member States. These events aligned with the African Union’s overarching theme for the year, “Educate an African fit for the 21st Century: Building resilient education systems for increased access to inclusive, lifelong, quality, and relevant learning in Africa.”
Prior to the GIMAC meetings, ACCORD in collaboration with the Women’s International Peace Centre (WIPC) and Femmes Africa Solidarite (FAS), organized its Peace and Security Cluster Pre-Consultation Meeting on Peace Education. This meeting successfully gathered thematic experts, practitioners, and women peacebuilders to explore the role of peace education in Africa. Discussions covered various aspects, including the significance of peace education for women, insights from Young Women Peacebuilders in South Sudan, experiences of locally led peacebuilding in South Africa, and the role of Civil Society Organizations in Niger in promoting peace through community education. The pre-consultation identified key lessons to peace education that became the focus of discussion at the 40th Pre-Summit GIMAC meeting.
The 11th GIMAC Youth Advocacy Training, themed “Youth-led Inclusive Educational Transformation for Gender Equity and Sustainability,” addressed the persistent challenge of gender equality in education across Africa, with a specific focus on girls in secondary and tertiary levels and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields. The training emphasized a comprehensive approach within the frameworks of Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), focusing on educational transformation for young women. Crucial recommendations were formulated for advocacy at the AU Summit, guiding the GIMAC Network in developing roadmaps and strategies.
The 40th GIMAC Pre-Summit CSOs Consultative Meeting provided a platform for civil society organizations to discuss how education can serve as a foundation for promoting peace, tolerance, and sustainable development. Ms. Lwandile Moyo, ACCORD’s Programme Officer, contributed to the peace and security panel discussion, where she examined the role of education in advancing peace. The event marked a pivotal moment, addressing multifaceted challenges to gender equality in education and empowering young advocates to lead in shaping the future of inclusive and equitable education in Africa. Following the GIMAC meetings, ACCORD and other GIMAC members convened at its Steering Committee Meeting to reflect on the GIMAC meeting, taking note of the success and challenges and ways in which to improve the operationalisation of the Network.
ACCORD remains a key member of the Network and will continue to work with its partners to advance the role of women in peace and security.
