ACCORD, in collaboration with the Fellowship of Christian Councils and Churches in the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa (FECCLAHA), together with Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) organised the 2024 Regional Faith Women Mediators Network (REFWOMEN) Forum under the theme “Prevention of elections-related conflict: The role of faith women in Conflict Early Warning & Early Response”. This forum took place from 16 -18 April 2024, in Nairobi, Kenya.
The REFWOMEN Forum was established in 2017 as a network of faith-based women who are actively involved in peacebuilding and conflict prevention initiatives within their communities. The network members represent Kenya, Ethiopia, DRC, Burundi, Uganda, and South Sudan. This year’s workshop aimed to build on the skills and knowledge gained in previous years, with a focus on advancing UNSCR 1325 at the community level.
The 2024 REFWOMEN Forum took place within the context of the elections, owing to the fact that eight of the ten member countries of FECCLAHA will hold elections between 2024 and 2028. Therefore, the FECCLAHA tool on Conflict Early Warning and Early Response (CEWER) was presented to the participants as it contributes to the management of election-related conflicts and has the potential to prevent and/or reduce the impact of the conflict. During the deliberations, the participants were able to identify key initiatives that they will implement in their respective countries aimed at sensitization and conflict mitigation efforts in the run up to elections.
In addition, the forum provided the opportunity to deliberate on the Call to Action that was developed in 2023 and its support to the implementation of initiatives undertaken by the REFWOMEN. Following the review of the Call to Action, it was ascertained that the forum requires additional guidance to strengthen the modalities of the forum. This guidance will help to keep track of the progress and incentivize the forum in the continuation of their work.
ACCORD and FECCLAHA will continue to collaborate towards providing the thematic expertise to capacitate the REFWOMEN Forum; as well as provide the technical support that will strengthen the implementation of the REFWOMEN’s initiatives at the country level in conflict prevention and peacebuilding.
