As a board member of the Generation Equality Compact on Women, Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action (WPS-HA), ACCORD was invited to participate in a multi-stakeholder consultative session of the Generation Equality Forum on Friday, 26 March 2021, from 10:00 to 1:00 PM South African time.
Co-hosted by the South African Government and UN Women, the session sought to build on the momentum of the Mexico City Forum which took place from the 29 to the 31 March 2021.
As the only African think tank/civil society representative on the Board of the Compact, ACCORD is strategically well-placed to ensure that African solutions, experiences and voices are considered in the Compact’s processes. ACCORD is also joined by other African representatives including who will aid in this effort: The Office of the African Union Commission Special Envoy on WPS (Board Member); the Réseau Paix et Sécurité pour les Femmes de l’Espace CEDEAO (REPSFECO) (Board Member); and Women’s International Peace Centre (WIPC) (Catalytic Member).
Africa’s strong representation on the Board is an important nod to Africa’s leading role in the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda and provides an opportunity for the continent to continue carrying to the torch of being leaders in this Agenda.
Representing ACCORD, Ms. Pravina Makan-Lakha, ACCORD’s Advisor on WPS, presented on the organisation’s experience in the development of the Compact and the Compact’s significance to the WPS agenda.
“The Compact on WPS-HA was created in 2020, as an accelerator and in order to create a voluntary multi-stakeholder monitoring and accountability process that will engage key global, regional and national players to help narrow the gap between aspirations and concrete actions on WPS and HA, while ensuring that existing global and regional processes are harnessed for national and local engagement and action,” she explained during the meeting.
Other speakers in attendance at the meeting included; Adv. Maluleke, Director-General, Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities (DWYPD); Ms Anne Githuku-Shongwe, UN Women Country Representative; Ms Charlotte Lobe, Acting COO, Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO); Ms Mmabatho Ramagoshi, DWYPD; Ms Namhla Mniki, Presidency, Gender Links; the Ford Foundation; and Prof. Olive Shisana.
ACCORD looks forward to further opportunities for collaboration with the Government of South Africa and UN Women on advancing the WPS Agenda in Africa through the Compact on WPS-HA.
