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 Regional Faith Women Mediators Network (REFWOMEN) Workshop that took place from 08 -10 August 2023, in Nairobi, Kenya.
The intention of the workshop was to build the knowledge and skills of the network in networking, lobbying and advocacy on UNSCR 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) and UNSCR 2250 on Youth, Peace, and Security (YPS). These strengths will help the members promote the work they are doing as well as enhance the efforts in the roles women and youth take on during peace processes in their respective countries.
The more seasoned women were joined with the younger generation to help bridge the gap and promote support to the different countries that include, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, South Sudan, DRC, and Burundi. The women were able to engage and network amongst themselves as the workshop provided a space for peer-to-peer experience learning among the representatives of the country chapters. They used the opportunity to reflect on the achievements as well as challenges/gaps experienced by each of the country chapters at the regional level thereby developing a deepened understanding of the role of REFWOMEN in networking, lobbying and advocacy. Part of the workshop exercise included unpacking the pillars of the respective frameworks and identifying ways to promote the implementation of these pillars in their work.
A key output of the workshop was the Call to Action that was developed and validated by the members. The Call to Action identified the initiatives each of the country representatives would undertake to progress with and improve the areas of their work in WPS and YPS in their respective countries. As the Call to Action will guide on the next steps, ACCORD will continue to support FECCLAHA and the Network as the faith communities advance efforts to mitigate and prevent conflict, in the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa.
