The Regional Seminar on Women, Peace and Security: Women Peacekeepers and the Future of Peacekeeping took place from 12-13 November 2024 in Pretoria, South Africa. The seminar was hosted by South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), in partnership with the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the DCAF – Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance and the Elsie Initiative for Women in Peace Operations. It convened women peacekeepers, policy makers, decision makers, gender experts in peacekeeping and representatives of Ministries of Foreign Affairs/International Relations from the SADC member states.
The seminar facilitated the exchange of the participants’ views on implementing the full, equal, and meaningful participation of uniformed women in peacekeeping operations. It also explored the skills required for future-ready peacekeepers and strategies to equip them, strengthened cooperation and partnerships to enhance female participation in peacekeeping—covering recruitment, retention, training, and deployment—and identified ways to influence United Nations (UN) and regional policies on women peacekeepers.
ACCORD contributed to the seminar by participating in the session on initiatives to promote women in peace operations and delivering a presentation on multi-dimensional and integrated approaches to peace operations in Africa. Through the Training for Peace (TfP) Programme, ACCORD has made significant contributions to enhancing the civilian capacity of the UN, the African Union (AU), and Regional Economic Communities (RECs)/Regional Mechanisms (RMs) to prepare for, plan, manage, and monitor multi-dimensional peacekeeping operations across Africa. Peacekeeping remains a crucial tool for promoting global peace and stability, with the UN, AU, and RECs/RMs continually adapting their peace operations to address evolving conflict dynamics.
