The 25th anniversary of the United Nation Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) presents an opportunity to celebrate the progress made in the field of Women, Peace and Security (WPS), while critically assessing the road ahead. The African Union has pledged to work towards gender equality since its establishment in 2001, drafting policies and frameworks, upholding gender equality quota at its Commission and creating directorates and programmes.
This webinar is dedicated to the practices of the AU Panel of the Wise, one of the five pillars of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA), which represents an actor working towards gender equality, while not devoted solely to gender issues. Conceptualized and established as a continental conflict prevention mechanism, the five-member institution is shaping and implementing feminist policies amongst other peace and security operations. Panel members and their team at the AU Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security (AU PAPS) have established norms as well as institutions at the African Union. Their report on women and children in armed conflicts (2014) and their subsidiary mechanism, the AU Network of African Women in Conflict Prevention and Mediation (FemWise-Africa) have shaped continental WPS policies, promoting the political inclusion, empowerment and protection of women and their rights.
What can we learn from the actions of the AU Panel of the Wise and its strategies to mainstream gender? How are panel members and representatives of their subsidiary mechanism implementing the AU WPS agenda? Do the initiatives and policies of the African Union trickle down to local politics? Can local policy-makers learn from AU initiatives and what should AU policy makers learn from local actors? These questions are discussed together by Lady Justice Effie Owuor, Varaidzo Carol Mupunga, Karmen Tornius and Camille Vern.
When? 11. November 2025, at 12pm (GMT)
Where? Online via Zoom
Registration is online only. You can find more information on the ANCIP website.