Women Peace and Security Institute (WPSI)

The Women Peace and Security Institute (WPSI) is a United Nations (UNDP, UNIFEM and UNFPA) initiative in partnership with the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping training centre (KAIPTC) to support the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolutions 135 and 1820 on women, peace and security.

WPSI provides technical support in the mainstreaming of gender issues into policy briefs and training programmes at KAIPTC. The institute also serves as a knowledge centre for expanding technical capacity, training and policy research and analysis on women, peace and security agenda in Africa.

WPSI focuses on 5 strategic interventions:

• Women’s participation in peace negotiations and preventive diplomacy efforts in Africa.
• Increasing women’s leadership role in security institutions and participation in peacekeeping activities.
• African women’s  leadership in responding to gender-based violence in conflict
• Policy and academic research on gender, peace and security
• Documentation of women’s contribution to peace processes in Africa.

Phase 1 of the Women, Peace and Security Institute start-up support to Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre comprises foundational stage of 2 years with the support of the UN and the Governments of Norway and Netherlands. Specific activities being implemented under this phase include

- A baseline analyses on the role and situation of women in each of the 5 programme pillars of WPSI
- Design of a blue print including institutional mechanisms to guide the performance and management of WPSI
- Mobilization of resources to support the operation of the institute beyond the start-up phase
- Launch and operationalisation of Women, Peace and Security in Africa, including mainstreaming gender into policy briefs and training programmes at the KAIPTC

During phase 2, WPSI will move into its permanent premises at KAIPTC and begin operations as guided by the 2 year work plan and 5 year operations plan created in Phase 1.  Specific activities under this phase will include

- Capacity building and training services, including services to enhance women’s leadership in peace negotiations and in security sector institutions.
- Convening policy reviews and dialogues on gender, peace and security
- Maintaining and coordinating a knowledge platform of women’s contributions to peace    processes
- Supporting mainstream institutions in Africa to integrate a gender perspective in their training and other programme activities
- Supporting African countries which participate significantly in regional and international peacekeeping to revise and adopt gender-sensitive security sector policies

WPSI receives funding support from

- UNDP
- UNFPA
- UN Women
- The Government of Norway
- The Government of Netherlands