KAIPTC’s WPSI transitions to WYPSI: Champions gender mainstreaming through policy review workshop

The KAIPTC’s Women, Peace, and Security Institute (WPSI) has for the past decade been at the forefront of promoting the implementation of the United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1325 on Women Peace and Security (WPS) and the AU Protocol to the African Charter on the rights of women in Africa (Maputo Protocol).

With the elevation of the Institute into a department and an additional mandate to implement the United Nations Security Council Resolutions 2250 on Youth Peace and Security, WYPSI undertook a comprehensive review of the Centre’s 10-year Gender Policy in September 2023 to guide gender mainstreaming of the Centre’s procedures, policies, programmes and projects.

The policy review workshop, funded by SIDA under the project: “Enhancing the Operationalization of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda in Africa”, brought together Gender Focal Persons (GFPs), from the Centre’s departments to critically examine the Centre’s Gender Policy. The workshop, in addition, reviewed three (3 )workplace friendly policies, which are the Paternity Policy and Procedures; Nursing and Childcare Facility Policy; Rules and Procedures; and the Sexual Harassment Policy and Procedure.

The KAIPTCs decade old Gender Policy has ensured that all departments and units consciously mainstream gender into its programming, plans and activities with the support of its focal persons. Significant gains made over the years include:

• Enhanced awareness of the positioning of the Centre on gender equality in all aspects of its work;
• Systematic gender mainstreaming of all the Centre’s policies, trainings, strategies and engagements;
• Incorporation of topics on gender, gender mainstreaming, gender frameworks and tools for women, peace and security programming.
• Increased training and facilitation opportunities for women in the Centre’s courses and programmes. In view of this the KAIPTC after 5 years of the implementation of the Gender Policy, recorded a 35% increase in female participants on its courses compared to the set target of 30%.
• Gender sensitive promotional images, content and materials for courses (including e-learning courses) to positively influence the gender narrative and prevent the reinforcing of gender stereotypes.
• Use of gender-disaggregated data and integration of gender equality perspectives in proposals, research, reports, policy engagements etc.
• Sustained gender balance in recruitment to ensure the desired representation and equality.
• Gender and disability sensitivity in infrastructural designs.

KAIPTC is one of the few organizations in Africa that follows international law and best practice by providing two weeks paternity leave to its male staff, provides a child friendly space for lactating mothers, staff and students to bring their children aged between 0 – 2 years during classes or working hours.

The KAIPTC reaffirms its commitment to ensure a more effective and efficient implementation of the Gender Policy and all related policies in its operations including gender mainstreaming capacity development, gender programming, gender analysis as well as the use of gender sensitive indicators in monitoring and evaluating.