After years of engagement and providing technical support to the Office of the Special Envoy (OSE) on WPS at the AU Commission on the development of the Continental Results Framework, the efforts of the WPSI have borne fruit with the roll-out of training sessions on the CRF in selected African countries.
Prior to the delivery of the CRF training and sensitization sessions, WPSI, together with the OSE, developed a training manual with a simplified template at the request of Member States to support the implementation of the WPS Agenda in Africa. The CRF will provide member states the framework to monitor and report on progress made
Selected Participants at the workshop
To date, five training sessions have been held in Ghana, Benin, Liberia, Niger with funding support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA). Collectively, over 90 local actors selected from five countries have benefitted from the training.
Some participants shared the usefulness of the training sessions. Mrs. Ario Sani Kadidjatou, Police Inspector in charge of the Protection of Minors and Women within the National Police in Niger, said: “I have gained a lot of knowledge from this training, which will enable me to improve my work, especially in the implementation of the National Action Plan for the Women, Peace and Security Agenda.” Another beneficiary, Mr. Benjamin Sosthene, who is at the Permanent Secretariat for the Women, Peace and Security Agenda of Niger, said: “The training has enabled us to understand the CRF Framework, its indicators and how to set up a good Monitoring and Evaluation system.”
Adopted by the AU Peace and Security Council in 2018, the CRF recognizes that while several commitments towards the WPS Agenda have been adopted at the continental, regional and national levels in Africa, the continent has not established measures to ensure effective assessment of, and reporting on the delivery of those commitments. It therefore seeks to close the gap between WPS policy commitment and implementation in Africa, by enhancing regular and systematic monitoring and reporting of the WPS agenda in Africa.