Accra, Ghana (25th February, 2025) The Women, Youth, Peace, and Security Institute (WYPSI) at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) has reinforced its commitment to advancing gender equality in peace operations by contributing to a groundbreaking initiative aimed at strengthening gender-responsive Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) within African Union (AU) Peace Support Operations (PSOs).
The Peace Support Operations Division (PSOD) of the African Union Commission (AUC), with the support of the British Peace Support Team-Africa (BPST-A), convened a curriculum writing workshop at the International Peace Support Training Centre (IPSTC) in Nairobi, Kenya, from 17th to 21st February 2025. The goal: to develop a comprehensive training curriculum that equips AU peace operations with the tools to effectively track, measure, and report on gender mainstreaming efforts.
For years, the AU has recognized that conflicts and peace processes are deeply gendered, requiring deliberate strategies to ensure women’s participation, protection, and leadership. Yet, a key gap remains—how to assess and document the impact of gender mainstreaming across AU-led PSOs. This workshop sought to bridge that gap.
Bringing together a diverse group of experts from the AU, AU PSOs, the United Nations Office to the African Union (UNOAU), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), BPST-A, and Training Centres of Excellence—including KAIPTC, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Regional Peacekeeping Training Centre, and IPSTC—the initiative underscored the collective push to institutionalize gender-responsive practices in Africa’s security architecture.
KAIPTC/WYPSI was represented at the meeting by Mrs. Agnes Agbevadi, Senior Programme Officer. As a key member of the Curriculum Writing Board (CWB), she played an instrumental role in shaping the African Union Curriculum for Gender-Responsive Monitoring and Evaluation in Peace Operations—a specialized manual designed to empower Gender Advisors, Gender Focal Points, mission leaders, and M&E experts in AU peace missions.
The curriculum, set for a pilot rollout in the second quarter of 2025, marks a decisive step in ensuring that AU PSOs go beyond policy commitments to measurable action on gender equality. With KAIPTC’s WYPSI at the forefront, the drive for a more inclusive and accountable peacekeeping framework in Africa continues.
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