Objective
The overall goal of the project is to strengthen women’s participation in peace and security processes in the Horn of Africa, in line with the first objective of Italy’s fifth National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (WPS), and responding to needs that are currently not sufficiently addressed.
This project strengthens the Horn of Africa Women Mediators and Peacebuilders Platform—an informal, cross-country network of experienced and young leaders
Timeline
Experts
Partners
Institutionals partners
peacebuilding
The project
Background
The Horn of Africa is going through a time of great instability. The ongoing and relentless transition between peace and war in many countries has had a particularly profound impact on women in the region, who are the most affected during war. The various armed conflicts in the region and their impact on the female population demand greater participation of women in peace processes. It is in response to these needs that AP started working in support of women mediators and peacebuilders in the Horn of Africa.
Through a first phase, AP brought together a group of experienced and young women mediators and peace activists from Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia (including Somaliland), South Sudan, and Sudan, to collectively reflect on how to ensure that women could gain access to peace and security decision-making processes, and have their voices meaningfully heard. As a result of this joint reflection, the Horn of Africa Women Mediators and Peacebuilders Platform was established as an informal group of experts working together towards more effective advocacy and engagement in peace processes.
This project builds on and continues the work initiated during the first phase. In 2025, the project entered a second phase focused on consolidating the Platform, strengthening its members’ capacities, increasing their visibility, and supporting their engagement with ongoing mediation and peace processes at local, national, and regional levels.
Objectives
The overall goal of the project is to strengthen women’s participation in peace and security processes in the Horn of Africa, in line with the first objective of Italy’s fifth National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (WPS), and responding to needs that are currently not sufficiently addressed.
The specific objectives for the project are:
- To strengthen mediation and stakeholder engagement capacities of women mediators and peace activists who are part of the Horn of Africa Women Mediators and Peacebuilders Platform
- To increase the visibility and recognition of the skills and expertise of women members of the Platform by national, regional and international stakeholders
- To promote, through advocacy activities and stakeholder engagement, women’s access to peace and security decision-making processes
Project milestones
The project will contribute to the achievement of the following three results:
- The capacities of women members of the Platform for mediation and stakeholder engagement activities are strengthened
- New analyses and knowledge on ongoing peace and mediation processes are produced and shared with stakeholders and operators in the sector, enabling the addressing of issues that are particularly important to women victims of armed conflict
- Local, national and international stakeholders recognise the role of women as mediators and peacebuilders and take action to support their participation in ongoing mediation processes
Methodology
The project includes the following activities:
- Creation of an advanced training curriculum on mediation and advocacy
- Advanced training on mediation, advocacy and stakeholder engagement
- Creation of a monitoring and analysis group on peace and mediation
- Exchange of experiences and consolidation of the Platform
- Advocacy and stakeholder engagement mission at IGAD and other institutions
- Launch and publication of two policy briefs on how to advance women’s participation in peace processes.
