Cairo, Egypt – The Cairo International Center for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding (CCCPA) recently concluded the project on “Advancing Egyptian Capacities in Gender-Sensitive Peacebuilding and Peacekeeping”, which was implemented with the support of the Canadian Embassy in Egypt through the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI). The project was conducted with the aim of strengthening national Egyptian capacities on peacebuilding, peacekeeping, and women, peace and security (WPS). The project comprised a series of training courses and workshops which trained more than 700 participants and, 33 alumni who have now graduated to become trainers on peace and security.

The project included a ToT on “Preventing Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) in Peace Operations” (12 - 16 November 2023), a training for Egyptians to be deployed to the North African Regional Capability (NARC) of the African Standby Force (ASF) (28 - 31 January), and several pre-deployment trainings for Egyptian peacekeepers to be deployed to the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) (24 - 28 September 2023 and 15 - 23 January) , one of which was a pre-deployment training tailored for Egyptian female military peacekeepers (11 - 15 February 2024).

Moreover, it included two foundational training courses on “Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding” (15 - 19 January and 21 - 24 January) followed by a Training of Trainers (ToT) on “Peace and Security with a Gender-Sensitive Lens” (11 - 15 February). Finally, the project included a training on “Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding for Egyptian Media Professionals”, and a workshop on “Egypt’s Role in Mediation, with a focus on Media and Conflict”, in partnership with the Office of the Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Egypt (25 - 28 February).

Ambassador Ahmed Abdel-Latif, Director General of CCCPA, emphasized that Egypt has a longstanding commitment to peace, security, and prosperity through international cooperation. It is against this background that CCCPA focuses on building national capacities across Africa and the Arab World in the areas of peace and security. Over the span of thirty years, CCCPA has spearheaded more than 300 impactful training programs, engaging approximately 27,000 participants; these initiatives have not only equipped participants with the necessary skills and knowledge but have also served as catalysts for positive change in their respective communities. In this regard, the Center is delighted to partner with Canada, exemplifying a shared commitment to peacekeeping and peacebuilding efforts, particularly through strengthening the capacities of a range of Egyptian stakeholders, with a special attention to WPS, an area of long-standing focus of the center.”

On his part, H.E. Ambassador Louis Dumas, Ambassador of Canada to Egypt, stated that “Canada is proud to have supported this project with the CCCPA through our Canada Fund for Local Initiatives. Sustainable peace requires the full, equal, and meaningful participation and inclusion of women, and cannot be achieved without men and boys as well. However, despite international commitments on women, peace, and security, there is still a massive gap between rhetoric and implementation. Leadership on women, peace and security is needed, now more than ever - this is why advancing the women, peace and security agenda is a priority for Canada, and a core element of our Feminist Foreign Policy. And Egypt, a major troop-contributing country to UN peace operations, has a key role to play. We were particularly happy to see so many talented women taking part in the trainings offered by CCCPA, including women about to be deployed to peace operations. The CCCPA, with its excellent team and decades of experience in fostering peace, is at the forefront of these efforts – and therefore a partner of choice for Canada.”

The trainings conducted aimed to (i) develop the knowledge of participants in conflict resolution and analysis, and dialogue, negotiation and mediation (DNM), (ii) improve the adoption of gender-sensitive approaches to planning, analyzing or researching peace and security issues, (iii) enhance communication, presentation, and training design skills necessary for the delivery of such content to a range of audiences; with a view to build an Egyptian roster of trainers within the field of peacemaking and peacebuilding, as well as (iv) highlight the importance of conflict- sensitive media coverage and the role played by the media.

The pre-deployment training series came also as part of Egypt’s ongoing efforts to strengthen the participation of women in UN Peacekeeping missions within the overall context of advancing the WPS agenda.

The training courses were carried out by experts, practitioners alongside professionals from the field of academia, they covered a broad range of topics including conflict analysis, the overarching trends of conflict, with a focus on African contexts. The training brought together participants of diverse backgrounds coming from ministries of defense and interior, intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), academia, as well as media professionals.