Cairo, Egypt - In continuation of Egypt’s strong commitment to the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, the country’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York announced the decision of the Government of Egypt to develop the country’s first national action plan (NAP) on the implementation of UNSCR 1325 and subsequent resolutions. The Cairo Center was assigned the responsibility of leading this effort, in coordination with the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), the Egyptian National Council for Women (NCW) and other national entities.

Coming in the lead up to the 20th anniversary of UNSCR 1325, the decision highlighted Egypt’s firm belief in the importance of women’s meaningful participation in peace and security. On the national level, and in addition to the empowerment of women in all spheres of life, Egypt has committed itself to significantly increasing its female participation in UN peacekeeping. Regionally, Egypt has played an important role in translating UNSCR 1325 into the “Regional Strategy for the Protection of Arab Women: Peace and Security”, issued in 2012 by the League of Arab States.  

"The decision to assign this responsibility to CCCPA is an acknowledgement of its critical role in advancing the implementation of the WPS agenda, nationally and regionally,” noted Director General Ashraf Swelam. “Our plan, in partnership with MOFA and NCW, is to inclusively develop a high-impact NAP that drives coordinated and actionable policy change, with the aim of reaching the full and meaningful participation of women in peace and security.”

For more than two decades, CCCPA has been at the forefront of Egyptian efforts to build Egyptian, African and Arab capacities, and to advance policy dialogue through its research and convening activities. As an African Union Center of Excellence and the only civilian Arab training center on issues of peace and security, CCCPA has mainstreamed gender in all of its trainings. It has also developed a training manual and toolkit on gender mainstreaming in peacemaking, peacekeeping and peacebuilding.

Since 2014, and in pursuit of its mandate of training Egyptian peacekeepers, CCCPA has integrated an intensive training module on gender in peacekeeping, with a special focus on preventing sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA). The Cairo Center has also developed a Pocket Guide (in Arabic, English and French) on “Preventing Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in Peacekeeping Operations”, which is distributed to African and Arab peacekeepers prior to their deployment.

Moreover, the Center has contributed to building the capacity of Arab and African women local leaders on preventing radicalization and extremism leading to terrorism. The trainings capacitate individuals with skill sets that help them to identify and understand local grievances manipulated by terrorist groups to recruit individuals and spread extremist beliefs. Additionally, the trainings debunk terrorist claims that are based on false interpretations of Islamic text and assist women leaders in crafting alternative narratives of peace and coexistence.

During the next few months, CCCPA will focus its efforts on building African and Arab capacities in the area of conflict prevention and resolution. In line with the priorities of the Egyptian Chairmanship of the African Union, this will include supporting the efforts of Fem Wise-Africa (Network of African Women in Conflict Prevention and Mediation) and leveraging its unique position within the African Peace and Security Architecture to advance the implementation of the WPS agenda on the national, regional and continental levels. In the Arab world, CCCPA will support Egyptian efforts to advance the meaningful participation of women in peace processes and peacebuilding activities, including through launching the Arab Women Mediators Network.  

 
Copyrights of photos: