Category Archives: Africa

Presentation in Abidjan of a training manual on the culture of peace and social cohesion

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

An article from the Journal de Cameroun (translation by CPNN)

A training manual on the culture of peace, social cohesion, prevention and peaceful conflict management was presented on Thursday [November 29] in Abidjan by the Ivorian Minister for Solidarity, Social Cohesion and the Fight against Poverty. Prof. Mariatou Koné. The 235-page manual is structured around four modules: culture and peacebuilding, social cohesion, conflict prevention and peaceful conflict management.


“With today’s launching of this handbook, Côte d’Ivoire has just taken another step on the road to consolidating peace and strengthening social cohesion. This manual comes at the right time (…), “said Minister Mariatou Koné after thanking the country’s technical and financial partners, including the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund (PBF).

“Thank you for devoting your mandate, in the aftermath of the 2011 post-election crisis, with the valuable assistance of your staff, to keep Ivorians away from fear of others by investing in the development and promotion of tools. for political, intercultural, interreligious and intercommunity dialogue, “she said.

For Minister Koné, this manual is a powerful vehicle to strengthen living together and also to build the new Ivorian, “inviting each and everyone to appropriate it effectively as an instrument to build a culture of peace, which must be translated into all our daily behaviors and visible in our ways of living with others.”

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(Click here for the original article in French)

Questions for this article:

How can we promote a human rights, peace based education?

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“To be at peace with others, to be at peace with oneself, is the ongoing challenge to create the conditions for sustainable development in the service of individual and collective well-being. Nothing can stop us from pursuing this goal,” she concluded.

The purpose of the module on the culture of peace and peacebuilding is to provide participants in training sessions with a clear understanding of peace and the culture of peace, as well as the conditions for its consolidation. It also aims to enable them to know and appropriate the values ​​and attitudes that peace and the culture of peace bring to the everyday life of every citizen.

As for the module on social cohesion, in addition to fixing the lexical field of the concept, it deals with its implications of life in society, particularly through the need for reconciliation and the key steps that such a process requires in a society in crisis. .

For its part, the Conflict Prevention Module promotes common traditional and modern conflict prevention practices and their functioning. These are broken down in such a way as to enable learners to make a deeper knowledge of them, but especially because they can be mobilized by them to anticipate conflicts.

Finally, the module on conflict management engages participants in training sessions in a collective reflection that allows them to relativize and defuse conflict, define it correctly and have a clear representation by determining the role that it can play in a society, its different types, its causes, the actors who are stakeholders and the attitudes that should be adopted when it occurs.

In 2015, a study was made about social cohesion and peace in Côte d’Ivoire, with the technical and financial support of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). The study highlighted the need for better peace-building with three essential tools. a National Strategy for Reconciliation and Social Cohesion 2016-2020; a new National Social Cohesion Program for the period 2016-2020; and a handbook for the harmonization of skills in the field of social cohesion. culture of peace and social cohesion.

Africa, EDUCATION FOR PEACE

Gabon: Panafrican Women’s Network presents its action to the Senate

. WOMEN’S EQUALITY .

An article from L’Union, Gabon

The Gabon section of the Pan-African Women’s Network for the Culture of Peace and Sustainable Development recently met with women senators.

Conducted by the resident coordinator of the United Nations system, Stephen Jackson, the Gabonese section presented, its plan of action to the network of women senators of Gabon (Refeseg). The plan of action is articulated around two axes .

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(Click here for the original article in French.)

Question for this article

Can the women of Africa lead the continent to peace?

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The first deals with the culture of peace, the appropriation of Resolution 1325 and its corollaries, citizenship, education, training, peace and security, respect for human rights, respect for democratic principles, equality between men and women in positions of responsibility, the fight against the discrimination of women.

The second axis includes sustainable development, economic independence, environmental law, law and health, inclusive growth, leadership and association, art and traditional education.

The office of the Gabon section, headed by Victoire Lasseny Duboze, intends to mobilize more women from Gabon’s civil society throughout the country.
 

Africa, WOMEN'S EQUALITY

Mali: FOOTBALL “We are all together”: For the promotion of peace and living together

. . DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION . .
An article by Noyine Touré in Afrique Sports (translated by CPNN)

The United Nations, in collaboration with Search For Common Ground, is organizing the first edition of the “we are all together” football tournament from 30 November to 02 December 2018 in Bamako. The aim of this activity is to raise awareness of the culture of peace and tolerance through sport.

The announcement was made during a press briefing this Thursday in Bamako at the UNESCO office in the presence of Ms. Ute Kollies, Head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Mali, her counterpart of UNESCO, Mr. Hervé Huot-Marchand and the representative of the Ministry of Sports, Diakaridia Diakité, Technical Advisor, who welcomed the idea.

From Friday, December 30 to Sunday, December 2, from 5 pm, the Zone-K complex in Bamako will welcome teams from the North and Center of the country. Young people from Gao, Mopti, Tessalit and Timbuktu will compete for three days to win the first phase of the competition. These different meetings are an opportunity to highlight the values ​​of sport, such as the patient, tolerance, or perseverance.

It is not a simple tournament, but it is a question of bringing together young people from different horizons, in order to sensitize them to the knowledge and the respect of the other person, as well as to social cohesion and dialogue.

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(Click here for the French version of this article)

Question related to this article:

 

How can sports promote peace?

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Thus, awareness and reflection sessions on peace will be given to young people, to allow them to return to their respective regions with action projects, which they can set up, in order to promote peace in their turn. and tolerance.

Sport has always been an element of social cohesion, all sports competitions and in particular football allows for at least 90 seconds to bring together a whole nation behind its national team. For years, football has been considered the most popular sport in Mali, for all categories, “seniors, juniors and juniors”. It is a unifying element between communities and young people.

In this perspective, the United Nations system through this tournament makes football a central element in promoting peace. It should be noted that for the United Nations as a whole, sport has a significant role in promoting the ideals of peace during the post-conflict period.

The young footballers already on site in Bamako welcomed the initiative to its true value and wished that other editions could be played in the north as well as in the center. For them, it is already a victory to be together with brothers here in Bamako for the unification of communities and especially between their younth.

The main partners of this activity are, with UNESCO: the Ministry of Sports, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization in Mali (MINUSMA), Mikado FM Peace Radio in Mali, and Search For Common Ground.

Africa, DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION

UN Women’s Org. hosts North Darfur peacebuilding workshop

. . WOMEN’S EQUALITY . .

An article from Radio Dabanga Sudan

The United Nations Women’s Organisation and a Sudanese training centre organised a workshop on strengthening women’s participation in peace building in Zamzam camp for displaced people in North Darfur yesterday.

The two-day workshop, focused on peace building and the Darfur peace dialogue, launched in the camp south of El Fasher city. The UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (‘Women’ in short) and the Maamoun Buheiri Training Centre hosted the session with the participation of more than 50 people, from women leaders in the camp to representatives of civil society organisations.

Question for this article

Can the women of Africa lead the continent to peace?

Manal El Aseil is the director of the Women and Family Department of the Ministry of Health and Social Development of North Darfur. The director told the Sudanese press: “The workshop aimed to raise awareness and promote a culture of peace. We discussed a number of working papers presented by a number of professors of El Fasher Univeristy and Omdurman Islamic University.”

A representative of the Maamoun Buheiry Centre explained that this workshop comes within a series of 50 workshops which the centre organises in cooperation with women partners in various Darfur states. They are financed by the African Bank in Sudan.

Last week, a number of Khartoum-based women’s and human rights organisations launched the #WeAreMany campaign to combat violence against women and youth, child marriage, and forced marriage. A Sudanese human rights organisation recently highlighted an increase in sexual and physical violence against women and children in the country, as well as endemic female genital mutilation (FGM).

Africa, WOMEN'S EQUALITY

Sierra Leone News: Women’s Movement reinforces

. WOMEN’S EQUALITY .

An article by By Ophaniel Gooding in Awoko

A two-day national conference with the theme “the women’s forum we have the woman’s forum we need” concluded with the authoring of a communique by representatives of women’s group nationwide. The national conference which was organized by Campaign for Good Governance and the Women’s Forum Sierra Leone is to strengthen and reinforce the “Women’s Forum Sierra Leone and celebrating our Silver Jubilee of women’s movement,” said Maude R. Peacock the president of Women’s Forum Sierra Leone. 


Photo from the facebook page of the Women’s Forum Sierra Leone

This conference, funded by Trocaire, brought together women and women’s community based groups and Civil Society Organizations, across the sixteen Districts, with the aim of examining the strengths, opportunities and challenges affecting the women’s movement in our country; Reaffirming that ‘Women’s Rights are Human Rights’ and the fundamental rights of all as enshrined in Chapter 3 of the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone, including the elimination of all forms discrimination against women. 

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Question for this article

Can the women of Africa lead the continent to peace?

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CGG Executive Director, Marcella Samba explained that effective women’s participation in the democratic processes of any developing country is the foundation for good governance, gender equality and sustainable development; Reminding the Government of Sierra Leone of its duty to protect and promote the rights and advancement of women and girls in Sierra Leone. She applauded the efforts made over the past years by the various women and women led organizations to promote women’s advancement, empowerment and access to basic socio-economic services, despite the challenges. Also, appreciated the efforts and invaluable contributions made by the older women generation and urging the younger women generation to join the Women’s Movement, with particular focus on making Sierra Leone a better place for all. 

President of 50\50 group Dr Fatou Taqi acknowledged the challenges hampering the effective functioning, networking and collaboration of the Women’s Movement from having a formidable voice for change and transformation. 

YWCA Sierra Leone National President, Bondu Manyeh welcomed the new initiative of self- assessment and internal reform. Some of the recommendations in the communique were to ensure the promotion and strengthening of intergenerational dialogue among women and women’ groups across the country, and reinvigorate all aspects of the Women’s Forum Sierra Leone. Also to develop and implement a clear road map of the roles and responsibilities of the Women’s Forum of Sierra Leone and member organizations, and that emphasizes participation, communication, and empowerment of women. To promote the culture of peace and tolerance among the various women’s groups to improve interpersonal relationships and to solidify and achieve their economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights. Also to Provide capacity building of women for women’s groups for gender engagement and civic participation on a continuous basis. However, some of these recommendations are expected to be actualized within a 5 years time span, disclosed CGG Program Director, Bernadette French

Africa, WOMEN'S EQUALITY

Sustainable Peace in West Africa: International Youth Conference Opens on November 15

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

An article by Dramous Yéti in Fraternité Matin (translation by CPNN)

The 3rd International Conference for Youth for Peace will take place from 15 to 16 November 2018 at the Permanent Representation of ECOWAS in Abidjan.

The event will take place on the sidelines of the celebration of the Day of Peace, and will be on the theme: “Solutions of the African youth to stop the migration crisis and violent extremism?

Two hundred and fifty young leaders from the sub-region are expected at this annual meeting. It will be a window to reflect on the conditions for lasting peace in West Africa.

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(Click here for the original French version of this article.)

Question(s) related to this article:

Youth initiatives for a culture of peace, How can we ensure they get the attention and funding they deserve?

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Unemployment, illegal immigration, the challenges of entrepreneurship, ICT are the main themes that will be discussed during the six (6) workshops planned. During this meeting, young project leaders will have the opportunity to present their ideas in a resource mobilization perspective.

Also on the menu are sports and socio-cultural activities that will take place at the Stadium Felix Houphouet-Boigny of the University in Cocody.

This conference is an initiative of Elite West Africa (Ewa), composed of youth organizations from the fifteen member states of ECOWAS. Its field of action covers several areas including the culture of peace and excellence, sub-regional integration, sustainable development, etc.

Created in 2015, Elite West Africa has more than 55,000 members, including more than 15,700 in Ivory Coast.

Africa, FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

South Sudanese speak on new peace deal

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

An article from Africanews

South Sudan is preparing to celebrate what President Salva Kiir and Riek Machar have called the ‘final’ peace agreement on Wednesday, October 31.

Juba residents want a culture of peace at every level of society to avoid a return to violence.

Alfonso Albino, 32 is expecting a real political, social, economic and security change. He’s a member of ‘Salam Junub’ or Peaceful South Sudan, an entity that goes around Juba raising awareness about the need for peaceful co-existence amongst communities.

“We expect that after the celebrations of Peace Day created by the government, things will return to normal and everything will change”, Albino said.

Question related to this article:

 

Can peace be achieved in South Sudan?

For Juba resident John Ayom “this is a day when South Sudanese can come together, gather and reflect on why peace is so precious to all of us. Especially with our war history, you know. And we must start talking about and developing the culture of peace. And having this day is so important to achieve this culture of peace objective, you know, for this country of Southern Sudan”.

It is not clear whether Machar will attend the celebrations. On Friday, a spokesman for his group said in a statement “we are still waiting for the release of political detainees and prisoners of war.” Presidents of Sudan, Uganda and Kenya are expected to attend the celebration.

Machar was last in South Sudan in 2016, following his reinstatement as vice president under a short-lived peace deal agreed in 2015.

The East African country has been torn apart by an ethnic civil war since late 2013, two years after its independence.

This agreement aims to end years of civil war in Africa’s youngest state, which has claimed 400,000 lives, according to a study by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Earlier this week, the World Food Programme said violence in Southern Sudan is blocking the delivery of food aid badly needed to fight hunger in some areas.

It said this confirms that the peace agreement signed last month is not holding.

Africa, FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

Ethiopia Kicks Off “Jegnit” National Campaign. Aims to Establish Women-Led Network for Peace

. .DISARMAMENT & SECURITY. .

An article from the Addis Standard

A national campaign dubbed “ጀግኒት” (Jegnit), loosely translated “She, the Brave One”, was launched yesterday [October 30] at the Hilton Hotel in Addis Abeba in the presence of senior women officials and other invited guests. The launching ceremony was attended by most of the recently appointed women ministers including Mufarihat Kamil, the Minister of Peace. The program, which is launched by the ministry of women’s, children’s and youth in collaboration with various stakeholders, is expected to kick off on November 4, 2018.

Jegnit is aimed at creating a movement of women networks with the major goal of fostering the culture of peace in Ethiopia so as to ensure the protection of women and children, where the case is evidently meager by far. The launching event brought together nine political leaders in the cabinet of PM Abiy Ahmed (with the exception of Dagmawit Moges, minister of transport), leading women artists, and other leading public faces to rally around the campaign, which will be advocated through a series of peace-conferences bringing women representatives from all the nine regional states and two city administrations together.

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Question for this article:

Can peace be achieved between Ethiopia and Eritrea?

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“Every ministry led by women should give the utmost attention to peace. They need to stand [to ensure that] the vulnerability of women in social equity and violence on the unprivileged groups is not a case in the country,” Yalem Tsegaye, minister of women’s, children’s and youth, said during the event, adding that “It is crucial to lead (the reform) with access to quality multi-sectoral services, inclusive to women and children, is ensured.”

By the end of the peace-campaign a network of women is expected to be established aimed at giving a flavor of strength to the stakeholders working on women and children in the country. Said to be part of this advocacy and the later planned successful programming, the network will work through women who can make sustainable peace and cope with the recent reforms in the country.

“There is an untapped potential of women and young girls everywhere in this country, which we need to unlock. The approach to peace should include women together with multi-pronged approaches at different levels,” Mufarihat noted.

The women-led peace conference will have a leading motto of *“She, the Brave One, Dreams, Plans and Accomplishes.”


Nearly half of the women in Ethiopia, 48% in 2016, have had no education, according to a report from the Demographic Health Survey of Ethiopia (DHS). According to a 2017 data from the Ministry of Health, 13% of adolescent women aged 15-19 are already mothers or pregnant with their first child. Women also constitute the highest number of victims in violence which gripped various parts of the country in the last six months alone. In her maiden speech at the joint session of the two parliaments, Ethiopia’s newly appointed President Sahle-Work Zewde promised to make the safety of women in conflict prone situations one of her top priorities as the first female president of the republic.

Africa, DISARMAMENT & SECURITY

Nurturing Girls’ School Clubs to End Child Marriage in Ethiopia

. WOMEN’S EQUALITY .

An article from UNICEF

“I went to the police station when my parents told me that I am getting married,” says Mestawet Mekuria,14, a 7th grader in Ayti Primary School, Amhara region, northern Ethiopia. She is one of 20 girl students who have been rescued from getting married in the school.


Female students of Wengi primary school in Zigem, Amhara region gather for girls club discussions on child marriage.

“I had learned about child marriage and its consequences in our school’s girls’ club. I told my parents that I do not want to get married. But they refused, and that is when I ran to the police station.” Mestawet went to the police assuming that her parents will only be warned seriously. But it was much more than that. Her parents were arrested and imprisoned for two weeks for violating the law.

“I was sad when they were arrested but they refused to listen to me.”

Child marriage, a formal marriage or informal union before age 18, is prevalent across all regions of Ethiopia. According to the 2011 Ethiopian Demographic Health Survey (EDHS), Amhara region has the second highest rate of child marriage, 56 per cent, next to Benishangul-Gumuz region which has 58.

Child marriage often perpetuates an intergenerational cycle of poverty. When girls get married at early age, their prospects for a healthy and successful life will be at stake. Evidence shows that girls who marry early are less likely to finish school and more likely to be victims of domestic violence and abuse. In addition, young teenage girls are more likely to die due to complications in pregnancy and childbirth than women in their 20s.

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Question for this article

Prospects for progress in women’s equality, what are the short and long term prospects?

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Strengthening girls’ club as part of the accelerated effort to end child marriage in Zigem woreda, Amhara Region was initiated in 2015 by the Bureau of Women and Children Affairs (BoWCA) through support from UNICEF-UNFPA Global Programme to Accelerate Action to End Child Marriage.

The ending child marriage programme focuses on enhancing the capacity of girls through providing life skill training, information about their rights and available services as well as enhancing the responsiveness of schools and legal services. It also targets families and communities to change their attitude towards ending the practice and show support to alternative life options for girls such as their education.

According to Abebe Adamu, one of the trainers from Bureau of Women and Children Affairs, 106 girls were rescued from getting married in 2016 and 55 girls in 2017. “The community is currently aware that child marriage is harmful,” he says. “Students are also more aware of their rights to reject any marriage proposal coming to them against their will.”

Wubayehu Tilahun, girls’ club coordinator and a teacher at Ayti Primary School is pleased with the girls’ club performance. “Seeing my students continue their education gives me a great pleasure. Here in Ayti, we have rescued 20 girls from marriage in the past two years, and we will continue to be fighting against this harmful practice.”

Although, Mestawet’s parents were angry for what happened to them, later they made peace with her through a mediation which was led by village elders. “My parents now understand about child marriage and its consequences. They are no longer angry with me,” says Mestawet.

Mestawet wants to become either a doctor or a teacher. It might be years before she realizes her dreams but in the meantime, she keeps protecting girls in her village, including her own younger sister, from getting married early.

“Child marriage is a harmful practice, and I want girls to continue with their education like me,” says Mestawet. “I have seen my classmates quit school because they are married. I always tell my friends in my village about child marriage, and I will continue to do so to others.”

(Thank you to Janet Hudgins, the CPNN reporter for this article.)

Africa, WOMEN'S EQUALITY

South Sudan Chapter of African Union Master Plan Roadmap “Practical Steps To Silencing The Guns By 2020”

. . SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT . .

An article by Khamis Comas Lokudu from Gurtong

The Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) on Monday [October 16] launched the Economic Social and Cultural Council South Sudan Chapter(ECOSOCC). The Economic, Social and Cultural Council is an advisory organ to the African Union composed of civil society organizations (CSOs). The principle of the ECOSOCC is for the civil society to organize itself to work in partnership with the African Union. Its mandate includes contributing through advice, effective translation of the AU’s objectives, principles and policies into concrete programmes, as well as evaluating those programmes.

The objective of the chapter is to empower South Sudan civil society organization on the implementation of AU-ECOSOCC action plan for implementation of AU agenda on silencing the guns by 2020.

According to Richard Ssewakiryanga, the Executive Director of a Ugandan National NGO and Presiding Officer – African Union – Economic, Social and Cultural Council, said in his presentation that, the Aspiration 4 of Agenda 2063 which is the African Union’s strategic framework for socio-economic transformation of the continent over the next five decades, highlights the need for dialogue-centred conflict prevention, as well as the management and resolution of existing conflicts, with a view to silencing the guns in the continent by the year 2020.

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Question related to this article:

Can the African Union help bring a culture of peace to Africa?

Can peace be achieved in South Sudan?

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Mr Richard Ssewakiryanga added that the agenda 2063 provides that in order to achieve sustainable conflict prevention and resolution, a culture of peace and tolerance must be cultivated and nurtured in children and youth, among others, through peace education.

Ssewakiryanga furthermore explained that in its first ten years implementation plan, agenda 2063 stresses the imperative of ending all wars, civil conflicts, gender-based violence and violent conflicts as part of Africa’s collective efforts to silence the guns in the continent by 2020.

The Organization of African Union/ African Union, (OAU/AU) 50th Anniversary Solemn Declaration, adopted by the AU Heads of States¬ and government in Addis Ababa on 26th May 2013 expressed determination to achieve the goal of a conflict-free Africa, to make peace a reality for all and to rid the continent of wars, civil conflicts, human rights violations, humanitarian disasters and violent conflicts.

The Heads of States pledged not to leave the burden of conflicts to the next generation of Africans but assume to end all wars in Africa by 2020 according to Mr Richard.

Africa, Mideast, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT,