ECOWAS Holds Capacity Building Training on Women, Peace, and Security Agenda in Liberia - FrontPageAfrica

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Monrovia – The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is conducting an in-country capacity-building training in Liberia for Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) focal persons on the Continental Results Framework for reporting on the WPS agenda.

By J.H. Webster Clayeh (0886729972) – websterclayeh@frontpageafricaonline.com

The ECOWAS Commission, through the Directorate of Humanitarian and Social Affairs, in collaboration with the Regional Steering Group and with support from the ECOWAS Peace and Security Architecture and Operations (EPSAO), co-funded by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, with implementation support from GIZ, has begun organizing a series of workshops across member states, including Liberia.

During the opening session, ECOWAS Resident Ambassador Josephine Nkruman highlighted the adoption of the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 over two decades ago, which acknowledged that while women disproportionately suffer from violent conflict, they remain severely underrepresented in formal peace processes.

Ambassador Nkruman emphasized that sustainable global peace and security can only be achieved when policies, legal frameworks, and concrete actions are in place to protect women in conflict zones.

“It is equally true that sustainable peace can only be achieved when peace process platforms create space for women’s full and pivotal participation,” Ambassador Nkruman said.

She added that since its adoption, UNSCR 1325 has led to nine other resolutions on various thematic areas of the WPS agenda. To further these objectives, the African Union has adopted measures to enhance women’s participation in conflict prevention and resolution across the African continent.

Ambassador Nkruman also noted that while the West African subregion has made significant progress in developing policies and strategies for Women, Peace, and Security, weak implementation remains an issue. Studies have shown inadequacies in member states’ monitoring and evaluation of WPS national policies and strategies.

“The studies also found that although the AU Continental Results Framework tool is known to member states, few utilize it,” she said.

To address these challenges, the ECOWAS Commission has validated a simplified version of the tool, established a regional WPS steering committee, and provided training to support monitoring, evaluation, and annual reporting on the WPS agenda, Ambassador Nkruman added.

The trained gender focal persons of the Regional WPS Steering Group will decentralize the training to build capacity at the member state level, supported by the ECOWAS-GIZ-EPSAO team.

“This training will not only provide practice for the gender focal persons but will also have a multiplier effect, enhancing national capacities for effective implementation and monitoring of the WPS agenda and utilization of the CRF tool,” she said.

Also speaking at the event, Ophelia J.S. Kennedy, Assistant Minister at the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection, stressed that sustainable peace cannot be achieved without the full and active participation of women in all stages of peacebuilding and decision-making processes.

“As we all know, the vital role of women in peacebuilding and conflict resolution cannot be overstated. Women are not only victims of conflict; they are also powerful agents of change, resilience, and peace,” said Madam Kennedy.

She further noted that despite their critical contributions, women’s voices continue to be marginalized in discussions on security and peacebuilding processes.