The Women Peace and Security Network Africa (WIPSEN-Africa)
The Women Peace and Security Network Africa (WIPSEN-Africa) was established on 8th May, 2006 under the laws of the Republic of Ghana as a women-focused, women-led Pan-African Non-Governmental Organization with the core mandate to promote women’s strategic participation and leadership in peace and security governance in Africa. Over the last two decades and especially since the adoption of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women Peace and Security in October 2000, women the world over have been engaged in activities that aim at(re)building particularly war-torn societies, restoring relationships and promoting social cohesion. In Africa, the involvement of women in peace-building gained prominence during the two decades of violent conflicts/wars that saw and resulted in the mobilization of women across all sectors to find lasting solutions and take action.
Various approaches were used with the aim of achieving this purpose but for WIPSEN-Africa, such strategic engagement must be systematic and requires proactivity, access to timely and accurate information, knowledge of the issue area, and specialized skills. It demands that the erstwhile adhoc, impulsive and reactionary nature of women’s activism be structured and informed. This not only necessitates capacity strengthening and grassroots mobilization, but also action-oriented research, policy influencing, documentation, information sharing, and strategic dialogue, networking and partnership building. This is the raison d’être for the establishment of WIPSEN-Africa, and the organization was founded to professionalize and institutionalize women peace and security in Africa. WIPSEN-Africa is a network organization and collaborates with partner, associate and affiliate organizations across the Continent and in the Diaspora to implement its mandate.
