Announcements

WIPSEN-AFRICA SIGNS MOU WITH MINISTRY OF YOUTH AND SPORTS, LIBERIA

 

 

WIPSEN-Africa's Girl Trainee Soars High.

Oct 29, 2009

WIPSEN-Africa's Girl Trainee Soars High.
One of the helpless trainees under the Young Girls Transformative Project in Liberia who had no hope for her future and country  has been elected the first Deputy Speaker for the Children Parliament in Liberia. Bravo!

Leymah Gbowee and the Women's Legal Centre recieve the 2009 Gruber Women's Rights Prize
Leymah Gbowee is receiving the 2009 Women's Right Prize at St. Thomas Virgin Islands on October 30th.

The Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation honors contemporary individuals in the fields of Cosmology, Genetics, Neuroscience, Justice, and Women's Rights whose groundbreaking work provides new models that inspire and enable fundamental shifts in knowledge and culture.

Each award carries a gold medal and unrestricted cash prize of $500,000. 

The 2009 Gruber Women's Rights Prize goes to Leymah Gbowee and the Women's Legal Centre.

Working within the courts and existing political and cultural institutions, Leymah Gbowee and the Women's Legal Centre have helped achieve significant legal and social reforms to build peace and advance human rights for African women.

The executive director of Women in Peace and Security Network – Africa, a peacebuilding organization in West Africa, Leymah Gbowee formed a coalition of Christian and Muslim women that helped bring about an end to civil war in Liberia.

 

Vacancy Announcements

Aug 1, 2008

The Women Peace and Security Network Africa (WIPSEN-Africa), a Pan-African Non-Governmental Organization working to promote women's strategic participation andleadership in peace and security governance, invites qualified candidates for the followingpositions: 


   1.       Post Title:  Programmes Officer             
             Duration:   
         
             Location:    Accra, Ghana
(with travels within and outside the     
             continent)
           
             Expected Start Date:   
           
             Deadline for Application:    

  
Under the supervision of the Director of Programmes the Programmes Officer will focus on activities related to the implementation of WIPSEN-Africa's core programmes namely: a) Gender and Security Governance; b) Youth Security and Development c) Rural Women's Security Initiative; as well as all sub-projects.  In this regard, the Programmes Officer shall undertake the following tasks:

1.         Conduct background research for, and develop project proposals;
2.         Assist in capacity-building activities;
3.         Update the fund-raising database and identify key donors for specific project funding;
4.          Compile a directory of contacts by means of the interactive database;
5.          Conduct a gender audit of peace and security related policies at national and regional
        levels to ensure compliance with UNSCR 1325, 1820 and other women, peace and
        security related instruments;

6.          Prepare programme and strategy reports;
7.         Support the development, implementation and evaluation of programmes;
8.          Develop a database of experienced women peace and security practitioners;
9.         Assist in furthering the establishment of a greater interface between women's civil society
        groups and the policy-making process;
10.      Assist in other tasks to be determined by WIPSEN-Africa's Management

Team
 Requirements:
1.       Masters degree in gender studies, development studies, international relations,political or  
      social science, international law, or any other conflict, peace and security related field;
2.      Prior working experience (including internships or volunteer work) preferably in different
      country contexts in fundraising, project development, advocacy work, applied research
      and/or facilitating training;
3.      Fluent English is essential and a working knowledge of French is highly desirable;
4.      Sensitivity to gender issues and understanding of and interest in human development,
      international legal frameworks and security policies;
5.      Ability to work under pressure in order to meet deadlines, and to work on own 
      initiative;
6.      Proven research and writing skills;
7.     Familiarity with MS office, Excel, and internet browsers for research purposes.  

 
How to Apply:
To apply for this post, please submit your CV and a letter explaining your suitability and
motivation to Ms. Vivian Armah at wipsen@wipsen-africa.org 

Suitable women candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

[[file:/wipsen/news/vacancy_announcements/file]]

 

WIPSEN-Africa signs Memorandum of Understanding with ECOWAS, KAIPTC and GTZ

Jun 2, 2008

2010
MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
between THE WOMEN PEACE AND SECURITY NETWORK AFRICA (WIPSEN-Africa)and THE MINISTRY OF DEFENCE SIERRA LEONE (MoD) 
1. Parties. This Memorandum of Understanding (hereinafter referred to as "MOU") is made and entered into by and between the Women Peace and Security Network Africa (hereinafter referred to as WIPSEN-Africa), and the Ministry of Defence Sierra Leone (hereinafter referred to as MoD). 

2. Purpose. The purpose of this MOU is to establish the general terms of collaboration between the parties to implement projects related to their respective missions in the field of Security Sector Reform and Governance (SSRG) and Gender in the MoD and the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF). 

3. Term of MOU.
This MOU is effective upon the latter date of signature by the parties' duly authorized representatives and shall remain in full force and effect for a period of two years, upon which it may be renewed by mutual consent of the parties. This MOU may be terminated, without cause, by either party upon 30 days' written notice. In case of conflict between this MOU and a contract between the parties as described in art. 5, the contract terms and conditions shall have precedence.      

4. Areas of cooperation. The parties agree to collaborate in the following areas:1)       Organise a workshop to:a)       Review the Defence White Paper from a Gender Perspectiveb)      Develop a MoD/RSLAF institution specific Gender Policyc)       Develop a MoD/RSLAF institution specific Gender Training Manual

For more information contact wipsen@wipsen-africa.org



2009
The Women Peace and Security Network Africa (WIPSEN-Africa) has formalized its collaboration with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) and the German Development Cooperation (GTZ) through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that is aimed at promoting the mainstreaming of gender and women's issues in peace and security in West Africa.

The MoU specifically defines the terms of the tripartite partnership between WIPSEN-Africa, the ECOWAS Gender Development Centre (EGDC) in Dakar, Senegal and the KAIPTC/GTZ to among others,

  1. Develop a region-specific gender, peace and security manual to be used for training of military and civilian peace support personnel and field practitioners;
  2. Increase capacity to mainstream gender in peace and security policies, programmes and institutions; and
  3. Document grassroots women's perspectives on peace and security as a basis for developing informed training curricula and operational guidelines.

The project will be focused on, and implemeted with stakeholders from the Fifteen (15) ECOWAS Member States. Special focus will however be placed on Five (5) countries which provide represntative cases of unique conflict and peace systems with natural socio-cultural, economic, political, and security inter-linkages; namely: Liberia (post-conflict), Guinea Conakry (simmering conflict zone), Cote d'Ivoire (fragile), Niger Delta, Nigeria (a region recently transiting from armed violence) and Ghana ("peaceful").

For more information on the project please contact wipsen@wipsen-africa.org.

 

WIPSEN-Africa signs Memorandum of Understanding with Liberia Ministry of Gender and Development

Jun 2, 2008

WIPSEN-Africa has entered into a one-year partnership with the Ministry of Gender and Development in Liberia to implement a project entitled "Young Girls' Leadership Dialogue". The project which is being implemented in three target locations (county) in Liberia: Monrovia, Bassa and Bong is aimed at strengthening Young Girls' Leadership Capacities for the Promotion of Constructive, Innovative and Collaborative Approached to Non-violent Transformation of Conflict, Peacebuilding and Human Security.  The project facilitates a mentor-mentee relationship between young girls and female role models over a Six (6) months period, after which they are placed in key institutions to intern/volunteer for a stint.

For more information, please contact wipsen@wipsen-africa.org

 

Internship Policy & Form

Download file

May 19, 2008

The Women Peace and Security Network Africa (WIPSEN-Africa) welcomes graduate students, young professionals and peacebuilding practitioners (particularly females) from across the world and the African continent in particular to participate in its work through an institutionalized internship programme that is intended to build and/or strengthen the capacities of young professionals who are interested in gaining sound skills and field based practice in peacebuilding in Africa. WIPSEN-Africa recognizes the existing generational gap in the field of peace and security and its internship programme is launched as a conscious effort to bridge this gap. 

 

WIPSEN-Africa Executive Director Gets Peace Award

May 19, 2008

On the 11th October 2007, Ms. Leymah Gbowee, the Executive Director of WIPSEN-Africa was honored as the recipient of the 2007 Blue Ribbon for Peace Award by the Women's Leadership Board of the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.

The award was given in recognition of Ms. Gbowee's prominent role in the Liberian Peace Process.

 

Communique: Liberia Refugee Situation

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May 19, 2008