ACCORD Collaborates With Multi-stakeholders On Gender-Sensitive Conflict Management And Prevention
By Desire Tshuma
African Center for The Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD), in collaboration with UN Zimbabwe, African Women Leaders Network (ALWIN ) -Zimbabwe Chapter and FemWise have partnered for a three-day training on gender-sensitive conflict management and resolution.
ACCORD programs officer Ms Lwandile Moyo who is based in Durban, South Africa, said they have been in existence for 31 years and have supported peace initiatives of women peace makers and peace building across Africa.
“We do this by preparing women, mentor them and equip them with conflict management capacity. The training workshop is in collaboration with UN Women, National Peace and Reconciliation Commission, FemWise and African Women Leaders Network,” said Lwandile.
“We started to see a shift in conflicts, it’s no longer at local or regional level but in the communities. We enhance the role of youths in the prevention of conflict and we also engage religious and council leaders for the effective approach to achieve our goal for peace building and gender-sensitive conflict management and resolution,” added Lwandile.
ACCORD is a civil society organizations working throughout Africa since 1992 to bring creative African solutions to the challenges posed by conflict on the continent. They impact political development by bringing conflict resolution, dialogue and development to the forefront as an alternative to protracted conflict. They operage throughout Africa from SADC in the South through the great lakes region to the horn of Africa and in the West Africa.
The three-day training workshop was officially opened by the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission deputy chairperson Reverend Dr C Moyo.
“Regional elections have been marred by incidences of gender-based and violence during and after so we are happy to that we have these local and regional platforms for engagements to deal with gender-sensitive conflict management prevention and resolution,” said NPRC commissioner Moyo.
A number of resolutions that promote the participation of women in peace and security have been passed.
One of the landmark resolutions is the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR1325) which provides framework for women’s meaningful inclusion in peace processes, actions and interventions tied to participation, protection, prevention, relief and recovery.The resolution affirms the importance of women in conflict prevention, management, resolution and transformation and places its center a gender perspective in conflict prevention and resolution, peace building, peace keeping, rehabilitation and reconstruction effort.
“Zimbabwe looks to hold elections this year, there is need to strengthen and build on going interventions to promote peace using pre-existing infrastructures such as NPRC ,local peace committees, women networks and church bodies,” added Rev Dr Moyo.
Dr Martha Mutisi who will be facilitating the three-day training workshop, said they will capacitate church bodies, youths and women in dealing with electoral gender-based violence in the form of cyber bullying, hate speech, sexual harassment and physical intimidation as these affect women’s engagement and participation as voters and candidates.
ACCORD also do capacity building for women-led organizations, Non Governmental Organizations and CBOs in South Africa. Recently they were in Ethiopia at the African Union Summit on African continent on free trade agreement.
“We discussed issues pertaining inclusion of women in trade as this year is about trade. We work with all African countries, SADC, ICAS, IGAD and ECOWAS,” said Miss Lwandile Moyo.