July 23, 2021 – Last month, 120 people graduated from a training course conducted by the Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative (WPDI) in collaboration with UN Women in South Sudan. Building upon prior work conducted by WPDI and UN Women relating to Women, Peace, and Security, the six-week course – which was held at WPDI’s Community Learning Centers in Juba and Yambio – focused on empowering participants with the tools and skills they need to advocate for the rights and roles of women in South Sudan.
The course followed a previous partnership through which WPDI and UN Women had trained a cohort of Women Peace Ambassadors in Juba to foster gender equality and peace at the grassroots level in South Sudan. The training of this new cohort of young peace ambassadors aimed to further foster the UN Security Agenda on Women, Peace, and Security, taking into account the special context of the 2018 Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS), which highlights the need to better protect women’s rights and promote them in peace processes. By mobilizing young women and men to become drivers of change, our aim is to build on local, endogenous forces to increase awareness about the situation and prospects for women in South Sudan.
Participation in the training was robust both in Juba and Yambio. Trainees included youths involved in peacebuilding activities with local as well as international non-governmental organizations and other key stakeholders active in gender-related work. In addition to basic core training about women, peace, and security principles taught by WPDI South Sudan staff, participants also benefited from topical sessions led by UN Women and prominent civil society leaders including the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) and the Center for Inclusive Governance, Peace, and Justice (CIGPJ). Thematic sessions included discussions about leadership, human rights, gender, lobbying, advocacy, and the role of women in peacebuilding and decision-making processes.
Participants in the six-week training found the course to be very empowering. Dorothy, from Juba, told us that “As a woman, I really enjoyed the opportunity to learn about peacebuilding, conflict resolution, mediation, and human rights. I’ll use the skills and knowledge I gained to help my community – and particularly women – learn about their rights and fight violence committed against women and girls.” Another course participant, Teddy, mentioned how “I learned about mediation, advocacy, and am now equipped with the tools I need to create an impact in my community. I want to help other women contribute to decision making at all levels, and I will encourage others across the country to help transform our environment to reflect what I learned in this training.”
With the workshop now complete, the trainees in both Juba and Yambio are now being guided by WPDI staff in a series of Community Dialogues and focus group discussions to help them gain practical experience in the use and application of their newly acquired skills. Highlighting themes that arise in these post-training sessions, selected trainees and WPDI youths will soon participate in radio talk shows to discuss their experiences in the trainings and what they are learning from talking to and engaging directly with community members. With women across South Sudan continuing to suffer disproportionately from conflict and instability, we hope that the work of these 120 graduates will have a cascading impact, helping to transform their communities – and their country – into a more peaceful and prosperous place for all.
