IGAD Trains Somali Women in Peacebuilding and Leadership

GOOBJOOG NEWS | MOGADISHU: A regional programme aimed at strengthening the role of women in Somalia’s peacebuilding efforts has begun in Mogadishu, bringing together women leaders and members of local peace committees for training in mediation, negotiation and conflict resolution.

About 20 participants are taking part in the three-day programme organised by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in partnership with Somalia’s Ministry of Family and Human Rights Development.

The training covers conflict analysis, mediation, negotiation, dialogue facilitation, leadership, advocacy and community-based peacebuilding, with an emphasis on skills that participants can use in their communities.

The programme is being implemented under the Building Women’s Economic Resilience for Sustainable Peace (BWERSP) project, funded by the African Development Bank.

The training is part of a wider effort by IGAD, to strengthen women’s participation in peace and decision-making processes in Somalia, where women have often played informal roles in resolving community disputes while having less access to formal peace structures.

The initiative also targets women from communities affected by displacement and conflict, including internally displaced women, returnees and community leaders.

It follows a separate IGAD training held in Mogadishu in July that brought together government officials, women’s peace committees, youth groups, traditional and religious leaders and other peacebuilding actors.

The latest programme is intended to strengthen links between women-led peace initiatives, government institutions and community organisations as Somalia works to expand local approaches to conflict prevention and reconciliation.

The training also forms part of IGAD’s implementation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda, which seeks to increase women’s participation in peacebuilding and decision-making across the region.