The women's Leadership for Peace and Security in the Greater Horn of Africa project was launched in 2009. The project seeks to maximize the participation and contribution of women in national and regional peace building processes. Forty women from the Greater Horn of Africa are the backbone of the project (G40) held a high level mission in Hargeisa, Somaliland on Women Building Peace from the 10th to 14th February 2012. P.M. Kjell Bondevik the former Prime Minister of Norway and a member of Club de Madrid led the mission.
During the five day period, the G40 alongside women groups in Somaliland deliberated on the following issues: the Somaliland situation; women's role in peace building, mainstreaming gender into peace and security processes, women's political participation and Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) actions on promoting gender equality.
This mission recommends the following.
To the Government of Somaliland:
• Ensure gender is mainstreamed in all government policies, in particular the National Development Plan and the Joint Programme for Local Government.
• Apply gender sensitive budgeting for the implementation of policies and programmes.
• Implement a 25% quota for women in decision-making and peace and security structures and processes (for example the executive, legislature, and the peace commission, and reconciliation and negotiation committees).
• Realize United Nations Security Council Resolutions on Gender, Peace and Security (e.g. 1325, 1820, 1880, 1888, 1960), to ensure (1) the prevention of gender based violence (2) the participation of women in peace and security structures and processes and (3) the protection of women during conflict and post-conflict situations.
• Respect the media code of conduct
The Religious Leaders:
• We recognize the valuable contribution of religious leaders and elders in facilitation peace. When engaging in peace processes, ensure the inclusion of women and that their needs are taken into account.
• Raise awareness on the rights of women and the public roles that women can play in Islam and Somali culture.
To IGAD:
• Develop gender sensitive early warning indicators to respond to the security needs of women.
• Mainstream gender into IGAD's Peace and Security policies and programmes.
• Promote gender mainstreaming in national development plans.
• Promote a participatory and inclusive decision making process for nationally owned peace and security and development frameworks.
To the International Community
• Respect the needs, interests and wishes of the people of Somaliland.
• Ensure that all the donor assistance for peace and security processes meaningfully involve women as planners, implementers and beneficiaries.
• Provide financial and technical assistance for women's involvement in creating peace and security in Somaliland.
• Support and facilitate peace and security initiatives developed by women.
• Enhance and utilize women's skills in facilitation, communication, leadership and conflict resolution in order to produce sustained and meaningful peace and security in the Greater Horn of Africa.
To Civil Society:
• Create a low of information exchange on gender, peace and security issues between CSOs and the IGAD Peace and Security Division.
• Encourage women CSOs, especially those in which the G40 work, to join the IGAD CSO forum.
• Engage in gender sensitive budgeting advocacy with the relevant government departments.
• Raise awareness amongst women against piracy.
• Observe neutrality on clan issues while negotiating peace and security processes.
• Enhance the capacity of women's participation in peace and security processes.
• Ensure that all CSOs programmes are gender inclusive and gender responsive.
• Raise awareness regionally on the negative impact of chewing chat.
Engender the media to produce gender responsive reporting.
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