The Arab League and Cairo International Center for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping, and Peacebuilding (CCCPA) held a joint training for members of the Arab Women Mediators Network (AWMN) on “Women Mediating Access to Resources in Climate-Affected Contexts” with the support of UN Women Arab States.
The training, which concluded on 3 October 2023, aimed at equipping AWMN’s members with the skills and knowledge to advance gender and climate-sensitive approaches to resource-based conflict mediation towards sustainable peace and development. The training also recognized the key role of women and the disproportionate impact of climate change on them in this context.
The training was part of the implementation of the MoU signed between the Arab League and CCCPA in March 2023 and built on previous cooperation, including the first in-person training course held for AWMN in November 2021.
The opening ceremony was attended by Khadija Al-Makhzoumi, Minister of Environment and Climate Change in Somalia, who stressed the pivotal role of women in forging inclusive and durable peace in their communities that suffer from resource scarcity due to climate change. She also praised Egypt’s efforts in supporting Somalia in all areas and highlighted the historical bilateral relations between the two countries.
Ambassador Haifa Abu Ghazaleh, Assistant Secretary General and head of the Social Affairs Sector at the Arab League, highlighted the importance of strengthening the role of AWMN both regionally and internationally through technical support and capacity building. She affirmed that the Arab League pays due attention to boosting women’s role in mediation and peacebuilding efforts on all levels. “This training aims at empowering women to meaningfully participate in building resilience to the different concurrent risks, particularly climate change and resource-based conflicts,” she said.
Ambassador Ahmed Abdel-Latif, CCCPA’s Director General, stated that this training coincided with the anniversary of the adoption of the landmark UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security (WPS). “It represents a tangible step towards advancing the implementation of the WPS agenda in the Arab region through promoting the role of women in conflict resolution and mediation, as well as a contribution to the operationalization of COP27 Presidency initiative Climate Responses for Sustaining Peace (CRSP), of which capacity building is a main pillar,” he added.
