Thirty-two women leaders from 16 West African countries are meeting in Senegal today to attend a series of United Nations-backed training sessions aiming to boost the participation of female mediators in peace processes across the region. In a press release issued on Monday, the UN Office for West Africa (UNOWA) and the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) said that the five-day training meeting in the town of Saly aims to increase participants' knowledge and mediation skills, as well as strengthen their advocacy, negotiation and peace agreements implementation techniques. This is the second in a series of three training meetings, each one focusing on different mediation areas that will prepare women to effectively intervene in the resolution of conflicts and contribute to peace and stability across the region. The first meeting, held in Nigeria in July, focused on skills development, while the current one will focus on outreach and advocacy, and the third and final session will focus on forming communities of practice and is scheduled for next month. The meetings have been organized by UNOWA in collaboration with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Gender Development Centre, the Network on Peace and Security for Women in the ECOWAS region, and supported by Norway. BM
