The promotion of the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Agenda is at the core of the priorities of Morocco’s Presidency of the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) for the month of March.
In this connection, the AU PSC held a virtual meeting on Friday dedicated to this theme, which holds particular significance in March, as the month is marked by the celebration of International Women’s Day on March 8 and the holding of the 69th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women.
Chairing the meeting, Morocco’s Permanent Representative to the AU and UNECA, Mohamed Arrouchi, emphasized that these events are crucial moments to further efforts aimed at promoting women’s participation in decision-making processes, particularly in matters of peace and security.
The promotion of the WPS Agenda through this meeting aligns with this momentum, rooted in UN Resolution 1325, which established the link between women and peace and security issues, he pointed out.
This connection has helped highlight the differentiated impact of armed conflicts on women and girls, thereby laying the foundation for women’s active representation and participation in conflict prevention, management, and resolution, he added.
He urged the Council to recognize the impacts of emerging threats to peace and security on women and girls, including climate change and epidemics, and stressed the need to incorporate these repercussions into the strategies for implementing the WPS agenda across Africa.
In this respect, the PSC could consider emphasizing the need to establish clear indicators and robust monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to regularly report on the progress of the commitments related to the WPS agenda.
Arrouchi also stressed that Africa is particularly concerned with the implementation of the WPS Agenda due to the recurrence of armed conflicts, political instability, and persistent challenges related to women’s rights on the continent.
The WPS Agenda advocates action on four fundamental pillars: participation, protection, prevention, and relief and recovery, he said, recalling that the agenda urges states, as well as international and regional organizations, to take the necessary measures to ensure and strengthen women’s contribution to peace and security processes.