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“From Global to Local: Localizing the WPS Agenda to Sustain Peace and Empower Women

Duration: 2024 – 2025
Partners: Global Network of Women Peacebuilders (GNWP), To Be Foundation (TBF)
Funded by: United States Department of State Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues (S/GWI)

Overview

 The project sought to translate the global WPS agenda, particularly the commitments outlined in United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, into tangible, locally owned policies and frameworks that respond to Yemen’s realities.

Through this project, PTI and its partners worked to strengthen the capacities of local women-led civil society organizations (CSOs), local authorities, and other key actors to advocate for, lead, monitor, and report on the implementation of WPS resolutions. The initiative contributed to advancing inclusive governance, enhancing women’s participation in decision-making, and promoting sustainable peace in conflict-affected communities across Yemen.

Key Activities and Achievements

The project has made meaningful progress in embedding the WPS principles across several governorates, including Aden, Abyan, Shabwa, and Hadramout. Key activities and achievements include:

  • Contextual Mapping and Analysis: A comprehensive mapping of peacebuilding initiatives, existing local policies, and actors was carried out, with particular attention to strategies on preventing and countering violent extremism. This mapping identified achievements, challenges, and gaps in implementing WPS resolutions, providing the foundation for developing locally tailored methodologies and frameworks.

  • Localization Workshops: Three-day workshops were convened in the targeted governorates, bringing together local authorities, community leaders, and civil society representatives. The sessions focused on raising awareness of the WPS agenda and enhancing local capacities to design and implement WPS-responsive plans. Discussions covered issues such as equality, conflict prevention, violent extremism, and gender-based violence. The workshops included diverse participants, such as survivors of gender-based violence, internally displaced women, migrants, women from minority and marginalized communities, mothers of abducted persons, former detainees, and persons with disabilities.

  • Formation of Local Steering Committees: Four Local Steering Committees were established—one in each targeted governorate. These committees comprise representatives from local governance structures, women’s groups, and marginalized communities, and are tasked with following up on workshop commitments, drafting Local Action Plans (LAPs), and proposing local policies aligned with the WPS framework.

  • Technical Support and Capacity Strengthening: Ongoing technical assistance has been provided to local women’s organizations and government entities. This support includes developing local action plans, integrating gender-responsive budgeting, and establishing SMART monitoring and evaluation frameworks to ensure effective implementation of WPS commitments.

  • Engagement with Government Authorities: The project has fostered collaboration with governors and officials from key ministries, including Health, Education, Planning and International Cooperation, and Social Affairs and Labor, as well as with security institutions. This engagement has enhanced political buy-in and institutional support for localizing the WPS agenda.

  • Drafting and Endorsement of Local Plans: Four draft local WPS action plans have been developed by the respective Local Steering Committees in Aden, Abyan, Shabwa, and Hadramout. Each plan focuses on three core pillars—protection, prevention, and participation—and has been formally endorsed by the governors of the targeted governorates.

Impact

The initiative has fostered greater understanding among local authorities and communities of the crucial role women play in conflict prevention, peacebuilding, and crisis recovery. It has enhanced the capacities of local actors to implement WPS principles and has laid the groundwork for sustainable, locally driven peace efforts. By bridging local governance and community leadership, the project has contributed to institutionalizing women’s participation in peace and security processes and advancing the localization of the WPS agenda across Yemen.

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