The ISS/TfP conducted a workshop at the ISS office in Addis Ababa to finalise the Gender Mainstreaming and Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) in Peace Support Operations training curriculum facilitators’ guide and the participants learning journal. The participants of the workshop were Liezelle Kumalo, Anne-Marie Hilsdon, Meressa Kahsu and Riana Paneras from ISS, and Theophilia Shaanika from the Office of the Special Envoy on Women, Peace and Security to the Chairperson of the AU Commission.

The course material aims to provide standardised guidance on multi-disciplinary approaches to civilians, police and military personnel who have to deploy or are deployed to UN or AU missions, for the implementation of gender mainstreaming and addressing SGBV in peace operations. The course package consists of two parts each of which has four modules.  The course in its entirety runs for 11 days or it can be offered as two distinct courses of six days each: one on gender mainstreaming, the other addressing SGBV in peace operations.

The workshop specifically focused on completing the facilitators’ guide with accompanying practical exercises, presentations and group work forming part of the training methodology.  The objective was to ensure that the facilitators’ guide would be user friendly and the practical exercises would reflect the realities that personnel for peace operations will encounter.  The facilitators’ guide also includes the selection of videos and images to be used in the course. A participant’s journal forms part of the package. A complete monitoring and evaluation mechanism and toolkit is also in the process of being finalised.  The material will be used to train trainers from the different RECs/RMs and PCCs towards building capacity across the continent.