“Police officers from across Africa gathered in Pretoria for a ten-day ISS/TfP training on gender equality and sexual and gender-based violence, which was co-hosted by the South African Police Services”. On 11-16 August 2014, the ISS/TfP conducted a preparation workshop with the facilitation team for the 10 day Integrated Gender and Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) training course for police officers on gender equality and on the prevention and response to SGBV. Facilitators included Andre Roux (ISS), Kristine St-Pierre (ISS), Hans Kielland (Norwegian Police) Mari-Anne Randulf (Norwegian Police) Jan Andersen (Danish Police) and Martin Rolsted (Danish Police).

On 18-29 August 2014, ISS/TfP conducted the ten-day training in Pretoria, South Africa, for police officers on gender equality and on the prevention and response to SGBV.  The course was intended for police officers deploying to Peacekeeping missions, specifically as Police Gender Advisors and those mandated to support and/or conduct SGBV prevention and response as part of their daily duties and responsibilities. A total of 30 participants from 14 African countries as well as India participated in the training. Representatives from the United Nations peacekeeping missions in Darfur and in South Sudan and the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia participated in the training. The training workshop did so by providing participants with foundational knowledge, skills and personal qualities to more effectively support the women, peace and security mandate of UN and AU peacekeeping missions in peace support operations. The course forms part of a global effort to enhance the capacity and capability of police and military personnel alike to advance the goal of gender equality in peace and security operations in Africa. The United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted the landmark resolution 1325 on women, peace and security on 31 October 2000. The resolution was the first to recognise the disproportionate impact of war on women, and called on their active participation in the prevention and resolution of conflicts as imperative to achieving international peace and security. The UN also identified sexual and gender-based violence as a key threat to international peace and security. Through Security Council resolution 1820, adopted in 2008, the international community has committed to responding to and preventing sexual violence in situations of armed conflict. In doing so, the UN has called on Member States to ensure police and military personnel being deployed to peacekeeping operations receive adequate training to be able to prevent and respond to SGBV. The course is divided into seventeen modules over ten days. The first week is dedicated to understanding gender equality and the women, peace and security framework, applying a gender analysis and mainstreaming gender as part of the daily work and responsibilities of UN and AU police officers. Participants are asked to put their newly acquired understanding and knowledge to practice by critically analysing a UN Security Council resolution, conducting a gender analysis, integrating a gender perspective as part of their daily work and elaborating a gender mainstreaming action plan. The second week is focused on the prevention and response to SGBV – one of the key responsibilities of UN and AU police officers in peacekeeping missions. Participants acquire key understanding and knowledge on SGBV as well as important policing skills with regards to understanding your community and partners, compiling a SGBV prevention and response plan and using training and mentoring to support local police capacity building to address gender inequality and SGBV. For more information: Course Overview Course Map Course Agenda