Empowering young women for sustainable peace: Young Women Peacebuilders programme launched in the Arab States

[Joint Press Release]

Cairo and Beirut – UN Women, the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs (IFI) at the American University of Beirut launched on August 1 the 2023 edition of the Young Women Peacebuilders programme to nurture a new generation of women peacebuilders in the Arab region. 

The online capacity building initiative is designed to support young women in gaining knowledge and skills that can enhance their positive role in peace, security, and conflict prevention. It also brings visibility to the initiatives and activism of young women from the region towards achieving positive and sustainable peace. 

This 50-hour online training programme, which is being delivered by IFI’s regional Women Peace and Security Hub, will be administered to a cohort of 55 young women aged between 18-35 from 13 countries across the Arab States. 

The initiative aims to equip participants with essential tools, including gender-sensitive conflict analysis, negotiation, mediation, and preventive methods, to become effective peacebuilders and leaders in their communities. During the five weeks of this online course, participants will also be trained on how to advance the implementation of international normative frameworks including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and UN Security Council Resolutions (UNSCR) such as UNSCR 2250 on Youth, Peace and Security; UNSCR 1325 on Women, Peace and Security; and subsequent ones.

Building on the success of the first edition of the programme, launched by UN Women in 2021, the 2023 edition will continue the momentum, with a renewed focus on enhancing participants' capacities through exchange of knowledge and experiences across the region.

Susanne Mikhail Eldhagen, UN Women Regional Director for the Arab States, expressed enthusiasm for the programme's launch. She said: "With the Young Women Peacebuilders programme, we are planting the seed to build more durable peace, enhancing gender equality and creating more inclusive societies.” 

Director of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy & International Affairs Dr. Joseph Bahout reiterated IFI’s commitment to the Women Peace and Security Initiative: “We are proud of our long-standing partnership with UN Women, allowing us to be a platform for research, dialogue, and training to empower women in the region.” Bahout added: “This online training is an added reminder of the important role women play, and should continue to play, in conflict prevention and resolution for a lasting, just, and positive peace of the region’s conflicts.”

The programme is being implemented under the "Enhancing Women's Leadership for Sustainable Peace in Fragile Contexts in the MENA Region" project, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), in cooperation with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

“UN Women commends its partners at IFI for their shared commitment to nurturing a new generation of peacebuilders, and its donors, BMZ and GIZ, for their unwavering support in enabling UN Women to take crucial steps towards a more peaceful and equitable future for the Arab States,” the UN Women regional director added.  

Upon completing the programme, participants will join the Young Women Peacebuilders Alumni Network with the IFI. This will give the young peacemakers a platform to shape the women and youth peace and security agendas in the region, fostering the development of large-scale initiatives that promote gender equality and inclusive peacebuilding.