Laker Patricia

[Women's International Peace Centre @TheWIPCentre]

💭What happens when more than 8 billion people are sharing a planet whose physical space is not expanding?

The Day 1 keynote address unpacked the nexus of people, planet, peace and prosperity, examining how the pursuit of prosperity, the need for peace, and the limits of our planet are interconnected — and what this means for Africa’s future.

🔶People seek prosperity — better lives, greater opportunities and access to the resources they need to live with dignity.
🔶But prosperity cannot be sustained without peace.
🔶And peace requires people to come together, negotiate how they will live together, establish rules that are accepted and binding, and create conditions where different interests can coexist.
🔶Yet this becomes difficult when individual interests compete with collective wellbeing — and when those responsible for making peace do not share the same understanding of what peace actually requires.

This discussion challenged us to examine Africa’s history: from slave trade and colonialism to contemporary forms of dependency and exploitation, including the ways Africa’s resources and systems have been shaped by interests beyond the continent

A critical question!
📌If prosperity depends on access to resources, resources are finite, and competition over them can fuel inequality and conflict, how can Africa build prosperity in ways that protect the planet, strengthen peace and ensure that its people have a meaningful say in how their resources are governed?

What are your thoughts?
#APES3 #PeaceProsperitySustainability #AfricaRising #ClimateJustice

[Women's International Peace Centre @TheWIPCentre]

@TheWIPCentre joined a panel discussion on how conflict &
climate change has affected peace,
planet & prosperity in Africa, drawing
on lessons from history

Panelists reflected on the Africa that had its own systems of living, knowledge, traditional medicine, infrastructure, cultures and ways of organising society before successive disruptions reshaped the continent and what the reality looks like currently.

Several drivers for this disruption were identified including;
🖋️Failing governance systems that struggle to respond to the needs and realities of communities.
🖊️Loss of personal and collective ownership, where responsibility for Africa’s future is too often placed on external actors.
🖋️A culture of dependency, in which Africans can become detached from their own responsibility to protect, rebuild and transform their own environment and communities.

What we took away from the Panel!
📌We cannot speak about the disruption of Africa as though we are only observers of it. We the People are part of the story — and therefore part of the responsibility to change it.

#APES3 #SDG13 #SDG16 #PeaceAndSecurity #EnvironmentalSustainability #ClimateJustice

[Women's International Peace Centre @TheWIPCentre]

💭When was the last time you rested without feeling like you were supposed to be doing something else?

For many of us, rest has quietly become another task to squeeze into an already full schedule.

🔶We rest only after the deadline.
🔶After the report.
🔶After the meeting.
🔶After we have answered “just a few more” emails.
And when our bodies begin to ask us to slow down, we often look for a quick fix so we can keep going.
But wellness is not only about finding ways to keep ourselves functioning.

Sometimes, it means asking:
✅What is my body asking me to pay attention to?
And perhaps even more importantly:
✅What can we change around us so that people do not have to reach exhaustion before they are allowed to rest?

This is one of the reflections in @Namutebi_Kasozi 's "August"—a powerful piece on exhaustion, productivity, feminist movement work and what genuine collective care can look like.

Because sometimes care means;
🔶Sharing the workload.
🔶Sometimes it means asking for help.
🔶Sometimes it means saying no.
🔶And sometimes, it means allowing something to wait.

This #WellnessThursday, may we remember that our wellbeing is not something we should have to earn after finishing everything.
Rest is part of sustaining the work—and the people doing it.

Read August :👇
🔗 https://t.co/sIuNjG1ERm

[Voices and Visuals Initiatives @VVIUganda]

Women in informal work deserve safety, dignity & respect. Work or income is never consent to sexual harassment or exploitation.
#RespectWomenAtWork #EndGBV #SafeWorkplaces

[NamutebiKasozi @Namutebi_Kasozi]

The land of origins 🇪🇹

There is a profound reason we gather in Ethiopia, the home of Australopithecus afarensis (Lucy) and the fossil evidence that anchors humanity’s shared story.
Global governance conversations here reminds us that peace should begin by honoring our common origin and shared human dignity.

In 1945, when the UN Security Council was formed, most of Africa was under colonial rule and excluded from shaping the rules of international peace. Fast forward to 2026: Africa rightfully demands the fulfillment of the Ezulwini Consensus
✔️at least 2 permanent seats (with veto rights) and 5 non-permanent seats on the Security Council.

Speaking as a peacebuilder at #ECF26, my argument goes further:

Perhaps the Security Council needs more Africa.

Africa brings a claim for representation and we bring practical, ground-tested experience in how peace is built, maintained and restored; driven by elders, women’s organizations, religious authorities, community dialogue, local ceasefires and regional diplomacy.

What Africa offers the UN Security Council is a peace ecosystem rooted in relationships, care, mediation, justice, belonging, participation, economic security, and collective well-being; the true conditions that prevent armed conflict.

Consider the numbers:
• Approximately 80% of UNSC resolutions authorizing sanctions, military enforcement or peacekeeping mandates focus on African contexts.
• In 2023 alone, 38.2% of UNSC meetings and 51% of adopted resolutions addressed Africa’s security challenges.

The ultimate legitimacy of UN Security Council reform will be judged by whether that reform fundamentally changes how the international community understands, responds to and honors peace.

[Women's International Peace Centre @TheWIPCentre]

💭What does it take to move WPS and YPS commitments from policy to meaningful action at the local level?

At the #Pre-RIMC Consultative Forum and Great Lakes Women's Round Table for Peace in Nairobi, our country coordinator from the DRC, @BRubango joined a panel on localizing the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) and Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) agendas across the Great Lakes Region.

Drawing on experiences from Uganda, DRC, Burundi and South Sudan, he highlighted the need to bridge global, regional, national and local commitments and ensure they translate into meaningful action, calling for a holistic, people-centred approach to peacebuilding that places women, young people and conflict-affected communities at the centre of peace negotiations and peace agreements.

Key challenges include persistent conflict, limited financing for #NAPs and #LAPs, incomplete implementation of peace agreements, and the exclusion of marginalized groups.

Our recommendation:
*⃣Peace processes must be inclusive, adequately resourced and responsive to the realities of communities most affected by conflict.
#WPS #YPS #GreatLakesRegion #Peacebuilding

[Women's International Peace Centre @TheWIPCentre]

From our archives: This powerful song reminds us that safe motherhood is a #feministpeace issue. Every woman deserves quality maternal healthcare, dignity, and the chance to give birth safely—no matter where she lives.

Across conflict and post-conflict communities, too many women still face barriers to lifesaving maternal and reproductive healthcare. Underfunded health systems, limited access to essential services, inadequate support for survivors of gender-based violence deny women not only their right to health, but also their right to live in peace and dignity.

📌A peace that cannot protect mothers or care for survivors is not the feminist peace we seek.

Feminist peace demands;
✅Investment in the systems that sustain women's lives.
✅It means financing quality maternal healthcare, ✅Strengthening gender-responsive health systems, ✅Expanding comprehensive care for survivors of #GBV
✅Ensuring every woman can access healthcare with dignity, safety and respect.

This song's message is as urgent today as it was then: ✨Invest in women to invest in peace. Because feminist peace is built not only at negotiating tables, but also in maternity wards, health centres and communities where every woman can live, give birth, heal and thrive without fear.

🎥 Watch, Share and join our Call to Action:#Investinpeacebuilding.

[Women's International Peace Centre @TheWIPCentre]

🚀 What if some of the most powerful peacebuilding happens through the everyday actions that bring communities together?

Over the weekend, our #YouthPeaceAmbassadors mobilised the Ggaba community for a clean-up and #WASH awareness campaign, bringing together local leaders, Village Health Teams and residents to improve sanitation, promote safe hygiene practices and care for shared public spaces.

Through practical demonstrations and community dialogue, participants gained practical skills in safe water storage, handwashing, proper waste disposal and drainage management while challenging harmful myths around water and sanitation. Youth also committed to leading ongoing hygiene campaigns and community-led follow-up initiatives to sustain these efforts.

Every clean-up strengthens more than the environment—it builds trust, shared responsibility and stronger communities. And that is how lasting peace takes root.

📌Follow us for more updates this week as we coninue to spotlight our #peacebuildingwork in communities.
#InvestInPeacebuilding #PeacebuildingWeek

[Women's International Peace Centre @TheWIPCentre]

📍Madi Okollo District

This #PeacebuildingWeek, @TheWIPCentre is training refugee women and female youth leaders to meaningfully participate in Refugee Welfare Committees (RWCs) and upcoming RWC elections—strengthening their skills in leadership, advocacy, and peaceful civic participation.

In refugee settings, #RWCs are not just governance structures—they are essential platforms where decisions on protection, services, dispute resolution, and community priorities are made. Who participates in these structures directly shapes how effectively refugee concerns are addressed.

By strengthening refugee women’s leadership and electoral participation skills, we're supporting them to engage confidently in these decision-making spaces, influence outcomes that affect their daily lives, and contribute to safer and more inclusive refugee communities.

When refugee women have a voice in governance, they help reduce tensions, strengthen accountability, and build more resilient communities from within.✊
#InvestinPeacecebuilding. #UNPeacebuilding
@AU_ECOSOCC @AUC_OSEWPS @Refugees @Sandra_Oder

[Women's International Peace Centre @TheWIPCentre]

✨Meaningful youth participation is not about filling seats at the table. It is about recognising young people as leaders, mediators, advocates, and partners in building lasting peace.

Every day, young people are resolving conflicts, fostering dialogue, mobilising communities, and championing peaceful coexistence.

.@TheWIPCentre this week, as the world marks #PeacebuildingWeek2026, we're highlighting the women, young people and community peacebuilders across the Great Lakes Region who are transforming peace commitments into action every day and how they're doing it.

Happy New Week!✊
@AUC_PAPS @AU_ECOSOCC @AU_WGYD

[NamutebiKasozi @Namutebi_Kasozi]

https://t.co/x2fweSnrvj

[NamutebiKasozi @Namutebi_Kasozi]

Day 1 of the #ACHPR87 Session. Spirits are high as we transition to the formal floor of the Commission. Today, we officially delivered the Banjul Consensus, bringing the mandate of African CSOs directly to the Commissioners.

[Women's International Peace Centre @TheWIPCentre]

What does wellness mean to you? 💚

📩 Sometimes it’s stepping away from the emails for a moment to share a laugh with colleagues.
🍽️ Sometimes it’s a simple conversation over a meal.
💃 Sometimes it’s a quick dance break.
🌿 Sometimes it’s a chance to breathe beyond the deadlines and demanding schedules. Whatever wellness looks like for you — make space for it.

Because teams thrive when people feel recharged, connected, and cared for. A workplace weighed down by burnout and fatigue cannot bring its best to the work that matters most.
Today, we celebrate the small moments that restore us, strengthen our bonds, and remind us that wellbeing is part of the journey.

📌 Follow us for our #WellnessThursdays as we share what wellness means to us at @TheWIPCentre. 💚
#WellnessAtWork #TeamWellbeing #PeaceCentreFamily

[Women's International Peace Centre @TheWIPCentre]

Kicking off our midterm progress convening with love, hugs & a whole lot of positive energy! 💛

We're taking off this time to realign our efforts, deepen our impact & ensure that every action brings us closer to a world where girls & women can thrive and live to their fullest potential.
#30YearsAndBOLD

[Women's International Peace Centre @TheWIPCentre]

https://t.co/wp7jeAcXcg

[Women's International Peace Centre @TheWIPCentre]

We are deeply humbled to receive the 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 for 𝐎𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲—at the Africa Peace and Environment Summit, Nairobi🇰🇪

This recognition is especially meaningful as it comes during our 30th anniversary year. For 3 decades, we have journeyed alongside women and communities to build a more peaceful, just, and sustainable world🌱

👉As we celebrate this milestone, we renew our call to governments, partners and communities everywhere: invest in women’s leadership and collective action for peace and climate justice. The time is now to amplify women’s voices and scale up solutions for a sustainable future. @africa_sum41043
#WomenLeadClimateAction
#30YearsAndBOLD

[Women's International Peace Centre @TheWIPCentre]

📍 Nairobi, Kenya
We’re honoured to be part of the Africa Peace & Environment Summit!

✨Our very own Patience Nakiranda will be presenting our case study on how women are driving climate solutions to transform livelihoods🌱

Even better—you can tune in by scanning the QR code on the poster. Don’t miss it! 🔗✨
#AfricaPeaceAndEnvironmentSummit

[Women's International Peace Centre @TheWIPCentre]

Today's sessions took a deep-dive into the building blocks of strong financial management for CSOs.
From the why to the how, participants explored:

1) 𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩.
🔸Why it matters for CSOs
🔸 Key Principles for Financial Management to promote transparency and accountability

2) 𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜.
🔸Understanding real costs.
🔸Creating budgets that match goals and realities
🔸Predicting cash flow.

3) 𝘼𝙘𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨. (What to track and how);
🔸Cashbook – A daily record of all cash received and spent
🔸Bank statements – Monthly statements to track account activity.
🔸Receipts and payment vouchers – Proof of every financial transaction.
🔸Invoices and bills – From suppliers or service providers.
🔸Payroll records – Salaries, taxes, deductions, and staff benefits.
🔸Petty cash records – Small day-to-day expenditures with supporting receipts.
🔸Donor agreements and funding contracts – To track budget lines and restrictions.
🔸Procurement records – Quotations, purchase orders, delivery notes, and approvals.

[Women's International Peace Centre @TheWIPCentre]

📢 This week in the DRC🇨🇩, @Just__Future civil society partners are participating in an intensive training in resource mobilization, financial management, & strategic communication—critical skills for sustaining their impact beyond project cycles.

In a shifting donor landscape, marked by reduced global aid and increased accountability demands, this initiative is equipping 20+ CSO leaders with the tools to:
✅ Develop resilient financial systems that build trust and transparency.
✅Use communication as a core fundraising strategy—documenting & amplifying impact to attract long-term support.
✅ Build strong, lasting donor relationships
✅ Improve audit readiness and internal accountability.
✅Position themselves to compete effectively for funding opportunities.

This training is supported by @TheWIPCentre & @CordaidRDC as a timely investment in institutional sustainability and the future of civil society in the DRC.

[African Union ECOSOCC @AU_ECOSOCC]

The @TheWIPCentre has just launched its 2024–2028 Strategic Plan at the 2025 Citizens’ Forum here in Malabo 🇬🇶!

The plan sets out clear priorities to strengthen women’s roles in building and sustaining peace, with a vision of a world where women not only live in #peace, but help define it.

#ECOCF25 #CitizensForum #YearOfReparations