Despite being a region with relatively low levels of war and armed conflict, the Americas have one of the highest levels of armed violence in the world. The high prevalence and use of small arms and light weapons, gang violence, organized crime and multiple forms of gender-based violence make the continent a dangerous place, especially for women and girls.
At the same time, women have been outspoken and prominent in the political arena and social movements towards more sustainable peace and development and the protection of environmental and human rights across the region.
Nevertheless, many countries do not take advantage of the potential for the Women, Peace and Security Agenda to systematically increase women`s participation in shaping security policies and institutions, as well as humanitarian responses, preventing armed violence and preventing and addressing gender-based violence.
Gender Associations has been proud to partner with CIM to produce a mapping of actors and conduct a document and data analysis to identify key entry points to implement the WPS Agenda in the Americas. The results of this collaboration are highlighted in the newly launched report on “Pathways to peace and security forged by women: An agenda for the Americas“. A high level panel of policymakers and experts participated in the 3 November launch of the report and discussed the opportunities and challenges for the advancement of the WPS agenda in the region.
Building on the results of this report, Gender Associations also developed and implemented a pilot training programme on WPS issues in the Americas that brought together 30 practitioners and policymakers from across the region
