Outcome SLE_D_1.5

Women and girls in conflict and humanitarian situation as well as those excluded from governance are protected and provided with tools, access to services, goods and resources to build resilience and to lead.

In 2023, UN Women Sierra Leone made significant progress in promoting Women, Peace and Security Agenda in Sierra Leone. The government of Sierra Leone through UN Women is the 4th country in West Africa to develop a comprehensive National Action Plan (SLiNAP) for the full implementation of UNSCR 1325, 7th in Africa, and 17th globally which was published and used as a reference point for government parastatals in promoting peace and national cohesion in sierra leone. The Sierra Leone National Action plan (SLiNAP II Second Generation) was successfully implemented, monitored and reviewed in 2023 nation-wide. And later 2023, UN Women through MOGCA held regional consultations on the development of the NEW Sierra Leone National Plan (SLiNAP III third generation 2024 - 2028) which will be finalized and launched in March 2024. For continuation of the implementation of WPS agenda, the UN Women SL CO in partnership with UNDP and World Vision established and strengthened a 120 CSO Coalition (with national and district structures) working on conflict prevention / mitigation and meaningful participation of women to serve as a vehicle for joint planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting the National Action Plan in-line with the Security Council Resolution 1325 and 1820. Additionally, the Sierra Leone security sector procurement and administration system was reviewed and strengthened by incorporating gender sensitive issues, informed by UNW research on barrier assessment for the Sierra Leone Police and the Military which measured opportunities for women in peace operation, examined the challenges women faced in being deployed as United Nations Peacekeepers and proffered recommendations for the national strategy in improving the gender mainstreaming of both institutions which includes recruitment, retention, deployment, and promotion of women. The reports have been used as a reference for good practices for other COs. Following the enactment of the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Act 2022 and the Public Elections Act 2022 (District Block Proportional representation) provided an opportunity to amplify the number of women in the legislature and the executive arm of Government. The participation of women in leadership positions and their engagement in political, economic, and public life have significantly improved, The proportion of women's representation in the National Parliament and Local Councils increased to 30.4 percent and 34 percent respectively in the 2023 general elections and more women appointed to cabinet positions (31.25 per cent) which is above the government of sierra leone regulatory threshold set in the GEWEAct. These achievements were significantly contributed by UN Women through its coordination leadership and interventions in strengthening women’s political leadership in Sierra Leone. In 2023, UN Women engaged stakeholders in raising awareness on women's leadership and political participation nationwide, enhanced the capacity of 350 women candidates in campaign strategy, communication & coaching and provided them with adequate tools which enabled them to deliver effective campaigns in the 2023 general elections. In addition, UN Women helped develop a corps of transformative female and male leaders and strengthened national institutional capacities to promote gender equality, women’s empowerment and women’s leadership. Lesson learned sessions were held in 5 Regions where the female aspirants and candidates shared what worked well, areas they could improve on and how UN Women’s interventions helped build their confidence and self-esteem. UN Women also trained 35 women political leaders from the All-Political Parties’ Association (APPWA) in transformative leadership. This equipped women for leadership positions within the parties and provided an opportunity for women to amplify their voices This engagement also strengthened the members of APPWA build bridges across party and as well as fostered peace and national cohesion. UN Women equipped APPWA leaders with knowledge of the GEWE and PEA laws to effectively engage election management bodies, political parties, traditional leaders, and the media to ensure the laws are implemented during the 2023 general elections. Following the training, the women leaders stepped down the capacity, raised awareness about the content of the Acts and encouraged women to demand the implementation of the laws within their political parties. UN Women strengthened the capacities of Government officials (namely Election Commission in Sierra Leone and the Political Parties Regulation Commission), civil society organizations and women’s networks to promote women and girls’ leadership and political participation. This included 100 men trained to serve as male champions in the four districts, including Port Loko, Falaba, Pujehun Districts as well as the Western Area of Sierra Leone. Similar engagements were held in the North, South and Eastern region where the project reached 80 Paramount Chiefs. The target men (community, political, traditional and religious leaders - men) understood the importance of supporting women in realizing their aspirations and signed up to be agents of change within and outside of their communities and to advocate for women's rights and address issues such as violence, intimidation, discrimination and harmful cultural practices faced by women. This engagement also strengthened partnership and built trust between the EMBs and UN Women. In an effort to recognize the impact of gendered disinformation and online violence against women and the influence of social media platforms among young people, 12 social media influencers with significant followings on the platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp, YouTube, and Twitter were reached. The two-day capacity support program focused on gender, peaceful and credible elections content. The influencers provided technical support to women candidates in promotion of women political participation, denouncing violence against women in elections. The knowledge they gained from this intervention further enhanced support to women political participation in the elections.

Women and girls in conflict and humanitarian situation as well as those excluded from governance are protected and provided with tools, access to services, goods and resources to build resilience and to lead.

UN Women through the PBF funds established 120 women-focused CSO caolition for joint planning and implementation of the WPS agenda in Sierra leone. The level of collaboration and networking among CSOs improved from 59% to 72.2% in 2024 which has resulted to a more inclusive governance processes. The project’s investment in capacity building has empowered coalition members in the following areas 1) Conflict transformation, 2) resource mobilization, 3) group dynamics, 4) Advocacy and communication 5) Relevant Normative Policy Frameworks 6) Institutional Strengthening and financial management etc. These trainings have contributed to enhancing the skills and capabilities of CSO members in advocating for gender-sensitive policies and contributing to conflict prevention and dispute resolution. These skills have provided a platform for coalition members in Karene District to jointly develop a grant proposal that is currently being reviewed. One (1) mentorship guide has been developed. 120 coalition members have been trained in mentoring. As a result, coalition members have been mentoring each other on the development of their financial and audit reports to donors, resource mobilization, human resources management, programme implementation and joint coordination. The CSO Coalition has been applying skills acquired from the various trainings and capacity development to conduct extensive policy advocacy and outreach activities on issues related to the NAP, GEWE Act, Child Rights Act etc. In Kono for instance, as a direct result of the project’s interventions, local women successfully advocated for access to land to establish a marketplace, demonstrating their improved capacity and hands on skills to advocate for change. In Kamabai discussions the women, the Paramount Chief and local authorities revealed a groundbreaking change: they have agreed to include women on the jury for local court proceedings, a role previously reserved only for men. The CSO Coalition has been engaged in coordinated advocacy and outreach processes. In Pujehun 800 participants including students, teachers, community leaders etc were engaged by the coalition on GBV reporting mechanism for women and girls, while 300 women and 100 men respectively were engaged on the 3 Gender Acts within the district. Furthermore, engagements were done by the coalition in Bombali by organising a peace march of over 1,000 participants on the effects of drugs use and domestic violence within the district. Additionally, similar engagements were done in Western Area Urban on public education for market women in 4 communities on the GEWE Act and the Child Rights Act. This proactive engagement of the coalition at local, district and national levels has elevated the coalition’s visibility and recognition as key players in promoting women, peace, and security. It is now recognised as a key player in advocating for women’s rights and peace building. The coalition has been able to collaborate with two police divisions of Tankaro and Motema in Kono District to be following up on all cases of domestic violence while also securing two hours free airtime on the widely used radio station in 3 districts to promote the women peace security agenda. Additionally, the coalition has been able to coordinate and collaborate with the Sefadu Magistrate Court and correctional centre to monitor and follow up on the welfare of inmates and other cases involving women. For instance, based on the intervention of the Coalition Members in Karene District, a GBV survivor was able to get justice and the perpetrator, a key figure in the community (police officer) was dismissed from service and sentenced to jail. The joint advocacy and capacity building activities at the district level have yielded tangible results. The coalition actively engages with local stakeholders including traditional leaders in advocating and campaigning for emerging issues such as drug abuse (e.g., kush). Coalition members are increasingly being involved in supporting survivors of sexual and gender-based violence to access services, providing logistical and transport support for survivors to access services. They have also been actively involved in alternate local dispute resolution on matters that could spark violent conflict. Improve networking among CSOs within their districts, nationally and regionally with other CSOs from the West African and the Sahel region. The coalition members recently took part in the regional annual working group session on the women youth peace and Security hosted in the country with representatives from Benin, Burkina-Faso, Chad, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo. This led to increased knowledge on Identifying strategies for positioning and anchoring regional, national, and local levels peace building intervention. recommendations were proffered, including capacity building on conflict negations skills. and best practices and lessons learnt for a more concreate strategies in implementing UNSCR 1325 within the region