ACORD has prioritised sexual and gender based violence in conflict and post conflict societies as a focus of its gender thematic work within the Pan African context. We aim at facilitating the development of a culture of effective and efficient gender justice in the States in Africa that have emerged from or are in conflict.

This conference led by ACORD is a continuation of this focus in alliance with The Kenyan Human Rights Commission, Action Aid International-Africa, Coalition on Violence against Women, The Great Lakes Parliamentary Forum - Amani Forum, African Women's Development Fund, International Planned Parenthood Federation and Urgent Action Fund - Africa.  

The extreme violence/poverty/exclusion that women suffer during conflict and emergencies does not arise solely out of these abnormal conditions but are directly related to the unequal power relations between men and women in a normal society. Africa has suffered a high incidence of conflict and emergencies over the last three decades. Many African countries are emerging from civil strife, armed conflict or some form of natural or man made disasters. These different disparate situations have often led to death, disruption of life, and massive violations of women's and girls' human rights. This conference is seen as a culmination of a series of activities that ACORD and partner organisations are already implementing and/or will continue to implement jointly or individually post the conference.

This conference is designed as a strategy building session, where pan African civil society organisations will engage with our legislators and policy makers in policy literacy to build and identify concrete strategies on engaging on the impunity on SGBV with a focus on protection and compensation for survivors of Sexual Gender Based Violence. 

We recognise that policy makers form a critical constituency to engage with but that such an event has to be supported not only by practical activities on the ground but also with committed lobbying on the part of NGO's to ensure that rhetoric turns into practice.

We see this conference as an opportunity to set a precedent to influence and/or be informed by similar events and processes in Great Lakes Region, Darfur, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Eastern DRC and other post conflict countries.

As a result these objectives below capture this entire scope of the work;

• To influence national, regional and Pan African institutions to establish effective mechanisms of prosecuting perpetrators of Sexual Gender Based Violence.
• To strengthen national legal and judicial mechanisms to provide compensation and protection for survivors of Sexual Gender Based Violence.
• To reinforce national and regional accountability frameworks to monitor and report sexual violence in conflict and post conflict settings.

Expected outcomes:

• Proposals on mechanisms for protection and resource mobilization strategies for survivors of Sexual Gender Based Violence.
• Clear guidelines on structures, systems and policies on restitution and reparations for survivors.
• The development of key messages and advocacy plans on survivors on Sexual Gender Based Violence in conflict and post conflict societies.

Main Participants and Key Note Speakers

• Slyvia Chirawu- Women and Law in Southern Africa -Zimbabwe
• Nyaradzai Gambodvane-Patron- Rozaria Memorial- Zimbabwe
• Ida Odinga - Patron- League of Kenya Women Voters- Kenya
• Prof. Makau Mutua - Dean, Buffalo Law School at the State University of New York
• Bernadette Lahai - Member of Parliament -Sierra Leone
• Una Thompson - Women of Liberia Peace Network-Liberia
• Fatuma Ndangiza - Executive Secretary -National Unity Reconciliation Commission-Rwanda
• Sarah Mukasa - African Women's Development Fund - Ghana
• Njoki Ndung'u -Former Member of Parliament and CEO, Center for Legal Information and Communication in Kenya(CLICK)
• Dawn Cavanagh - FEW - South Africa
• Kaari B. Murungi - Urgent Action Fund-Africa- Kenya

To know more about our Pan-African Conference and to advocate for the rights of women and girls, contact us at info@acordinternational.org or awino.okech@acordinternational.org : dial+254202721185/6: Fax+ 254202721166