CCCPA, the Government of Sweden and UNDP Launch New Cooperation

September 17, 2019

In the picture, the signature ceremony by H.E. Ambassador Soha Gendi, Director of the Department of International Cooperation for Development of the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Jan Thesleff, Ambassador of Sweden to Egypt, Ms. Randa Aboul-Hosn, Resident Representative of UNDP Egypt and CCCPA Director General Ashraf Swelam.

The Cairo International Center for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding (CCCPA), hosted the signing ceremony of a cooperation agreement with the Government of Sweden and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on “Enhancing Women’s Participation in Conflict Prevention and Resolution in the Arab World”.

The ceremony was attended by H.E. Ambassador Soha Gendi, Director of the Department of International Cooperation for Development of the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Jan Thesleff, Ambassador of Sweden to Egypt, Ms. Randa Aboul-Hosn, Resident Representative of the UNDP in Egypt and CCCPA Director General Ashraf Swelam.

For two decades, CCCPA has been at the forefront of regional efforts to build Arab and African capacities on conflict prevention and resolution, peacekeeping and preventing radicalization and extremism leading to terrorism. Building on that commitment, and out of its firm belief in the importance of women’s role in conflict prevention and resolution, CCCPA is joining hands with the Government of Sweden, and the UNDP, both global champions of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, to enhance Arab women’s meaningful participation in conflict prevention and resolution and peacemaking. The project will be implemented in full technical partnership with UN Women Egypt country office and Regional Office for Arab States.

This project comes in the lead up to the 20th anniversary of the UNSCR 1325. It will help establish a pool of qualified Arab women mediaors, with the necessary knowledge, tools and skills, to meaningfully contribute to conflict resolution and peacemaking efforts in the region. ‘

The project will also equip local Arab women leaders and influencers with the necessary knowledge and skills to contribute to building community resilience to extremism. In this regard, the project expands CCCPA’s ongoing efforts in “Preventing Radicalization and Extremism Leading to Terrorism” (PRELT) to the Arab world, following its enormous success in Africa. The PRELT program enhances local leaders’ abilities to expose the fallacies and inconsistencies of terrorist ideologies and narratives, and equips them to develop alternative and inclusive narratives of peace.

Ambassador Soha Gendi reaffirmed the Egyptian Government’s support for women’s empowerment and equality. She hailed CCCPA’s efforts in advancing the comprehensive and meaningful participation of women in conflict prevention and sustaining peace.

Ambassador Jan Thesleff highlighted that Sweden’s continuous support to Egyptian efforts is an investment in both Africa and the Arab World. He highlighted the project’s contribution to the establishment of an Arab Women Mediators Network, which will be an “important addition to the African, Swedish, Nordic and other Meditation Networks.”

In her remarks, UNDP Resident Representative Ms. Randa Aboul-Hosn congratulated the Government of Sweden and CCCPA on the new collaboration. She stressed UNDP’s strong commitment to expanding this successful cooperation. She commended the new project and its contribution to advancing the implementation of the WPS agenda.

Director General Ashraf Swelam expressed CCCPA’s gratitude and appreciation to the Government of Sweden and the UNDP. He highlighted that the project builds on Egyptian-Swedish cooperation in multilateral fora, including the two countries remarkable contribution to advancing the “sustaining peace” agenda. Director Swelam noted that the project comes at a time when Egypt has taken the decision to develop its first National Action Plan (NAP) to implement the WPS agenda. Egypt’s first NAP will be developed through an interactive, inclusive and nationally owned process, supported by UN Women and global partners.

The activities of this Sweden-CCCPA partnership agreement will be part of the project, “Consolidating Peace, Security and Stability in Africa V”, also supported by the Governments of Japan and Switzerland, in partnership with the UNDP.