On 17 November 2014, more than 100 women representing the state government, parliamentarians, localities, civil society organizations and internally displaced persons (IDPs) attended the Global Open Day session on the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 (2000) on Women, Peace and Security.

The event, held under the theme ‘Women Count for Peace,’ was organized by UNAMID’s Gender Advisory Unit (GAU) in collaboration with the North Darfur State Committee on SCR 1325 and the UN Country Team (UNCT).

The Global Open Day provides a platform for women to discuss and share views on the implementation of UNSCR 1325, and its impact on women in Darfur, as well as the achievements and the challenges in terms of strengthening established mechanisms for the same.

Addressing the session on behalf of the Mission’s Acting Joint Special Representative, Mr. Dysane Dorani, Acting Chief, Communications and Public Information Section (CPIS), explained that the 1325 Global Open Day is an opportunity to reaffirm the core message of the original landmark text: “sustainable peace is possible only with women’s full participation — their perspectives, their leadership, their daily, equal presence wherever we seek to make and keep the peace.”

Mr. Dorani noted that since the implementation of UNSCR 1325 in Darfur, women have made important strides when it comes to contributing to the peace process around the four thematic areas of prevention, participation, protection and relief and recovery.

In her remarks, Ms. Yegerawork Angagaw, Senior Gender Officer, expressed the Mission’s commitment to continue providing technical support to women-oriented mechanisms in Darfur. She disclosed that the Gender Advisory Unit, in collaboration with the UNCT, will provide capacity building workshops leading to early recovery programmes on gender mainstreaming in state governance structures and provide training on microfinance and project management.

On his part, Mr. Abu- Alabas Eltayeb, Deputy Wali (Governor), North Darfur, said that women and children have been severely affected by the Darfur conflict and expressed the Government’s commitment toward addressing issues of violence against these vulnerable populations.