As reported in the weekly IANSA Update of 17.05.12, IANSA women at EASSI in Uganda are holding their third training on the gender dimension of small arms with funding from the European Union through the Regional Centre on Small Arms (RECSA).

EASSI is a lead regional civil society organisation advocating gender mainstreaming in small arms control. Participants at the training are from National Focal Points on small arms from Tanzania, Ethiopia and Kenya.

Marren Akatsa-Bukachi, Executive Director of EASSI said, "It is enriching to see the passion with which the gender dimension of the small arms issue is being embraced in Eastern Africa. In 2011 alone, just four trainees cascaded the training to over 250 practitioners from both civil society and the security sector."

The training will enable participants to understand and draw from examples such as the Guidelines for gender mainstreaming for the effective implementation of the UN PoA by IANSA/UNODA and the RECSA Gender Policy.

EASSI’s work on gender mainstreaming includes:

  • Undertook gender analyses of National Action Plans (NAPs) on SALW in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania; these were validated by National Focal Points (NFPs) and civil society organisations.
  • Developed gender mainstreaming guidelines for the East African Community (EAC) Office on SALW.
  • Developed a gender mainstreaming chapter for the reviewed Uganda NAP.
  • Collaborated with RECSA in the development of the RECSA Gender Policy.
  • Has conducted two one-month trainings on gender for NFPs. Graduates of the trainings have become trainers and conducted gender trainings for members of the NFPs Government officials and security organs in their own countries.
  • Has reached over 250 people in the replica trainings that are usually conducted at country level.
  • Is actively involved in advocacy for gender issues to be more visible in the Arms Trade Treaty.

Read more about the work of EASSI on gender and SALW at:
http://www.eassi.org/publications/cat_view/118-small-arms-and-light-weap...

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