The Gender, Peace and Security (GPS) Unit, located in the Policy and Mediation Division of the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA), develops and delivers trainings on gender and mediation for mediation experts, mediation teams and DPPA staff at Headquarters and in the field. GPS also delivers training on gender-sensitive political and conflict analysis, which is a first and essential step towards gender-sensitive and inclusive preventative diplomacy and mediation. By strengthening actor mapping, impact analysis, and understanding of conflict triggers and drivers, such gender-sensitive analysis can help create a more holistic understanding of conflict and more effective strategies for peace.
Together with the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Finland and Norway and implementing partners, the Crisis Management Initiative (CMI) and the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), the Gender Peace and Security Unit organizes annual UN High-level Seminars on Gender and Inclusive Mediation Strategies. Held since 2013, the seminars seek to enhance the gender and inclusive mediation capacity of senior mediation actors from the UN, regional organizations, Member States and international non-governmental organizations. Since the beginning of the seminar series, more than 270 senior mediation actors have participated.
For DPPA staff at Headquarters and in the field, training on gender and WPS is mandatory. The Gender Peace and Security Unit is responsible for delivering staff trainings twice a year. The trainings build staff capacity in conducting gender sensitive political and conflict analysis, gender and inclusive mediation, preventing and addressing conflict-related sexual violence and promoting women’s political participation. To date, more than 390 staff members have been trained.