PRESS RELEASE

AWLN and UNITAR Partner to Break Knowledge Barriers

in Leadership: A Global Step Forward as to Expand

Knowledge Resources for Women Leadership

Mme Bineta Diop, AU Special Envoy on Women, Peace, and Security and AWLN Co-Convener and Mr. Evariste Karambizi, Director of UNITAR Division for Peace Mr. Evariste Karambizi at the UNITAR's headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland

The African Women Leaders Network (AWLN) and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) signed a  Cooperation Framework today at UNITAR Headquarters in Geneva, marking a major breakthrough for the advancement of global gender equality.  This partnership represents a significant and deliberate step towards a common vision for both organizations to support women’s leadership and participation in governance, peace, and sustainable development in Africa. AWLN and UNITAR  seek to prepare the next generation of women leaders with the knowledge, tools, and platforms to effect change through this collaboration of their expertise and resources.

Mme. Bineta Diop, AU Special Envoy on Women, Peace, and Security and AWLN Co-Convener, expressed her gratitude to the UNITAR team and commended the ongoing efforts of African women leaders, emphasizing their expanding contributions to advancing women’s leadership and its far-reaching impact across diverse sectors. She further highlighted that AWLN’s Model of including and equipping women in leadership is relevant in this current climate, given that the systemic silencing of women's voices through underrepresentation in leadership positions remains a challenge, as noted in the Beijing+30 review process. 

Echoing this sentiment, Mr. Evariste Karambizi, UNITAR Director for Peace, expressed his enthusiasm for this partnership’s potential as UNITAR brings its capacity-building expertise to complement AWLN’s extensive Network. “By formalizing our collaboration today, we are laying the foundation for a promising journey. The results, I believe, will soon speak for themselves.”

UNITAR will support the creation of a dynamic Knowledge Management Portal within AWLN’s platform to spark continuous learning, collaboration, and long-term leadership growth. The partnership will also roll out mentorship programs tailored to the diverse journeys of African women leaders, alongside impactful training courses, interactive workshops, and capacity-building for AWLN focal points. A specially designed edition of UNITAR’s Women’s Leadership for Peace Programme will further empower young African women to lead transformative change. Together, these initiatives aim to amplify women’s voices, strengthen inclusive leadership, and drive progress toward gender equality and lasting peace across the continent.

AWLN Acting Executive Director, Ms. Joyce Mends-Cole, highlighted the significance of this partnership with the Network, affirming, "We are promoting women in leadership, not only for the numbers because it's a matter of justice, but also because we have seen examples where women's leadership transforms governance."

Looking ahead, AWLN’s Co-Convener called for all stakeholders, governments, international organizations, civil society, and the private sector, to unite in championing women’s leadership and to invest in inclusive systems that unlock the full potential of women to lead, influence, and transform our world, as it is only then that we will realize the dream of the Africa We Want and the Africa we Need.

In closing, Mr. Evariste Karambizi reiterated UNITAR’s commitment to making this endeavour a resounding success, and expressed his sincere gratitude to the UNITAR and AWLN teams.

This marks a powerful step toward AWLN’s bold vision: Mobilizing Five Million Women Leaders to Transform Africa by 2030. Join the movement. Lead the change.