Mobilizing Men as Partners for WPS: Building a Community of Practice

OSF facilitated connections between WPS actors and our Distinguished Partner awardees to discuss the importance of local ownership in the development space and create opportunities for greater support and collaboration.

On May 13, 2021, Our Secure Future with Strategy for Humanity hosted a closed door session as part of our Mobilizing Men as Partners for WPS project. The session brought together 12 Distinguished Partners for Women, Peace, and Security awardees working in 18 countries at the nexus of gender, conflict and health with major actors in the WPS and development space from governments, INGOs, foundations, and individual donors. During small breakout groups, the awardees introduced themselves and their program to cultivate potential partners in the international NGO, foundation, and donor community for specific projects and initiatives.

Additionally, by connecting these organizations to lead actors in the WPS space, we hope to elevate the importance of local ownership in the development space. Ensuring local organizations lead development activities in their own countries, receive direct and flexible funding, and have seats at the table as projects are planned, implemented and evaluated is a core value of Mobilizing Men as Partners for WPS. Check out our blog post for a full read out of the topics discussed and steps forward!