CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................... 1 LIST OF ACRONYMS ................................................................................................ 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................... 4 1.0 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................... 13 Background ....................................................................................................................................15 2.0 FORCED DISPLACEMENT OF WOMEN AND GIRLS: THE CRISIS OF REFUGEES AND INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS IN AFRICA ................... 21 3.0 GOVERNANCE, GENDER AND PEACEBUILDING: GORDIAN KNOTS? ........ 26 Governance ................................................................................................................................26 Gender ........................................................................................................................................29 Peacebuilding ............................................................................................................................35 4.0 AFRICA’S NORMATIVE FRAMEWORK ON GOVERNANCE, GENDER, AND PEACEBUILDING .................................................................................................... 38 5.0 AFRICA’S WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY INSTITUTIONAL AND POLICY FRAMEWORKS AT THE CONTINENTAL AND REGIONAL LEVEL ....................... 44 African Union Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) ..............................................................44 The RECs/RMs ...............................................................................................................................49 Southern Africa Development Community ...............................................................................51 Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) ......................................................52 Economic Community of West African States .........................................................................53 Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa ...................................................................54 East African Community............................................................................................................56 The Intergovernmental Authority on Development ..................................................................57 Regional organisations: The International Conference of the Great Lakes Region ...............58 11

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