women’s empowerment (2018-2028) provides that RECs partly constitute the Ministerial Committee on Agenda 2063 and that all RECs are to appoint gender focal persons to liaise with the AU gender focal points. By 2015 the AU Panel of the Wise had three women out of five members, currently down to 2. The Panel of the Wise have been key in proposing gender specific interventions required to promote a women, peace and security agenda at the AU, including the building of capacities of women mediators in Africa. FemWise-Africa (Network of African Women in Conflict Prevention and Mediation) was established by a decision of the 29th Assembly of the Union in 2017 as a subsidiary of the Panel of the Wise110 and is open to individual and institutional membership.111 It is AU’s response to the imperative for women to be included in peacebuilding processes in the context of APSA and UNSC Resolution 1325.112 FemWise-Africa is mandated to enhance the capabilities of women to participate in conflict prevention and mediation and has provided much needed programmes for skills building of over 100 African women mediators. Through FEMWISE, individual women and organisations involved in peacebuilding are engaging the continental women, peace and security agenda. In training 100 women mediators in 2018, FemWise-Africa is filling the deficit of skills and building an expert corps of women to be deployed to mediate in various conflict spots such as South Sudan, Burundi, Mali, DRC and the Central African Republic.113 This strategy converges towards the aspirations of Agenda 2063 and UNSCR 1325 towards capacitating women for peacebuilding. Apart from women CSOs and peace advocates, the AU involves peace activists and CSOs through various processes. Following up on a recommendation of the Panel of the Wise in its 2010 study, AU annually convenes an annual open session on the status of Women and Children in Armed Conflicts. The Economic, Social, and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC) has over the years played a role in analysing conflict situations at country level and working with the AU Peace and Security and Political Affairs 110 Assembly/AU/Draft/Dec.21(XXIX Operationalisation of “FemWise-Africa” Implementation Period: 2018-2020 (publisher unknown) 112 Assembly/AU/Draft/Dec.21(XXIX 4 July 2017 113 AU Peace and Security Council ‘Commissioner for Peace and Security Briefs Partners on FemWise-Africa and AU Mediation Support Unit’ May 2018 111 45