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Gender Mainstreaming Seminar

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

What is it?

The Gender Mainstreaming Seminar is an annual week-long seminar that brings together U.S. Army leaders with counterparts and decision-makers from militaries throughout Africa to promote and discuss gender mainstreaming topics.

This multinational seminar is designed to discuss and exchange best practices, successes, challenges, and lessons learned with partner nations’ decision makers; enhance gender mainstreaming awareness; and build partner capacity by leveraging perspectives, talents and understanding.

What has the Army done?

The first Gender Mainstreaming Seminar was held in 2014 as a regional seminar co-hosted by Namibia, designed to initiate discussion regarding gender mainstreaming topics.

The United States and the United Republic of Tanzania are hosting the Gender Mainstreaming Seminar in Arusha, Tanzania, from May 18-22, 2015. Approximately 120 military personnel from participating nations will participate in the seminar. This year, the seminar will build on last year’s discussions and those held at the African Land Forces Summit in Senegal in February 2015, while focusing on three major topics:

  • – Integration and leadership
  • – Sexual gender-based violence
  • – Integration resources for militaries facing gender mainstreaming challenges

The Gender Mainstreaming Seminar will set the conditions with the partner nations in the following major areas of emphasis:

  • (1) Establish equal rights, obligations, and opportunities for all genders.
  • (2) Institutionalize training and awareness, leadership roles, responsibilities, and success measures.
  • (3) Remove all types of gender discrimination by ensuring women and men benefit equally.
  • (4) Provide equal training, promotion and advancement opportunities to women in leadership; and create cohesive forces for male and female Soldiers.

What continued efforts does the Army have planned for the future?

U.S. Army Africa leverages the Total Army and uses a regional focus, embedded in the Army’s global engagement strategy to strengthen African land forces and regional organizations. This seminar is just one example of U.S. Army Africa’s commitment to strengthening relationships with partner nations in Africa. Future regionally focused seminars will be scheduled to take place in Africa and U.S. Army Africa will continue to develop and build upon the relationships and partnerships established here.

Why is this important to the Army?

Africa is a complex environment with numerous opportunities and challenges. U.S. Army Africa’s efforts are an important contribution to protecting Americans and American interests, and these efforts are bearing fruit. This seminar, involving land forces from several African nations, is a key element in a broader series of military-to-military activities to demonstrate the strong partnership between the U.S. and all of the participating African militaries.

Resources:

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