English
Kinyarwanda
The fourth Kigali International Conference Declaration (KICD) annual general meeting on the role of security organs’ in ending violence against women and girls is set to start on Monday November 24, in Kigali, Rwanda with African countries expected to deliberate on how to strengthen cooperation in dealing with the existing challenges against the vice.
The two-day meeting brings together participants 40 African countries including Chiefs of Security organs, representatives from military and correctional services, experts from major international, governmental and non-governmental agencies and prominent officials from the government of Rwanda, One-UN family and other development partners in Rwanda.
The 4th KICD AGM will be held under the theme "Turn Back Crime Against Women and Girls; the Synergy of Security Organs,” derived from the international Police, Interpol’s global campaign aimed at raising awareness of the dangers and impact of organized crimes.
It is organised in the framework of the UN Secretary General’s Global Campaign to end violence against women and girls which was launched in 2008 and adopted by African Heads of State in 2010 under the theme “Africa UNiTE to end violence against women.”
The 2010 Kigali AGM concluded with the proclamation and signing of the 14 point declaration with the second AGM held in Bujumbura, Burundi in 2012 establishing a permanent secretariat in Kigali to coordinate, implement and monitor the implementation of the declarations.
According to Senior Supt. Linder Nkuranga, deputy Commissioner for Cooperation and Protocol department in Rwanda National Police, a lot has been achieved in regard to addressing challenges women and girls face, in the last four years of joint efforts by security organs.
The achievements, she said, include holding a workshop of ‘Africa Region Security Organs Capacity Building’ on violence against women and girls; ‘Prevention, Response and Peacekeeping and Africa Security Organs,’ annual review meeting and strategic plan and guidelines for the training manual.
The training manual was later approved during the second AGM held in Bujumbura, Burundi.
Others include a Command Post Exercise (CPX) held in Kigali, last year, which was attended by participants from 34 African countries, and plans are underway to construct the secretariat in Kigali also to be called African Security Organs Center for Coordination of Actions to end violence against women and girls (AFSOCCA), following the laying of the foundation stone by the UN Secretary General, last year.
The major aim of the CPX was to enhance capacities and improve practices by security organs in dealing with Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), both at home and during Peace Support Operations, through standardised and holistic approaches like the Isange One Stop center model, which offers free medical and legal services to victims.
“In spite of the progress made in terms of commitment to implement Kigali International Conference Declaration, a lot of issues need to be focused on such as strengthening capacity of security organs across all African countries and prioritising and mainstreaming gender based violence in individual country development plans,” SSP Nkuranga said.
“There is still need to devise effective mechanisms for putting to use the existing policies and legal frameworks for prevention and response to violence against women and girls, creation and building capacities of Gender desks, availing financial and technical resources to support different planned interventions in the context of prevention and response to violence against women and girls, enhance the legal and regulatory framework on how countries that are signatory to this declaration can work together to deliver to this noble cause,” she added.
“The fourth KICD AGM will therefore evaluate the declaration implementation progress, review and validate working documents like strategic plan and fundraising strategy, and share best practices in combating violence against women and girls on the continent,” she noted.
