In ‘The Gendered Impact of Conflict and Peacekeeping in Africa’ patterns of violent conflict and war are changing in Africa and one of the reasons for this may be improved and more robust peacekeeping operations. It is important to rethink what conflict and transitions out of conflict look like in today’s Africa. ‘An Overview of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda: Resolution 1325’ provides an overview of the frameworks for the incorporation of gender perspectives in peace operations, including UNSC Resolutions 1325, 1820, 1888, 1889 and 1960, which comprise the international agenda on WPS. It highlights the use of these instruments for gender mainstreaming in peace operations. ‘Gender Mainstreaming Policies and Practice in Peacekeeping’ assesses the DPKO’s efforts to translate policy frameworks into concrete actions visible at field missions. It highlights the challenges that the DPKO has encountered in translating and communicating its policy recommendations to the field and among the missions as it integrates and implements gender perspectives in its work. In ‘Mainstreaming Gender into African Union Peace Support Operations: Why We are Getting it Wrong’ there have been global efforts to strengthen the role of women in conflict prevention, management and resolution, as a means of responding better to the systematic targeting of women in times of conflict. ‘Gender Considerations in the Protection of Civilians: Experiences from Field Missions’ explores the normative architecture on protection of civilians (PoC) and examines how missions and host communities are operationalizing this concept. ‘Women in Peacekeeping: The Emergence of the All-female Uniformed Units in UNMIL and MONUSCO’ expounds on the role of uniformed women in peacekeeping operations. In particular, it analyses all-female uniformed Formed Police Units (FPUs) in peacekeeping missions in Africa, and highlights their strengths, challenges and lessons learned. In ‘The Role of the UNMISS Gender Unit and Officers in Peacekeeping Operations’ Gender mainstreaming in peace and security is informed by a clear mandate and a rich policy context. The periodical concludes with a fact file on ‘AMISOM Troop-contributing Countries and Female Representation’ and an interview on ‘Ten Years of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme.’
