ACCORD, in partnership with the Fellowship of Christian Councils and Churches in the Great Lakes and the Horn of Africa (FECCLAHA) and Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) organised FECCLAHA’s Annual Regional Faith Women Mediation Network Forum (REFWOMEN). Held from 07 – 09 July 2026 in Nairobi, Kenya, the theme for the 2026 Forum focused on “The role of REFWOMEN in Policy Engagement: Practical Skills and Entry Points”.
The Annual Forums are held to equip, support, and facilitate the coordinated and strategic participation of women mediators from the Christian and Muslim backgrounds in peace processes at various levels in the region. The REFWOMEN was launched in 2017 to coordinate and amplify the voices of faith women for sustainable peace in the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa region. It includes representatives from nine countries: Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, South Sudan and Uganda.
This year’s Forum commenced with a gallery on the peacebuilding initiatives the REFWOMEN had undertaken within their country contexts to exchange knowledge and share experiences. Some of these initiatives were aligned to thematic areas in prior Forums.
A considerable amount of time was dedicated to the practical approaches towards designing a campaign and ways in which to present these at the regional and continental levels. By means of role play the REFWOMEN were able to gain a better understanding and experience on ways in which to pitch campaigns aligned to gender mainstreaming in peace processes.
In addition to the role plays, thematic experts also provided updates on the region’s current conflict challenges and the emerging cross border tensions that participants were able to relate to. This also brought to light the urgency in regional responses to mitigate rising tensions that the REFWOMEN will need to work towards.
The REFWOMEN reaffirmed their commitment towards regional peace efforts and will engage with FECCLAHA, NCA and ACCORD for continued support.
