The African Women Leaders Network (AWLN) is a women’s led movement, launched in 2017 with the support of the African Union Commission and the United Nations, through the Office of the AU Special Envoy on Women, Peace and Security and UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, and with the support of the Federal Republic of Germany, to enhance the leadership of women in the transformation of Africa with a focus on peace, security, governance and sustainable development.

Among others, the initiative seeks to;

• Establish and nurture an inclusive network comprising a diversity of women and young women in leadership from all sectors of society, including political, public, and private sectors; civil society, grassroots women, and traditional women leaders;
• Enhance ownership of the network at national level through AWLN National Chapters amongst the women leaders through membership and mobilization of women from all sectors to advance women’s rights at the community and society levels;
• Promote solidarity amongst African women and cultivate strategic partnerships amongst existing and emerging networks, including global Networks with similar objectives to encourage women to make Africa’s transformation their agenda;
• Nurture women’s leadership through exchange and documenting of lessons learnt and experiences and mentoring of young women leaders, through intergenerational dialogues and platforms.

The Young Women Leaders’ Caucus (YWC) of the African Women Leaders Network (AWLN), in partnership with the African Union and the United Nations, including with the Office of the African Union Envoy on Women Peace and Security (WPS), Office of the Youth Envoy (OYE) and the AU Department for Human Resources, Science & Technology Department (HRST), UN Women are organizing the second “African Women Leaders Network Intergenerational Retreat on Leadership in Africa” as part of the “1 Million by 2021” Initiative: Africa unite for youth - Bridging the gap and reaching out to African youth.”

The first AWLN Intergenerational retreat occurred under the theme “An Action Retreat to Realize Agenda 2063 ‘The Africa We Want’ and the 2030 Global Sustainable Development Agenda” in August 2019 under the patronage of the President of the Republic of Kenya, H.E. Mr. Uhuru Kenyatta and Former President of the Republic of Liberia and Patron of the AWLN, H.E. Ms. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Strong commitments were made to continue to intentionally unite leaders; young and senior women leaders, to be more inclusive in all aspects of leadership and build a sustainable, innovative and cross-generational mentorship structure, notably through the adoption of a two-year plan of action and a joint declaration.

The current COVID-19 pandemic is disproportionately impacting young girls and women across the world, including in Africa, affecting their well-being, social, mental and economic life. A significant number of consultations and high level meetings have been conducted on the Impact of COVID-19 on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE), led by institutions including but not limited to AUC-WGDD, Gender Is My Agenda Campaign (GIMAC), AWLN, UNDP, UN WOMEN among others, to identify gaps, provide recommendations and offer a space for strategic engagement with Member States, between/among CSOs and other key stakeholders.

The African Women Leaders Network has convened a global consultation engaging its established 25 chapters which shared the groundbreaking efforts they are leading to advance gender equality at all levels during the pandemic as well as its impact on women. As part of the national chapters, young women caucus are leading outstanding engagements to raise young women’s voice, aspirations while building on their expertise to address the gaps of meaningful young women engagement as part of the pandemic response. The retreat will serve as a unique opportunity to build and strengthen synergy and advance the current conversation to the next step through an intergenerational lens.

The objectives of the retreat include:

1. Role of intergenerational dialogue and mentoring in addressing the current political, social and economic affairs in the context of COVID 19 and beyond, while providing a digital space for inter-generational dialogue
2. Discuss strategies to strengthen young women’s leadership in governance, women peace and security, global health, global health security, as well as their role as front line leaders in the Covid19 response and beyond
3. Launch the inter-generational AWLN mentorship program and platform
4. Develop short term and long-term actions steps aligned with 2021 priorities and engagements, in order to position young women in building back better through an intergenerational lens with seasoned leaders
5. Initiate a conversation on the Generation equality Forum, especially the 6th Action Coalition and the compact on WPS and Humanitarian Action to drive action and resources towards peace, security and humanitarian action and pave the way toward 2021 engagements.

The expected outcomes of the retreat include:

1. Established framework for mentorship and intergenerational dialogues
2. Strategies and recommendations to strengthen young women and seasoned women in governance, peace and security, global health security, economic empowerment in the context on COVID 19 and beyond
3. Initiate strategic and high-level discussions on Building back better the world after COVID 19
4. Position young African Women as experts on policy, program and development issues across the continent and globally
5. A renewed spirit to continue the momentum to push the African Women’s agenda and AWLN forward
6. Modalities to strengthen, expand, train and support AWLN national youth caucus
7. Framework for resource mobilization and partnerships to support young women’s in action,/li>
8. A framework for marketing and promoting AWLN (its fund, caucus, etc) to women across Africa

As a build-up to the second inter-generational retreat, AWLN, AWLN Young Women Leaders Caucus, and key partners: UN WOMEN, African Union, AU Special Envoy on Women, Peace and Security; are supporting national consultations with women leaders aimed at fostering a deeper understanding of the current women leadership landscape especially in light of COVID-19 and its exigencies. These national consultations are aimed at bringing together women leaders from each of the five African regions (North, South, East, West and Central) to discuss and bring to the fore the key issues and priorities that should form part of the agenda in the upcoming retreat.

The pre-retreat national consultations will be guided by the following key objectives:

1. To outline opportunities and priorities for women leadership in light of ‘holistic newness’
2. To advance the development and implementation of an AWLN mentoring framework
3. To facilitate exchange on women’s leadership experiences (across the generations)

The three main intended outcomes of these consultations are:

1. A baseline for the intergenerational retreat has been established
2. A space for 5 representative AWLN National Chapters to meet has been facilitated
3. Key priorities for AWLN National Chapters (2021) and mentoring framework priorities have been identified.

The national consultations will involve women leaders from selected AWLN national chapters and UN country representatives representing the five African regions. The five participating chapters this year are: Tunisia (North) Zimbabwe (South), Kenya (East), Liberia (West) and DRC (Central). These chapters have been chosen because they have been at the forefront of AWLN activities this year. Where possible, the abovementioned country chapters will loop in representatives from the other countries in their respective regions to participate in the discussions and also provide a regional outlook in the consultations.

The AWLN Retreat organizing Committee will ensure participants successfully and seamlessly register online for the two-day meeting.
Registration is now open. Participants should use the link below to register. https://unwomen.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUudO6rrD0iE9U5AqjBtOSkrb6ovW7...​

• Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa
• The Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa
• 2010-2020 African Women’s Decade
• Guidelines for state reporting under the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa
• AU Guidelines on Gender Responsive Responses to COVID-19
• Declaration: African Union Civil Society Organisations Consultation Meeting on Accelerating Actions Against the Impact of COVID-19 on Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment
• One Million by 2021 initiative.
• Implementation of the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda in Africa
• Continental Results Framework
• Silencing the Guns in Africa.
• UN Security Council Resolution 1325
• Framework for Collaboration between the AUC and the UN on Conflict Related Sexual Violence (CSVR).
• She Stands for Peace book.
• Sauti Publication