About
Women In International Security – Horn of Africa (WIIS-HoA) is an affiliate of WIIS Global, an organization dedicated to advancing the leadership and professional development of women in the field of international peace and security.
WIIS-HoA (pronounced “wise-ho-ah”) focuses on gender, peace, and security issues within the Horn of Africa. The organization also works for the empowerment of women and will seek partnerships with men towards the implementation of a human security approach.
Headquartered in Kenya, WIIS-HoA supports the development of cross-border networks in the region and seeks to identify good practices in peace and security in neighboring countries (Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia and Tanzania).
Core values and characteristics
- WIIS and WIIS-HoA define international security broadly, inclusive of a range of disciplines such as conflict resolution and human rights, but focuses on the intersection or nexus of these issues with security.
- WIIS and WIIS-HoA bridge the divides among: issues (traditional security and human security); generations of women; and sectors (academic, practitioner, and policymaker).
- WIIS and WIIS-HoA build local, national and global communities that empower women in many different countries.
- WIIS and WIIS-HoA encourage the active civic engagement of women and men who understand the importance of inclusive and diverse participation in peace and security.
- WIIS and WIIS-HoA provide valuable services and resources to build a global network of women in these fields, and increases the number and visibility of women across sectors and around the world.
Leadership
Ms. Fauziya Abdi Ali, President of WIIS Kenya and Chair Sisters without Borders
Ms. Fauziya Abdi Abdi is the founder and President of WIIS Kenya and chair of Sisters without Borders a network of Kenyan organizations devoted to the prevention of violent extremism. Fauziya is a devoted advocate for women engagement in peace and security. Her passion for socioeconomic and political empowerment of women has given her a deep understanding on the effects of violent extremism on women, their children and families, and consequently informed her interventions in prevention of violent extremism. She has achieved significant successes in development projects encompassing peace building, women and youth programming and conflict resolution. Fauziya developed and implemented one of the first projects on countering violent extremism (CVE) in East Africa a decade ago. Since then, she has become a regional expert on violent extremism, advising Governments and non-governmental organizations. Her work in Preventing violent extremism has enabled her be termed as amongst “leading woman” in Preventing Violent Extremism by News Deeply, a Women and Girls independent news and information platform covering issues of females in the developing world.
Prior to working diligently on PVE, Fauziya worked with several organisations on areas relevant to PVE such as governance, peace building, and conflict transformation such as Governments, intergovernmental, regional bodies and United Nation agencies in countries within Eastern and Horn of Africa, including Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ethiopia and Somalia. She is now supporting Tanzania and Uganda to finalise their National strategies and Action Plans on Preventing Extremism, after supporting the Kenya National Strategy on Countering Violent Extremism in 2016. Fauziya was accorded an excellence award for effective leadership while serving as Senior Project Development Officer for the USAID /Kenya Transition Initiative (KTI) Programme. In this role, Fauziya successfully advocated and supported development of an accountability and advocacy charter on countering violent extremism, which was endorsed by 40 state and non-state actors, the first of its kind in Africa.
Fauziya is a frequent speaker and has written many articles on counter terrorism and the prevention of violent extremism. She has also spoken at various key events including, UNDP Norway annual PVE forum, Global Counter Terrorism Forum (GCTF) amongst others. She focuses on peace building, conflict transformation and good governance in conflict settings. She holds an MBA and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Mathematics.
Highlights
Programs
Sisters Without Borders
WIIS-HoA is the chair of “Sisters without Borders”
“Sisters Without Borders” is a consortium and platform of women from different civil society organizations in Kenya who work for the prevention of violent extremism. The platform was created in 2014 out of deep concern of the effects of violent extremism on families and in communities in Kenya.
“Sisters Without Borders” also stands for the socio-economic and political empowerment of women and supports the development and implementation of the forthcoming Kenyan National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security.
Highlights
WIIS-HOA president, Ms. Fauziya Abdi Abdi, speaks about empowering women to counter violent extremism with the President of the United States during the POTUS’s hallmarked visit to Kenya.
*The video belongs solely to the White House and WIIS Global does not own or claim the rights to this video.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and U.S. Ambassador to Kenya Robert Godec meet with Fauziya Abdi Ali, President of
WIIS Kenya and Chair Sisters without Borders, at the PAWA 254 art haven in Nairobi, Kenya.
Contact
Email : [email protected]
Website: http://www.wiishoa.org/