Pathways to Peace conducted a workshop on GBA+ and Safe Advocacy for its IFF partners. Held on the 27th and 28th of January, the trilingual workshop was the first of a series of workshops planned on Gender Based Analysis Plus (GBA+), Safe Advocacy, Language Rights and Human Rights Based Approach (HRBA).

The two-day workshop kicked off with an interactive session that refreshed the basic concepts of gender and gender equality. The main session on GBA+ was led by Thilini de Alwis (Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Manager – Pathways to Peace) and co-facilitated by V. Weerasingham ( Consultant – Gender Specialist). GBA Plus+ is an analytical tool used to support the development of responsive and inclusive interventions.

In Canada, GBA Plus is recognized as a key component to support the development of effective policies, programs, and legislation. Part of Canada’s commitment to gender equality since 1995, GBA Plus has evolved into an integrated component of Government of Canada decision-making processes. Using GBA Plus involves taking a gender- and diversity-sensitive approach to development. It is a process for understanding who is impacted by the issue or opportunity being addressed by a development initiative. Pathways to Peace is confident that the use of this analytical process will empower the IFF partners to ask the right questions, challenge assumptions and identify potential impacts, taking into account the diversity of the communities they serve.

The second day session on Safe Advocacy, led by Cyrene Siriwardhana and co-facilitated by  V. Weerasingham, led to an open and frank discussion amongst IFF partners about the risks faced and mitigation strategies adopted when implementing their projects. Safe advocacy promotes practices that protect the safety and security of advocates, individuals and communities, prioritising the principle of “do no harm.”

The strategic session that concluded the two-day workshop challenged the IFF partners to explore how they could strengthen their networking and pool resources for advocacy. This created a forum for them to explore how they could work in solidarity to advocate for change while minimising risks.

For Pathways to Peace, strengthening the capacities of its IFF partners is integral to strengthening civil society led interventions for inclusive governance and social cohesion.  Pathways to Peace is funded by the Government of Canada and implemented by Alinea International.