The wins of the WSR have demonstrated to national actors the value of women’s
participation in concretely addressing peace and security issues, as outlined in
UNSCR 1325. The Eminent Women, through post-election mediation efforts,
made unprecedented progress toward Uganda’s first political dialogue and have
since received formal mediation training.
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Women’s grassroots peacebuilding:
WSR trained and equipped women at local levels to promote peace and track
their district situations. Women observers monitored polling stations in
14 districts (2016) and 30 districts (2021), reporting electoral
challenges and incidents addressed in the WSR room. Their visibility grew as
they wore white to symbolize peace.
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Youth engagement and violence prevention:
The WSR gave youth a safe platform to express grievances, seek solutions, and
interact with key actors. Youth openly shared potential plans for mass
violence, allowing intervention. Trained youth leaders promoted peaceful
conduct, helping prevent violence and enabling youth groups to mediate
conflicts without street protests.
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Efficient incident response:
The WSR call centre achieved its 5-minute target for addressing incident
reports thanks to coordinated police, army, youth representatives, committed
volunteers, and the Eminent Women.
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Support from strategic partners:
Donors, embassies, and observation missions visited the room, appreciated the
WSR’s goals, and supported the development of a long-term post-election
programme.
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Post-election consultations:
WSR engaged with EC, CSOs, boda boda riders, political parties, IRCU, women,
and media to reflect on strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats
from 2016 and 2021, informing frameworks for improved electoral processes.
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Public engagement:
Calls and strong social-media interaction demonstrated public demand for
peace, with the WSR serving as a platform for Ugandans to participate in
election-related peacebuilding.
