Summary of Points Arising in the
G8 AFRICA ACTION PLAN
REGARDING SUPPORT FOR WOMEN, PEACE, AND SECURITY

The G8 Africa Action plan from the July 2002 Kananaskis meetings explicitly states that the G8 will support the inclusion of women and the promotion of peace and security. Below is a summary of key points addressed.

SUPPORTING WOMEN
The document states that G8 countries will support:

1. More effective peace-building efforts, including addressing the needs of women (and children) [point 1.6];
2. The implementation of all UNSC resolutions addressing women, children, and civilians [point 1.7];
3. African efforts to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women [point 2.5];
4. African efforts on the equal participation of African women in the NEPAD process and objectives [point 2.5]; and
5. African efforts to achieve gender mainstreaming in all policies and programs [point 2.5].

PROMOTING PEACE AND SECURITY
The document states [points 1.1-1.7] that G8 countries will:

1. Support African efforts to resolve armed conflicts on the continent, including by:
   • supporting peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sudan and consolidating peace in Angola and Sierra Leone in 2003;
   • assisting with programs on disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration;
   • taking joint action to support post-conflict development in the Great Lakes and Sudan; and
   • supporting the UN Secretary-General's efforts to assist African countries to resolve specific conflicts.
2. Provide assistance so that by 2010, African countries and regional organizations engage effectively to prevent and resolve conflict and undertake peace support operations, including by:
   • working with African partners on developing African capacities for peace support operations;
   • training peace support forces, including through centers of excellence for military and civilian aspects of conflict prevention and peace support, e.g. Kofi Annan Intl. Peace Training Centre; and
   • better coordinating respective peacekeeping training initiatives.
3. Support African countries and the UN to better regulate arms brokers and traffickers and eliminate the flow of illicit weapons to and within Africa, including by:
   • adopting common guidelines to prevent the illegal supply of arms to Africa; and
   • providing assistance in regional trans-border cooperation to this end.
4. Aid African efforts to eliminate and remove antipersonnel mines.
5. Work with African governments, civil society, and others to address the linkage between armed conflict and the exploitation of natural resources.
6. Facilitate peace building in societies emerging from or preventing armed conflicts, including by:
   · supporting African-led reconciliation efforts, including pre-conflict and post-conflict initiatives; and
   · encouraging better cooperation among donors and institutions supporting peace-building and conflict-prevention efforts - particularly regarding disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration; the collection of small arms; and the special needs of women and children, including child soldiers.
7. Strengthen African capacities to protect and assist war-affected populations and facilitate the effective implementation of UN Security Council resolutions relating to civilians, women, and children in armed conflict - including by supporting countries hosting, assisting and protecting refugee populations.

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