Women, Peace and Security in the African Union

This paper explores how the African Union (AU) understands and interprets the global norms around gender and security found in the Women Peace and Security (WPS) agenda.

It shows how the WPS agenda is situated within the AU’s African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) while taking into account the existing local/regional gender contexts. It maps out the ways in which gender intersects with security when global and local norms interact within a regional security institution.

The paper thus offers a critical and unique perspective on the regional institutionalization process of the WPS agenda.