Promoting local ownership of sustainable peacebuilding
Empower, Mentor and Build Capacity of Women & Youth at the grassroots, to better understand, appreciate and drive peacebuilding processes.
We empower young people and women as key partners in peacebuilding processes and gender mainstreaming
We build the capacity of young people and women as drivers of real change
We promote a culture of youth service and community development through volunteerism
We do this through
We conduct thorough research to understand the specific peace-related challenges faced by youth and women in our target communities. We Identify their needs, concerns, and priorities related to peacebuilding.
We ensure that our governance structure, leadership, and programming prioritize the meaningful participation and representation of youth and women.We involve them in decision-making processes and leadership positions within the organization.
We design our programs and initiatives to address the unique needs and experiences of youth and women in peacebuilding. This includes leadership development, conflict resolution training, empowerment workshops, advocacy campaigns, and support for women’s economic empowerment.
We provide training, mentorship, and skill-building opportunities to empower youth and women to actively engage in peacebuilding efforts. We equip our participants with the knowledge, tools, and resources needed to become effective peacebuilders and leaders in their communities.
We Forge partnerships with youth-led organizations, women’s groups, community-based organizations, government agencies, and other stakeholders who work in the field of conflict, peacebuilding, mediation and gender mainstreaming. Collaboration strengthens our impact and enhances the sustainability of our efforts.
We integrate a gender-sensitive approach into all aspects of our work, including program design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. We ensure that our programs address the specific needs and rights of women and youth, as well as promote gender equality, equity and women’s empowerment.
We facilitate and create safe and inclusive spaces where youth and women feel comfortable expressing themselves, sharing their experiences, and participating in peacebuilding activities. We foster an environment of trust, respect, and mutual support.
Through our programs, we advocate for policies and practices that promote the rights, participation, and inclusion of youth and women in peacebuilding efforts by raising awareness on the importance of youth and women’s contributions to peace and conflict resolution.
Ms. Baiden is the founder of ‘Own The Peace Africa’, a civil society organization, committed to mentorship, empowerment and capacity building of women and youth at the grassroots, to better understand and drive peacebuilding processes. She works on gender responsive capacity and peacebuilding and has contributed extensively to the National Commission on Small Arms & Light Weapons – Ghana, in review of gaps in the national arms legislation. She is a Tsuha Global Fellow and led in the implementation of a High-Level Forum on ‘Citizenship for Peace and Security: Promoting Women & Youth as Partners in Achieving a Peaceful 2024 Election and Beyond’, convened at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre in Accra, Ghana in collaboration with KAIPTC, Curtin University – Australia, the Australian High Commission – Ghana, Own The Peace Africa and Impact Her World Foundation. She is an Adjunct Research Fellow with Curtin University and also consults for SheDreams Africa, a civil society organization, on gender, youth and security issues.
Ms. Baiden is a IEP/Rotary Positive Peace Activator for West & Central Africa.
Beatrice doubles as Head of Corporate Affairs of the Gaming Commission of Ghana. Prior to this, she worked as a broadcast journalist with Global Media Alliance (e.TV Ghana) as Editor, Producer and News anchor and also worked with the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation as an Assistant Editor, covering news stories in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa respectively. She is an Institute for Economics & Peace alumni as well as a Thomson Reuters Foundation alumni.
Ms. Baiden holds a Master of Advanced Studies in International & European Security from the University of Geneva and a Leadership in International Security Certificate from the Geneva Center for Security Policy, Switzerland. She holds a second Masters in Gender, Peace and Security from the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) in Ghana and a bachelor’s in Communication Studies from the Ghana Institute of Journalism. She is an accredited member of the Institute of Public Relations, Ghana and is committed to be part of a clout of international experts who work to promote sustainable peace that transcends borders.
Dr. Fiifi Edu-Afful (PhD) is a Senior Researcher with The United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) Coordinating the Pillar on Preventing Armed Conflict and Armed Violence (PACAV). He formerly worked as a Visiting Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence at American University School of International Service and University of Maryland Department of Government and Politics and the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre. He was a Global Fellow of the Geneva Centre of Security Policy (GCSP), a 2013 laureate for the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA). His works focuses peace operations, conflict Prevention, youth and conflict Terrorism and Violent Extremism, Protection of Civilians and Conflict-Related Sexual Violence
Associate Professor David Mickler, Dean Global, Africa, Curtin University
David Mickler is Dean Global, Africa & Founding Director, Centre for Australia-Africa Relations, in the Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Global, and an Associate Professor of International Relations in the Faculty of Humanities, at Curtin University, Perth.
He is the incoming (2025) Co-Chair of the flagship Australia Africa Universities Network (AAUN), and he convenes both the Emerging Leaders in Australia-Africa Diplomacy (ELAAD) program for AAUN and the Australia-Africa Literacy program for the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Diplomatic Academy in Canberra.
A/Prof. Mickler is a Future Africa Visiting Fellow at the University of Pretoria, South Africa, and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA). He is a member of the Advisory Board for the Organisation of African Communities in Western Australia (OACWA).
He also serves as the Australian Representative to the Indian Ocean Rim Association Academic Group (IORAG) and convenes the annual IORA collaborative regional short course International Relations in the Indian Ocean Region at Curtin’s African campus in Mauritius.
A/Prof. Mickler was previously Founding Director of the Africa Research & Engagement Centre (AfREC) at the University of Western Australia; Chair of the Faculty Africa Regional Strategy Group at the University of Melbourne; and Inaugural Co-Chair of the Global Africa Group in the Worldwide Universities Network (WUN). He has also been a visiting scholar at Addis Ababa University and the African Union Commission, and has developed academic partnerships in several African countries, including the Africa Green Hydrogen Hub (AGHH) in Kenya.
His books include New Engagement: Contemporary Australian Foreign Policy Towards Africa (2013), The African Union: Addressing the Challenges of Peace, Security and Governance (2016), and Africa and the Sustainable Development Goals (2020). He is a Chief Investigator on the Australian Research Council Discovery Project African Impact in Australia (2023-26) and Co-Editor on the book project Australia-Africa Science Diplomacy: Collaborative Research, Policy Impact and International Cooperation (under development).
A/Prof. Mickler works closely on Africa and Indian Ocean research, teaching, training and external engagement with a range of stakeholders in academia, government, industry and diaspora communities. In 2018 he won the Community Pillar (Excellence in Innovation) Award at the Western Australian African Community Awards and in 2023 he won the Global Award for Leadership at Curtin University.
Own The Peace Africa