Building a movement: The impact of the Women, Peace and Security Training of Trainers

“Returning as a facilitator in the second edition was something truly special – not just a step forward, but a chance to give back, to walk alongside others in their learning journey, and to help create the same kind of space that had made such a difference in my own.” – Anass 

It’s not often that a training programme comes full circle. But that’s exactly what happened in Rabat earlier this year. As we welcomed a new cohort of military officers to the second edition of our Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Training of Trainers (ToT), two familiar faces stood at the front of the room, not as participants this time, but as co-facilitators. 

That moment captured something we’ve always believed at UNSSC: when learning is done right, it doesn’t just inform; it transforms and it multiplies. 

Why this matters now 

As the 25th anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 approaches, we find ourselves at a crossroads. Around the world, women’s and girls’ rights are facing unprecedented and growing threats, from higher levels of discrimination to weaker legal protections, and less funding for programmes and institutions that support and protect women. Global monitoring shows a worrying convergence of trends: donor funding for gender equality has stalled, while civic space and legal protections for women are shrinking. UN Women’s latest report, Women’s Rights in Review 30 Years After Beijing, finds that nearly a quarter of governments worldwide reported a backlash on women’s rights in 2024. But the demand for action is not going away. In fact, it’s growing, especially in the security sector, where, on a global level, the integration of gender perspectives remains both essential and under-addressed. 

We need more than statements. We need skills. We need systems. We need committed leadership from within. That’s why building capacity on WPS matters.  

Building WPS champions from within 

In response to a joint request by UN Women Morocco and the Royal Armed Forces of the Kingdom of Morocco, we designed and delivered two editions of a regional ToT programme on WPS. The aim was clear: build a pool of trained facilitators of uniformed personnel from across Africa, equipped to deliver high-quality, contextually relevant WPS training in their own institutions. 

Participants came from Morocco, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Chad, Angola, and Ghana. Each brought deep operational experience, and many were already playing key roles as gender advisors or gender focal points. But what they needed, and asked for, was something more: a stronger grasp of the WPS agenda, real tools for training others, and a space to reflect on what gender equality means in military and peacekeeping contexts. 

We started with a learning needs assessment. It helped us understand what participants already knew (and what they thought they knew), how they had learned in the past, and what they needed from this experience to make it meaningful and actionable. 

Tailoring the experience 

At UNSSC, we don’t believe in one-size-fits-all learning. Our approach to this programme was flexible, adaptive, and designed with adult learners in mind. From the introductory webinar to the five-day in-person training, every element was grounded in real-world application. 

We prioritized practice. Participants didn’t just receive content, they also created it. The final one and a half days of the training were dedicated to participant-led sessions, where they designed and delivered a training session for one another, simulating the audiences they would later face: be it military personnel, UN staff in peacekeeping missions, or civil society actors.  

We made our methods visible, “showing our work” so participants could understand not just what we were doing, but why. This turned the training into a double-loop learning experience: one focused on content, and another on how to facilitate learning. 

Creating community and continuity 

Something remarkable happened between the two editions of this programme: transformation turned into ownership. 

Two participants from the first edition stepped up as co-facilitators in the second, bringing not only their growing expertise, but also a deep sense of empathy and credibility. They had sat in those seats. They knew the questions, the hesitations, the breakthroughs. 

As one of them shared: 

“Being a participant in the first edition of the WPS ToT was a powerful experience... What stayed with me most was the supportive and inclusive environment created by the UNSSC facilitators... Hearing personal experiences and diverse perspectives from people across different backgrounds left a lasting mark on me.” 

That, for us, is the real indicator of success: when learners become leaders and learning lives on. 

A partnership that delivers 

This programme was the result of a groundbreaking partnership between UN Women Morocco and the Royal Armed Forces of the Kingdom of Morocco, built on mutual trust and a shared commitment to advancing the WPS agenda. 

As Myriem Ouchen Noussairi, Head of Office for UN Women Morocco, reflected: 

“A unique and groundbreaking partnership has been established between UN Women and the Royal Armed Forces of Morocco, exemplifying a shared commitment to advancing the WPS agenda.  This programme leveraged the expertise, innovative approach, and adult-learning techniques of UNSSC in delivering a tailored-made solution to reinforce gender equality and the appropriation of the WPS agenda within the military sector. Through this partnership, the integration of the WPS agenda component in the army's Gender Equity and Women Empowerment curricula was enhanced and the implementation of the NAP on UNSCR1325 informed. The two pools of participants trained were fully equipped to fulfill their mission to train and support peacekeeping officers.” 

What this tells us 

We often talk about scaling impact. But scaling impact does not always mean going bigger. Sometimes, it means going deeper. 

It means tailoring learning to fit the real, messy, human world it is meant to serve. It means knowing when to stick to the plan and when to let go of it. It means listening before designing and adapting as you go. 

And above all, it means believing that the people in the room, especially those working within institutions like the military, already hold the seeds of change. Our job is to help them grow. 

At UNSSC, we will keep creating space for that kind of growth. Because the WPS agenda does not live in policy documents. It lives in people. 

If you're working on WPS, gender equality, or inclusive peacebuilding, and want a partner who designs with purpose and delivers with care, contact us at peacesecurity@unssc.org.