The Women’s Situation Room (WSR) is a platform for women in collaboration with the youth to provide an early warning and rapid response mechanism against election related violence or conflict in African countries. The WSR was first initiated and established by The Angie Brooks International Centre (ABIC) with the support of a coalition of Liberian women and youth organizations including MARWOPNE
T (Mano River Women’s Peace Network) & the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA). The WSR was first deployed in Liberia during the general election between October and November 2011. Femmes Africa Solidarité (FAS) and UNDP gave WSR international backing. In 2012, the African Union adopted the WSR as a Best Practice by the Gender is My Agenda Campaign (Campaign) and President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia was designated as the Champion for the WSR. The WSR has since been successfully replicated in other elections in African countries in Senegal February 2012, Sierra Leone in November 2012, Kenya in March 2013, Malawi in May 2014 and Nigeria in 2014 with ABIC providing technical support. While ABIC, on behalf of President Sirleaf, provided overall guidance and oversight, it was the women, peace and democracy seeking activists who led the process in all the countries.
