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Our Global Reach
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28 April 2026
Ukrainian peacebuilder Nina Potarska sails to challenge illegal blockade of Gaza

Nina Potarska, a member of the ICAN-spearheaded Women’s Alliance for Security Leadership, is currently at sea with the Global Sumud Flotilla, a civilian-led mission organized with the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, en route to Gaza. 

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Resource Library
12 May 2025
The Odd Couple: Women Peacebuilders and Security Actors Bridging Positions, Building Trust

The WPS agenda has proven a vital entry point for women peacebuilders to engage with the security sector and build trust within affected communities. These efforts—often invisible—are contributing to the reform of the sector, reshaping local security environments and mitigating violence.

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21 April 2025
The War Against Ourselves: Afghan Women Peacebuilders’ Response to the Mental Health Crisis in Afghanistan

This case study describes the drivers of the mental health crisis in Afghanistan, its gendered and cultural dimensions, and the strategies used by Afghan women-led peacebuilding organizations to provide solutions. The authors conducted interviews with representatives of Afghan women-led peacebuilding organizations and thematic experts, which were complemented by a desk review of project documentation and […]

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News & Media
6 March 2026
Staff Accountant (Remote, US Based)

ICAN is hiring a Staff Accountant to provide financial and administrative support to ICAN’s Finance Director and broader team.

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Country - Uganda

Core Areas of Work:

Democratic Governance, Economic Empowerment and Livelihood Support, Peacemaking, Security Sector Reform, Women's Participation

website

About the Organization

The Coalition for Action on 1325 (COACT) is an alliance of 45 member organizations working to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment in Uganda. COACT inspires women’s leadership, amplifies their voices, and coordinates civil society action to prevent and resolve conflict and contribute to building sustainable peace.

COACT’s work includes promoting women’s participation in conflict prevention and conflict resolution, promoting women’s participation in decision making in politics and the security sector, women’s economic empowerment, and promoting social accountability and inclusive governance.

ICAN’s Innovative Peace Fund has supported CoACT since 2020.

Core Areas of Work:

  • Peacemaking
  • Security sector reform
  • Women’s participation
  • Democratic governance
  • Economic empowerment and livelihood support

Stories & Features

The Odd Couple: Women Peacebuilders and Security Actors Bridging Positions, Building Trust

Trust between communities and the security sector is critical for effective governance and peace. So is a vibrant civil society. When women peacebuilders are recognized and engaged as independent, strategic partners and security actors—in their own right—the results are transformative. Twenty-five years on from the launch of the WPS agenda, women peacebuilders’ creativity and contributions to societal peace and security are not only timely, they are even more essential.

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May 12, 2025
Read Post The Odd Couple: Women Peacebuilders and Security Actors Bridging Positions, Building Trust
Bridging Positions, Building Trust:  Women Peacebuilders & Security Actors

ICAN, in partnership with the Permanent Missions of Norway, Sweden, and Canada, the United Kingdom Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office (UKFCDO), the Ministry of Gender, Child and Welfare of South Sudan, the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC), and the National Transformational Leadership Institute (NTLI), convened a 1.5-day workshop to discuss how to strengthen community security as a localized, transformative approach for sustainable peace.

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April 9, 2024
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Five Steps for Sustainable Prevention of Sexual Violence in Conflict

Drawing on two decades of research and practice by women-led organizations specializing in women, peace and security issues and as first responders to sexual violence in fragile contexts, the International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN) presents the following practical guidance to inform governments and policymakers committed to effective prevention of sexual violence in conflict (PSVI).

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November 28, 2022
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CoACT: Engaging Youth to Build Peace and Prevent Election Violence in Uganda

On June 2, 2021, the Coalition for Action on 1325 (CoACT) and the Embassy of Sweden in Kampala hosted a ‘Democracy Talks’ event to discuss youth participation in democratic processes in Uganda. The event was the culmination of over a year of CoACT’s efforts to mobilize youth to build sustainable peace in Uganda. Since May 2020, CoACT has implemented a program to increase inclusiveness and youth participation in election processes, funded by ICAN’s Innovative Peace Fund (IPF).

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June 7, 2021
Read Post CoACT: Engaging Youth to Build Peace and Prevent Election Violence in Uganda
She Builds Peace in Uganda: CoACT

In Uganda, the Coalition for Action on 1325 (CoACT) organized a conference to launch the She Builds Peace campaign.

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December 3, 2020
Read Post She Builds Peace in Uganda: CoACT

The role of women like me—women peacebuilders—becomes very critical because we work with communities where conflict and sexual violence happens. And when it happens, it’s women peacebuilders who are on the ground and are the first responders. We see the faces of these women, we give international organizations the data they need to design their programs. But for us, they are the faces, of women, of men and of children.

– Robinah Rubimbwa National Coordinator, COACT, Uganda

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