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Our Global Reach
12 February 2026
Countering Extremism in Iraq: A New Horizon for Peace

Iraqi Al-Firdaws Society (Al-Firdaws) is taking a new approach to peacebuilding. Their project, Horizon: Promoting Community Peace, supported by ICAN’s Innovative Peace Fund (IPF), brings together youth, local security forces, and civil society actors to address violent extremism through dialogue, education, and community-based action. 

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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 October 2025
Open Statement to the United Nations Security Council on behalf of Women Peacebuilders Marking 25 Years of the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda

On October 6, 2025, the U.N. Security Council holds its annual open debate on Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security. Today, we are not issuing a new statement. Instead, we are honoring our community of women peacebuilders—who appeared before the Security Council throughout these 25 years, speaking for the millions they represent—by echoing their messages.

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Country - Kenya

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About the Organization

Coast Education Centre (COEC) is an organization based in Kenya that promotes the participation of youth, women, and other marginalized social groups in community development. COEC contributes to local, national, and international efforts to promote human rights, development, and social well-being. Its programs focus on issues including women’s and youth empowerment, human rights and religious tolerance, youth’s political participation, and addressing violent extremism.

ICAN’s Innovative Peace Fund has supported COEC since 2018, including supporting the organization to draft a women’s countering violence extremism charter which was added to the national strategy on counterterrorism to ensure a gendered perspective and increased collaboration with civil society.

Core Areas of Work:

  • Peacemaking
  • PVE
  • Women and Youth Empowerment

Stories & Features

Our Strategies, Our Peace: ICAN’s Writers’ Workshop  

ICAN convened 20 members of WASL in Lisbon for the “Our Strategies, Our Peace” Writers’ Workshop. This unique gathering provided a secure and creative space for women peacebuilders to share their strategies, experience, expertise, and stories from conflict and crisis contexts.

Addu Women's Association Allamin Foundation AWAW CAGEAD CIASE COEC ICAN Featured Mobaderoon PAIMAN Rescue Me WCDCA Wi'am Women's Alliance for Security Leadership WPSO
October 29, 2025
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She Builds Peace in Kenya: COEC

COEC launched the She Builds Peace campaign with a conference that brought together government officials, religious clergy, members of peace committees, and women peacebuilders for a discussion on the role of women peacebuilders in Kenya.

COEC Exclude from RSS She Builds Peace Countries
December 3, 2020
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Kenya’s COEC: Gender-Inclusivity and Countering Violent Extremism

With support from ICAN’s Innovative Peace Fund (IPF), COEC created the Coast Women’s CVE Charter, which it presented to the Government of Kenya in October 2018. The recommendations focused on psychosocial support, gender-sensitive monitoring and evaluation of CVE policy and programs, and fund availability to women-led organizations.

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November 19, 2020
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Sanam Anderlini and Halima Mohamed Featured Speakers at UN Group of Friends of PVE

“Global Leadership, Local Partnerships Women’s Leadership and Gender Perspectives on Preventing Violent Extremism,” high-level UN meeting was attended by the Secretary-General António Guterres and more than twenty Permanent Representatives of Member States.

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March 8, 2019
Read Post Sanam Anderlini and Halima Mohamed Featured Speakers at UN Group of Friends of PVE

WASL to me means family, and I have a lot of sisters across the world. You connect to everybody in different ways. You have those who speak different languages, but you get a hug, and it’s like we all understand one another. The struggles that one goes through and what I go through is the same, because we are women peacebuilders, human rights defenders.

– Halima Mohamed Executive Director, Coast Education Center, Kenya

More Countries & Partners

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Women Relief Aid (WRA) South Sudan

Women Relief Aid (WRA) is a women-led, non-governmental, nonprofit, non-political, and non-religious organization based in South Sudan.

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Madaniya Sudan

Madaniya is a nonprofit, non-governmental organization that was established in 2018 by a group of women activists in Sudan.

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Kareemat Center Syria

Kareemat Center is an organization that supports conflict-affected Syrian women and children who sought refuge in Turkey.

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Mobaderoon Syria

Mobaderoon is a Syrian organization that works to promote active citizenship and build trust to support and sustain peaceful coexistence.

Read Post Mobaderoon