The attention of the Management of WANEP is drawn to a letter circulated by some associates of the Women in Peace Building Program (WIPNET) of the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding purporting that WIPNET is an autonomous organization effective July 2006. WIPNET was conceptualized to engender peacebuilding in West Africa by increasing the number of women in the field given the socio-cultural context that marginalized them. WIPNET, a program of WANEP aims at mainstreaming the critical role of women in peacebuilding and enhance their leadership at all levels of West African communities.

This disclaimer seeks to clearly convey to all WANEP partners, member organizations and friends that the WIPNET program is, and remains, a core program of WANEP. We further seek to kindly remind all our current (and potential) partners who support program activities of WIPNET to deal directly with WANEP as an institution. We are taking appropriate steps to ensure that all planned activities and programs of WIPNET in the sub-region are fully implemented at national level to ensure greater ownership, impact and sustainability on the ground.

The Management of WANEP further urges those who are nursing the intension of disintegrating WIPNET to refrain from such moves. While WANEP regrets the course of action taken by these individuals claiming to be founding members, we appeal to all member organizations of WANEP to remain focused on the vision and mission of WANEP. All efforts are being made to ensure that WIPNET program just like all other programs are effectively implemented so that the institution maintains its lead role as a credible organization working in integrative and collaborative peacebuilding at the service of West Africa.

Emmanuel H. Bombande
Executive Director