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Sahel Conference says women’s full participation essential to conflict resolution and economic recovery
an article by UN Women (abridged)
Some 40 women from the Sahel met in Brussels today
(April 9) to underline the crucial contributions
women from the region are making to economic
recovery, political stability and conflict
prevention, and to explore ways to enhance their
role in these areas.
conference logo - copyright European Union
click on photo to enlarge
Organized by the European Union, the Office of the
Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Sahel
and UN Women, the Conference on Women’s Leadership
in the Sahel gathered women from Algeria, Burkina
Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, as
well as representatives from the African Union and
the Economic Community of West African States
(ECOWAS) today in Brussels.
The Conference is a first step in efforts to ensure
that the voices of women from the Sahel are heard
and that their perspective is taken into account
when addressing the challenges in the sub-region.
“Ultimately, the women of the Sahel will be
instrumental in putting the region on a path to
stability,” said the Secretary-General’s Special
Envoy for the Sahel, Romano Prodi. “I want to tap
into the potential of women to accelerate progress
in the Sahel. The discussions that took place
today and the recommendations by the participants
will help us in seeking sustainable solutions for
the Sahel” . . .
In looking at ways to create more opportunities
for women’s full participation, the participants,
both from governmental institutions and civil
society organizations, decided to establish an
advisory group which will provide information and
facilitate consultations with the international
community and regional institutions. The
conclusions of the Conference will also be
presented at the High-Level donor’s conference in
support of development in Mali on 15 May, in
Brussels, in line with the recognition by the
participants of the need to have a comprehensive
and regional approach.
“It is well established that for peace to be
sustainable – a peace that extends beyond the
simple act of signing a peace agreement – it needs
to be rooted in justice and inclusion,” said
Lakshmi Puri, Acting Head of UN Women and
Assistant Secretary-General. “There can be no
comprehensive strategy to address the sustained
and systemic crisis without women’s full
participation. This has been stressed by many UN
resolutions, by the international community, as
well as by women’s organizations themselves. We
hope this Conference will usher in concrete
efforts to increase the participation of women and
gender experts in conflict resolution and in the
transition to peace, economic recovery, democracy
and stability,” she added.
Among the recommendations designed to help sustain
efforts towards peace, security and development in
the Sahel, the participants emphasized the need to
ensure that at least 30 per cent of participants
in decision-making and politics are women,
including through the adoption of positive
measures. They also agreed on the need for
national governments, regional organizations and
the international community to support an
increased participation of women in conflict-
resolution initiatives and to strengthen their
entrepreneurial skills and access to services.
Regarding resources, the participants also called
for sustained and predictable financing for
initiatives dedicated to gender equality.
Resume des
conclusions – Sahel (French only)
(Click here for a French version of this article)
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DISCUSSION
Question(s) related to this article:
Do women have a special role to play in the peace movement?,
* * * * *
Latest reader comment:
The 30 articles in CPNN linked to this question make it clear that women indeed have a special role to play in the peace movement. See the following for an historical explanation of why this is true.
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