Involve women in conflict resolutions, male politicians told

HILDA MHAGAMA

Former president of the Pan-African Parliament Dr Gertrude Mongella

COUNTRIES affected by conflict should increase women’s participation in conducting peace negotiations because their contribution can increase chances of a peaceful resolution.

Speaking during the Tanzania 2017 Peace Summit in Dar es Salaam yesterday, the former president of the Pan-African Parliament, Dr Gertrude Mongella, said women had already demonstrated their ability if given a chance to bring about peace, reconciliation and development.

She said that women are also advocates of peace, relief work and mediation, saying that they have played prominent roles in peace processes in the Horn of Africa such as in Sudan and Burundi, where they have contributed as observers.

“Women are not part of the problem, in most cases they are dragged by men into conflicts, which means we are in a better position to help them find a peaceful resolution,” she said.

Ms Mongella further said that agenda for peace was not new to women, as it started in Mexico during the first world conference on the status of women, therefore for them to participate in peacekeeping processes it will echo their dreams in all women conferences that had been taking place around the world.

On October, the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 marked its 17th anniversary, the most translated resolution to date. This resolution marks the first time the Security Council recognized that men and women experience conflict differently and that women play an integral role in conflict prevention, resolution and recovery.

The summit powered by a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), Women Advancement for Economic and Leadership Empowerment in Africa (WAELE/ARCELFA), went under the theme ‘the role of women in peace and conflict resolution in Africa’.

Founder and President of WAELE/ARCELFA, Dr Basirat Nahibi, said the summit hinges on the fact that though women and girls suffer more from violent conflicts and their experiences differ from those of men and boys, they are largely invisible regarding conflict management and peace building initiative and mechanisms.

“Together, we have innovative ideas, solutions and means. What are we waiting for?” she queried.

Dr Nahibi said that despite much rhetoric and many commitments, the inclusion of women and gender expertise in designing and fulfilling peace accords was unacceptably low, calling on the conflict-affected countries to engage women’s groups as key partners in national and regional action plans.

She further said women were integral to making peace more robust and sustainable, and that it was the responsibility of all relevant actors to ensure that their representation, human rights and gender expertise were embedded in all efforts to prevent and resolve conflicts.