The Ghana Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Dr Angela Lusigi has called for meaningful participation of women and girls in peacebuilding and conflict prevention to achieve lasting peace in West Africa.
Dr Angela Lusigi speaking at a panel discussion on the theme, “Women, Peace and Security: Supporting the meaningful participation of women and girls in peacebuilding and conflict prevention in West Africa, noted that research had shown that women’s participation in conflict prevention and resolution advanced peace and the processes for peacebuilding.
Dr Lusigi further stated that the International Peace Institute, for instance, had found out that women’s participation in the peacebuilding process increased the probability of a peace agreement lasting at least two years by 20 per cent and a peace agreement lasting 15 years by 35 per cent.
She also added that other studies had shown that women’s inclusion in peace building processes increased the quality of the peace.
“Out of the 18 peace agreements reached in 2022, only one was signed or witnessed by a representative of a women’s organisation. With the rising number of unconstitutional changes in government and conflicts in our region, we simply cannot afford to leave women out of the peace and security sector,”
Dr Angela Lusigi
Furthermore, Dr Angela Lusigi recounted that the United Nations Secretary-General’s recent report on its 1325 resolution revealed that nearly a quarter of a century after its adoption, women’s full, equal, and meaningful participation in building peace should have been the norm and not an aspiration or an afterthought.
Meaningful Participation of Women in Peace Building
She, therefore, outlined three key opportunities that the region could adopt to galvanize action and investment to ensure women’s full, equal and meaningful participation in building peace and conflict prevention.
These she mentioned include the need to increase the percentage of women in peacebuilding and mediation processes, and the need to provide means to amplify and share experiences across the continent through stronger collaborative networks across borders.
“There are many examples and lessons to be learned from courageous women leading peace movements. For instance, the women of Liberia who were instrumental in ending the second civil war and institutionalising Women Situation Rooms to monitor elections”.
Dr Angela Lusigi
On the other hand, the Commandant of the Kofi Annan International Peace Training Centre (KAIPTC), Major General Richard Addo Gyane underscored the important role women play in peacebuilding,
He posited that it is already a categorical fact that the resolution of conflicts is no longer the coveted preserve of men, hence the need for stakeholders in peacebuilding to acknowledge the need to include women in peace building conversations and activities.
The programme aimed to explore the role of women in promoting peace and security in West Africa and provide a platform for policymakers, academics, civil society and other stakeholders to share the lessons learnt from their experiences of conflict situations.
It was also for them to come up with recommendations to support the meaningful participation of women and girls in bringing about stability after disasters, preventing conflict and creating durable peace in conflict situations.
The event was supported by the Australian High Commission, Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), West Africa Democracy Solidarity Network (WADEMOS), and West Africa Network For Peacebuilding (WANEP).
The panel members at the discussion include the President of the Association of Women Leadership and Sustainable Development (AFLED), Mali, Mariam Diallo Drame and the regional analyst on Women, Peace and Security of WANEP, Nora Da Do Noviekou.
Other panel members include the Executive Director of the Forum for Security and Development in Africa (FOSDA), Theodora Williams Anti, and the Ghana Armed Forces’ Brigadier General, Anita Asmah.
