Africa-Press – Angola. Former Liberian President Ellen Johnson praised the High-Level Forum of Women of the Great Lakes Region, held in Luanda from the 18th to the 19th of this month, to analyze the ongoing crisis in the region, with emphasis on the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).“It was a very significant meeting”, highlighted the first woman to reach the post of President in Africa, during the last day of the event, attended by the Vice-President of the Republic, Esperança da Costa.
The former stateswoman, who was once a Nobel Peace Prize winner, also praised the presence of several prominent African leaders at the event, who have distinguished themselves in peace processes in their countries of origin.
Ellen Johnson stressed that their presence at this Forum demonstrated, once again, their commitment to building and maintaining peace on the continent. She said that they need to be more open to continue presenting their ideas on peace.
“Women, in general, are committed to contributing to the peace process,” stressed the Nobel Peace Prize winner, calling on African leaders, both men and women, to create more spaces for women to be heard in peace processes.
The former Liberian leader assured that women are prepared to sign a peace declaration, adding that, at the African Union Summit, they will urge all African leaders on the need to work towards achieving and maintaining peace on the continent.
“We are tired of talking. Now we want action to achieve peace,” stressed Ellen Johnson, who urged women to be strong in mediating for peace in Africa, reminding them that this will be good for their children. “Women and children are the ones who suffer most from war,” she recalled.
The holding of the High-Level Forum of Women of the Great Lakes Region is an initiative of President João Lourenço, in his capacity as facilitator of the “Luanda Peace Process” for the DRC and acting president of the International Conference for the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR).
The event was held in partnership with the Office of the Special Envoy of the African Union Commission (AUC) for Women, Peace and Security (WPS), in collaboration with the African Women Leaders Network (AWLN), FemWise-Africa and with the support of partners, namely the Office of the Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General for the Great Lakes Region (OSESG-GLR), La Francophonie, the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ), the World Bank and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
Congolese women applaud the initiative
The Congolese Women’s Fund welcomed President João Lourenço’s initiative to organize the High-Level Forum of Women of the Great Lakes Region, which, in their view, opens up new hope in the process of achieving peace in the DRC.
“We believe that the time has come to silence the weapons in the DRC in favor of peace and social cohesion,” highlighted the president of the Fund, Nzale Kove Thérèse, in her message of thanks.
He also said that the Forum is not an end in itself, but the beginning of new concrete actions to promote justice and equality in the Great Lakes region.
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