Africa-Press – Angola. The High-Level Forum of Women of the Great Lakes Region, which ended on Saturday in Luanda, encouraged the President of the Republic, João Lourenço, to continue with actions aimed at maintaining peace in the region.The encouragement of women leaders in the Great Lakes Region was expressed in the final statement of the meeting, read by the Secretary of the President of the Republic for Social Affairs, Marilena da Conceição Gamboa.
The participants also congratulated the Angolan statesman for holding the aforementioned Forum, which analyzed the ongoing crisis in the Great Lakes, with emphasis on the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The High-Level Forum of Women of the Great Lakes Region, held over two consecutive days (18th and 19th of this month), in the Angolan capital, took place under the theme Strengthening the Participation and Leadership of Women in Peace and Security Processes in the Great Lakes Region.
The event, an initiative of President João Lourenço, in his capacity as facilitator of the Luanda Peace Process for the DRC, 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).
Among the many female figures from the continent who attended the Forum, the following stand out: former Presidents of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Sahle-Work Zewde, of the Central African Republic, Catherine Samba-Panza, of the Republic of Liberia and Patron of the AWLN, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and the Special Envoy of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission for Women, Peace and Security, Bineta Diop.
Also present at the event were the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the DRC and Head of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO), Bintou Keita, and the former Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.
The Forum had around 604 participants
The opening ceremony of the High-Level Forum of Women of the Great Lakes Region was hosted by President João Lourenço, African Union Champion for Peace and Reconciliation in Africa and mediator of the Luanda Peace Process for the DRC and current president of the International Conference for the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR).
In his speech, the Angolan statesman highlighted, with regret, the devastating impact of the conflict and insecurity on women and girls in the region, including mass displacement, the increase in the number of cases of sexual violence, loss of livelihoods, limited access to basic services, such as health care, education, food and other basic needs.
President João Lourenço also highlighted the crucial role of women in peacebuilding, emphasizing that their involvement in peace processes is essential, given their importance in local initiatives, experiences in conflicts and their unique ability to promote the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts.
The Forum brought together a diverse group of stakeholders, including the Governments of Angola, Burundi and the DRC, as well as prominent women leaders from the continent, the diplomatic community accredited to Angola and representatives of civil society organizations, religious and academic institutions from the African Great Lakes countries.
The Forum aimed to mobilize collective support and solidarity to improve the situation of women, children and vulnerable groups affected by the conflict in the Great Lakes region, especially in the eastern DRC, as well as to initiate a change of approach, with a view to seeking inclusive strategies, in which women take the lead in regional efforts to prevent, resolve and consolidate peace.
During the Forum, participants discussed the impact of peace, security and the humanitarian situation on the lives of women in conflict zones in the region, women’s involvement in peace processes and efforts to promote participation, practical ways to strengthen women’s participation in peace processes and sharing experiences from the region.
Maria do Rosário Bragança considers the Forum a historic act for Africa
The Minister of State for Social Affairs, Maria do Rosário Bragança, stated yesterday that the Forum held in Luanda allowed for the dynamization and transition from aspiration to the promotion of a culture of peace on the continent.
Maria do Rosário Bragança, who was speaking at the closing of the two-day event, said that the Forum is not a meeting that seeks visibility, but will be decisive, in an incisive way, in reversing the difficult situation that leads to backwardness and prevents the development and prosperity of our peoples. We hope that the seed that we planted here, for the end of armed conflicts, will flourish and transform our peoples, she stressed.
The Minister of State for Social Affairs said that this Forum had written a very important page in the history of the contribution of women from the Great Lakes region to the construction of peace, with the privilege of having managed to bring together the main protagonists of the African continent. The opening of the meeting was attended by the President of the Republic.
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