DAKAR, Sénégal, 16 September 2024 /African Media Agency (AMA)/- The United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) in partnership with UNWOMEN, organized form 10 to 12 September in Somone, Senegal, a three-day capacity building workshop for West Africa and Sahel Women’s Rapid Response Team, women leaders and representatives of women’s networks of the region.
The workshop aimed at enhancing leadership of women, including young women, in responding to conflict and emergency situations in West Africa and the Sahel region, in the view to ensure that early interventions and mediation efforts are inclusive and sensitive to the needs of the communities, particularly those of women, young people and children.
Over 25 women leaders have been trained in conflict prevention and management, peace negotiation, and mediation, over these three days. The workshop sought to increase capacity and readiness of regional and local women mediators to respond to conflicts in the region, as well as to ensure mainstreaming of gender and human-rights responsive approaches, and inclusion of the perspectives of women, young people and other minorities in decision-making during conflicts, and to promote effective prevention and protection from Sexual Gender Based Violence during and after conflicts.
The opening ceremony of the workshop was chaired by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel, Leonardo Santos Simão. In his remarks, Mr. Simão pointed out the low involvement of women in mediation efforts, mentioning that “although women’s participation has increased, it is worth noting that approximately seven out of ten peace processes still do not include women as mediators or signatories”. He stated that “Yet there is evidence that their presence in the decision-making sphere for conflict resolution can significantly reduce the likelihood of violent escalation of conflicts, while increasing the prospects for peaceful resolution of existing conflicts”.
Throughout the workshop, which was facilitated by the United Nations Standby Team of Senior Mediation Advisors (SBT), participants actively engaged exploring conflict resolution and mediation initiatives as well as advocacy for human rights, and particularly women’s rights, in the region.
At the end of the training session and discussions, women leaders expressed their concern about the conflict situation in West African and Sahel countries, as well as their consequences on women and families. They conveyed their willingness to put at the service of States in the region their expertise in preventive diplomacy and mediation. They recommended to the heads of mediation missions to include women mediators in all processes of mediation, dialogue, negotiation and signing of peace agreements in West Africa and Sahel countries. The participants also adopted a roadmap to be implemented over a year, and requested UNOWAS and UNWOMEN to establish a database of women mediators from West Africa and the Sahel, and to set up a standby team of women mediator leaders ready to integrate any conflict prevention, mediation, peace and security mission in the region.
Distributed by African Media Agency on behalf of UNOWAS.
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