From Promise To Practice: Putting Women's And Young Women's Voices At The Heart Of Peace Processes In Africa

(MENAFN- APO Group)

Africa cannot achieve sustainable peace without the full and meaningful participation of women and young people. This was the central message emerging from a high-level parallel session held in Bujumbura on 11 August, bringing together political leaders, women mediators, young leaders, women's rights defenders and peacebuilding actors to reflect on women's participation in peace negotiations and access to justice.

Held as part of the 5th Continental Dialogue on Youth, Peace and Security in Africa and the Women, Peace and Security Forum, the session focused on“From Promise to Practice: Intergenerational Voices on Peace Negotiations and Access to Justice for All Women and Girls.” The discussion provided a platform for different generations of women to share experiences, identify persistent barriers and explore concrete pathways to strengthen women's leadership in peace and security processes.

“Sustainable peace cannot simply be declared”

Opening the session, H.E. Angeline Ndayishimiye, First Lady of the Republic of Burundi, highlighted the indispensable contribution of African women to conflict prevention, community reconciliation, support to survivors and the rebuilding of social cohesion.

Drawing on Burundi's own experience, she emphasized that“sustainable peace cannot simply be declared; it is built every day and passed from one generation to another.”

The First Lady called for stronger intergenerational engagement among women leaders, encouraging women who have contributed to peacebuilding and opened pathways for women's participation to share their experiences, mentor younger women and create opportunities for the next generation.

At the same time, young women were encouraged to take their place in decision-making spaces, engage actively in peace processes and confidently make their voices heard, ensuring that the gains made by previous generations continue to advance women's meaningful participation in peace and decision-making further underscored that peace cannot be separated from justice and dignity, urging participants to move beyond identifying challenges and develop concrete recommendations to strengthen women's participation in peace processes and their access to justice.

Twenty-five years after Resolution 1325: Moving from commitments to implementation

Speaking on behalf of Dr. Sima Bahous, UN Women Executive Director, Ms. Jennet Kem, UN Women Country Representative to Ethiopia, welcomed the gathering and recognized the commitment of the Government of Burundi, the African Union, FemWise-Africa and other partners to advancing the Women, Peace and Security agenda.​

She recalled that UN Security Council Resolution 1325, adopted in 2000, was strongly shaped by the voices, experiences and advocacy of women, including African women peacebuilders.

Ms. Kem emphasized that twenty-five years after its adoption, the debate has moved beyond the question of whether women should participate in peace and security processes. The priority now is to accelerate implementation and translate commitments into tangible results for women and girls.
Important progress has been made across the continent. Thirty-six African Union Member States have adopted National Action Plans on Women, Peace and Security, while networks such as FemWise-Africa and the African Women Leaders Network continue to strengthen women's leadership, mediation capacities and collective action for peace.

However, significant gaps remain.

Women continue to be underrepresented in formal peace negotiations and decision-making structures. Young women face structural barriers that limit their access to mediation, negotiation, leadership and post-conflict recovery processes.

The power of intergenerational leadership

The Bujumbura session placed intergenerational dialogue at the center of efforts to address these gaps. Participants highlighted the importance of connecting the experience, knowledge and resilience of women who have been engaged in peacebuilding with the ideas, innovation and leadership of younger generations.

Such intergenerational exchange can help create pathways for young women to move from being beneficiaries of peace and security initiatives to becoming active leaders, mediators, negotiators and decision-makers.

The discussions also highlighted the need to strengthen linkages between the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) and Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) agendas. Women and young people often experience the consequences of conflict differently, but they also bring complementary perspectives and capacities that are essential to effective peacebuilding.

From promise to practice

The session identified several priorities for accelerating progress, including:

• strengthening women's meaningful participation and leadership in peace negotiations;
• creating pathways for young women to engage in mediation and peacebuilding;
• improving protection and access to justice for women and girls;
• investing in women's economic empowerment as a foundation for sustainable recovery;
• strengthening conflict prevention and community-based peacebuilding; and
• building stronger connections between WPS and YPS initiatives at national, regional and continental levels.

The message from Bujumbura was clear: commitments alone are not enough. The Women, Peace and Security agenda must be translated into concrete action, resources, opportunities and accountability.

As Africa continues to confront complex peace and security challenges, ensuring that women and young women have a meaningful place at the negotiating table is not only a question of equality but an essential aspect of building inclusive, resilient and sustainable peace.

From promise to practice means creating the conditions for women and young women to lead, negotiate, mediate and shape the decisions that determine the future of their communities and their continent.

The Bujumbura dialogue reinforced the importance of investing in women's leadership across generations. Experienced women peacebuilders have a critical role to play in mentoring and opening doors for younger women, while young women bring new perspectives, energy and innovative approaches to peacebuilding.

The future of peace in Africa depends on whose voices are heard today. Women's and young women's voices must be at the heart of it.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of UN Women - Africa.

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