Your Excellency Sahle Work Zewde, President of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia,

Your Excellency Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Patron of AWLN,

Your Excellency Joyce Banda, former president of Malawi,

Excellence Catherine Samba Panza, ancienne President de la République Centrafricaine,

Excellency Aisha Buhari, former First Lady of Nigeria Mme Awa Ndiaye Seck, Representative of UNWomen,

Mme Binta Diop, AU Special Envoy for Women, Peace & Security,

Mme Hannah Tetteh, UN Under-Secretary and Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa

Esteemed participants, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Before I begin, allow to ask to pause for a moment of silence for the civilians in Palestine. Thousands of them, mostly women, girls and children have been murdered. Despite this horrendous situation, the international community has been unable to stop the continued killings of civilians, and the targetting of civilian infrastructure and essential social services. Not even the adoption of a humanitarian ceasefire. It is unacceptable. This is a historic failure of all morality, and any rules that govern our common humanity. I urge you to add your voices to the 153 countries that voted last night at the UNGA to require a humanitarian ceasefire.

I am particularly happy and honored to welcome you to this important meeting here at the Headquarters of our Continental Organization, under the patronage of Her Excellency Sahle-Work Zewde, President of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. Madam President and Dear Sister, allow me to salute your unwavering commitment to the African Agenda throughout your long and illustrious career which include Permanent Representative of Ethiopia to the African Union and later as the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative to the African Union and Head of the UN Office to the AU. In your current position, you continue to be an icon for African women. Madame la Présidente et chère Sœur, merci de ton indéfectible soutien sur toutes les priorités du Continent dont celle concernant le genre et la place de la femme africaine.

I also wish to recognize their Excellencies Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former president of Liberia and with whom we celebrate the peaceful transfer of power in the recent Liberian presidential elections. We are also honoured by the presence of Excellency Joyce Banda former President of Malawi; I recall our recent joint participation responding to the questions and preoccupations of young people from across the Continent at the Luanda Biennale for the Culture of Peace.

Excellence Catherine Samba Panza, ancienne President de la République Centrafricaine, chère Sœur, j’étais témoin de votre courage, sagesse et leadership pendant les moments difficiIes en RCA. Vous avez contribuer à la réussite de la Transition dans votre pays. Votre leadership a permis au pays d’éviter la guerre civile et de revenir à l’ordre constitutionnelle.

To you, Mme Bineta Diop AU Special Envoy for Women in Peace and Security and convener of this Forum, your leadership and determination matched only by your tireless energy to promote the cause of African women, inspires us all.

Indeed, to all of you who have travelled to be here today, I extend my warm welcome and wish to commend your commitment to the empowerment of women, especially African women, through the building of a conducive environment. Gender equality is a central pillar of the African Union’s vision towards an integrated, peaceful and prosperous Continent.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I remember that 10 days after taking office as Chairperson of the Commission in 2017, I visited South Sudan. From Juba, I travelled to a district called Nganiel where I met a group of women displaced by conflict. The word ‘displaced’ has no meaning until you see or experience it.

These women had no tears left to cry. I will never forget their quiet resilience and strength in the face of the horrors they had experienced.

I confess this encounter has left an Indelible mark on my heart. And it was at that moment that I decided that my tenure as Chairperson of this Commission, would be linked to fighting for the equal participation of women in all spheres of life, but in particular to push for their voices to be heard in the corridors of power, as key and irreplaceable actors in the prevention and resolution of conflicts.

As they are often the disproportionate victims of war and the price that they pay, watching their families and communities torn apart, and the violence they endure, no peace process should occur without the full participation of women. No one can speak about women and their experiences, if not a woman herself. And no one should deny the voices of more than half of our Continent’s population. It’s a question of justice and equity.

The African Union as an institution took up the Women in Peace and Security Agenda in earnest, in line with the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security. This includes Decisions by the Peace and Security Council, the establishment of mechanisms like the Panel of the Wise that now has full gender parity, FEMwise which is the Network of African Women in Conflict Prevention and Mediation, and indeed the AWLN Network co-established by the Office of the Envoy on Women in Peace and Security, amongst others.

The growing number of our Member States that now have Regional and National Action Plans to track and implement UN Security Council Resolution 1325, is also testament to the improving policy environment to support the inclusion and participation of women in peace and security. All these elements constitute critical pillars of the AU Peace and Security Architecture (APSA).

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

The participation and leadership of women in AU election observer missions is also growing. In fact, the AU election observer missions currently underway in Egypt and Madagascar, are led by women. Woman leadership in election processes, which we know can be a key driver for conflict before, during and after voting, is essential in breaking stereotypes of who should hold leadership positions or exercise the power of arbitration at key moments of political competition in our societies. I also take pride that Representatives of the African Union in key and strategic diplomatic capitals such as Abidjan, Kinshasa, New York, Madagascar and Washington DC, are women. I’m particularly pleased to see my Representative to the UN in New York, Ambassador Fatima Kyari Mohammed, who is here with us today. Thank you, Ambassador Fatima.

Much has been achieved to ensure the equal participation for women on issues of peace and security, but it is simply not enough. From the Sahel to the Lake Chad Basin, the Horn of Africa, Sudan, the Great Lakes Region, DRC and as south as Mozambique, the face of conflict, and mostly as victims of conflict, remains that of a woman. The growing phenomenon of climate change not only aggravates the plight of women but has also become a key driver for conflict and instability. We must do more to ensure that the face of leadership in the negotiation for peace, is female.

Your collective work as members of the African Woman Leaders Network, and the establishment of national chapters, the deployment of solidarity visits to advocate for the work of the courageous women, young and old, in zones of conflict and where their voices remain sidelined in political discourse, has been pivotal in highlighting what women are doing to bring peace through this powerful Continental Network.

The pooling of your different experience and expertise in the field of peace and security during your deliberations will, I have no doubt, produce the expected effect, namely:

the development of a strategy to increase the quota of women in peace processes in Africa. You will achieve this after identifying the causes of the bottlenecks and assessing the progress made by Member States. By embedding such a strategy within a set of recommendations that I trust you will formulate during your Meeting, you will have prepared a solid dossier for submission to our policy organs for consideration and adoption.

Among the working documents you will discuss, is the latest African Union Report on Women, Peace and Security which is now in its third Edition. Today’s Forum also gives me the opportunity to launch this important Report.

You can count on my continued and complete support. Not only as a leader, but also a proud father. It is my dearest wish that all our children grow up in justice, peace, safety, dignity and hope. And your work today is a key investment towards that Africa We Want. The future is female; Africa’s future is female.

I wish you fruitful deliberations.