Cairo, Egypt - CCCPA hosted a dinner in honor of H.E. Soyata Maiga, Chair of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights on 19 September 2018. The event is part of CCCPA’s flagship program, “The Boutros Boutros-Ghali Global Speakers Series”, honoring the late UN Secretary-General. Ms. Maiga spoke about the importance of women’s roles in addressing peace and security challenges in Africa. She highlighted that despite many international and regional commitments made by states, “the absence and under-representation of African women in formal processes of prevention, mediation, management, and conflict resolution is the main reason for the low level of implementation of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325.” Resolution 1325 is the first resolution in the UN to recognize the role of women in promoting peace and security and the importance of their full and equal participation in peacebuilding efforts. To date, 22 African states have adopted National Action Plans on the implmentation of UNSCR 1325.
Ms. Maiga also discussed the legal and institutional standards recognizing women's participation in peace processes, the role of women in the consolidation and maintenance of peace in Africa, the African Union’s initiatives on the protection of human rights for peacebuilding in Africa, and the challenges women face in peacebuilding. She presented recommendations for state parties, development partners, and civil society to encourage and enable African women to participate effectively in peacebuilding processes. Ms.Maiga concluded by stating that “the road ahead is still long and sustained efforts are needed from all stakeholders, first and foremost states parties because, peace and security will only be achieved, if the gender perspective is fully integrated into policies, plans, programs and strategies for conflict prevention and resolution.”
The Boutros Boutros-Ghali Global Speakers is a series of high-level events, launched in 2016, in honor of the late Secretary-General of the United Nations. The series provides an opportunity for global leaders to address the most pressing issues of our time. This special event of the series brought together representatives from the Ministries of Education, Planning, Justice, Higher Education, Social Solidarity, Foreign Affairs, and Defense, as well as representatives from the National Council for Human Rights, Women Disability Affairs, and the Institute of African Research and Studies at Cairo University.
The event comes as part of the ongoing UNDP project funded by the Government of Japan, “Consolidating Peace, Security and Stability in Africa III - 2017-2018”.
