STATEMENT BY
H. E. MR. AMARA S. M. SOWA
AMBASSADOR/DEPUTY PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE
Thank you, Madam President,
At the outset I would like to thank the United Kingdom for the smooth conduct of their presidency in November and to congratulate the United States on their assumption of the presidency for this final month of 2024. Be assured of Sierra Leone’s support and cooperation.
Madam President,
I thank the United States presidency for convening this meeting on a topic that my country holds dear as one of its key policy priorities.
I thank Under Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo and Madame Tahani Abass Ali for their insightful briefings.
The Secretary-General’s recent annual report on Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) paints a thought-provoking picture of both the gains and the challenges to the full, equal, and meaningful participation of women in political, social, and economic spheres of society.
Despite the undeniable contributions women make to peacebuilding and conflict resolution, both locally and globally; and despite women being disproportionately affected by conflict, violence, and restrictive policies, their participation in peace processes remains limited.
It is in this regard that we want to highlight the African Union’s Revised Policy on Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development (PCRD Policy) which includes a dedicated pillar on the role of women in post conflict reconstruction and development as a positive regional step forward, effectively ensuring the active and meaningful participation of women in conflict prevention, management and resolution, including peace negotiations.
At the recent High-Level Regional Forum of Women of the Great Lakes Region conference in October, women engaged with key stakeholders, including HE João Manuel Gonçalves, on developing pathways to centralize their intervention and participation in the ongoing Nairobi and Luanda peace processes for the region.
Madam President,
Resolution 1325 is a revolutionary global norm that puts inclusion at the heart of conflict prevention. However, for young women these ideals may often seem a distant dream as they face intersecting discriminations of sex and age.
When we demand that young women be included in decision-making, in shaping the future of their societies, or in building peace, we have to understand and acknowledge that so many of the horrible things that happen to women, in war or even in so called peaceful settings, disproportionately affect adolescent girls and young women. Whether we are speaking about sexual violence, forced marriage, obstetric violence, abductions, trafficking, loss of education, or increased burden of care, the majority of victims are adolescent girls and young women.
In the past five years, we have seen young women engaged in various activities aimed at peace and social change across the globe and doing so even in the face of grave danger and repression.
We have seen young women strive for peace, democracy, and gender equality in many conflict-affected countries. Research shows that participation of women on the front line of these efforts is highly correlated with the chance that a social movement will use non-violent methods and succeed.
Collaborative approaches to peace building that prioritize gender equality from the outset, including gender-responsive conflict analysis, participatory planning, and robust monitoring and evaluation systems, are key to ensuring that women are actively involved in all stages of peace processes.
However, Transformational intergenerational leadership requires us to go further.
It starts first with the acknowledgment that it is important for building sustainable and lasting peace. Reports such as “Intergenerational Peace Building among Women” (Kroc Institute of Peace and Justice) have shown that “intergenerational collaboration has been linked to stronger community cohesion; improved understanding between younger and older populations; greater participation in community development by older people, youth and children; and decreased fear of crime”.
Intergenerational collaboration with women peace defenders is an important way to ensure younger women play a meaningful role in shaping the present and winning the future, but it will not achieve the desired impact if we continue to limit it to bringing young women to consultation spaces on the margins of actual decision-making.
When we speak of women’s meaningful participation including intergenerational collaboration, specifically with young women, we must put in place robust measures to achieve this, or it will remain lip service. Meaningful participation is not tokenism- either that of merely being a woman or merely being a young person.
This requires more than normative frameworks. It requires practical political, financial, and logistical support to women’s groups, funds and the like.
There have been a few examples of initiatives to include youth in peacebuilding; for example in South Sudan where a Peacebuilding Fund project worked directly for the first time with members of youth gangs to reduce violence and insecurity, empowering young women and young men to become agents of peace in their communities. And yet still we do not have enough examples as a matter of course that imitate good practice or improve on it.
We must be intentional in recognizing the factors and fostering the eco-system for successful intergenerational collaborations. Studies have shown that the first of these factors is mutual respect and recognition of expertise.
Another crucial factor that advances intergenerational peacebuilding appears to be trust and meaningful one-on-one relationships. This requires time and intentionality for it to be sustainable long term.
Creating the space at national and international levels where women, and young women in particular, can have their voices heard, acknowledging that women and youth are not homogenous groups, and adopting different approaches to engagement is also crucial. Creating the space also means recognizing that both women and youth peacebuilders and peacebuilding initiatives need to be both better and directly funded. Flexibility in funding can also be used as a means of collaboration to advance intergenerational peacebuilding. That flexibility means donors need to be creative in thinking beyond a project approach and allocating sufficient direct funds long term, with a view to creating or developing sustainable institutions for transformational leadership.
Governments can also play a role in fostering intergenerational collaboration. Sierra Leone has a population that is both majority youthful and majority female. We recognize that engaging diverse female stakeholders means engaging both diverse older and younger women.
In essence, across the generations women must not only have a say in the development and implementation of peace processes during and after conflict but should also be actively involved in national development activities that help forestall conflict. The development of National Action Plans (NAPs), informed by regional and global frameworks, is essential in this regard. This aligns with tools like the African Union Continental Results Framework, the European Union Strategic Approach to WPS, and the UN System Wide Action Plan, which help to ensure coherent action at all levels. In this regard, on 3rd October 2024 Sierra Leone launched the Third Generation National Action Plan (SILNAP) to enhance women’s role in peace and development and, reaffirming Sierra Leone’s commitment to advancing women’s participation in peacebuilding, leadership, and national development.
Let me conclude, Madam President, by underscoring that Sierra Leone remains steadfast in its commitment to gender equality, women’s empowerment, and the WPS agenda. We recognize the need for greater intergenerational collaboration among women peace builders, international organizations, national governments, civil society, and other stakeholders in achieving the full objectives of SCR 1325. As such we have built-in gender equality and youth inclusion in all of our national planning with clear recognition that achieving our national development goals will not be possible without it.
I thank you.
