Women brainstorm on peace-building in Sierra Leone

January 15, 2007 - (Awareness Times Newspaper – Freetown) The Ministry of Social Welfare Gender and Children’s Affairs, in collaboration with UNICEF and the United Nations Peace Building Support Office, has organized a two-day National Consultation for enhancing women’s engagement with the Peace Building Commission in Sierra Leone. The meeting, which attracted a galaxy of important personalities, including women, commenced last Wednesday, 10th January, at the Kimbima Hotel, Aberdeen, in Freetown.

Addressing participants at the workshop, Minister of Social Welfare Gender and Children’s Affairs, Mrs. Shirley Gbujama, said her Ministry will continue to hold national consultative meetings with women’s organizations, civil society groups and Government representatives, so as to ensure that peace is consolidated in Freetown and the interior. This, According to her, could only be archived through small group discussions wherein, if participants are given the right atmosphere, they will be able to identify key areas for peace-building in the country from a gender perspective.

Ms. Yasmine Jusu-Sheriff, in her brief statement, admonished the Peace Building Commission (PBC) not to hesitate in any way to bring women on board which, according to her, is a major way of accelerating the much-desired peace we need in the county. Yasmine, now Mrs. Fofanah, continued to admonish that women, as peace-loving people, should be given the priority to make recommendations as to what strategy should be adopted, in order to ensure peace-building.

A Representative of the Peace-Building Support Office from the United States, Vina Najibull, informed that the purpose of the Peace-Building Commission is to bring together all relevant actors concerned, thereby putting together all necessary resources to achieve sustainable peace. Najibull further informed that the Commission constitutes 31 Member States, with Angola and Norway currently as Chair and Vice Chair persons respectively, adding that the Peace-Building Commission is a subsidiary body of both the Security Council and the General Assembly of the United Nations.

In her contribution, a Representative of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) New York, Anne Marie Goetz, said that there are four priority areas which the organization has as focus, among which include employment and empowerment, adding that young people must be involved in decision-making and community-based services. She also noted that women issues should be properly addressed. Goetz said women must be given both economic and physical security, including human right and political participation, adding that women’s rights and roles in peace-building must not be seen as a threat to sustainable peace because, according to her, they do not take arms to protest for gender bias discrimination. Speaking, Chief Human Rights Officer, Benedict Sannoh, in a brief statement, informed that although Sierra Leone is now enjoying peace, that peace, according to him, still remains fragile until the root-causes of the conflict was fully addressed.

From: http://news.sl/drwebsite/publish/article_20054493.shtml