Luanda - Angolan president João Lourenço on Friday in Luanda defended the need for the adoption in Africa of policies to empower women to lead and be significantly involved in peace processes on the continent.
The Angolan statesman, who was speaking at the opening of the High Level Forum of Women of the Great Lakes Region, said there must be willingness to include them in order to achieve lasting stability in African countries.
“The challenges we face are enormous and their repercussions far-reaching. Peace in the Great Lakes region is not only a necessity for its inhabitants, but also for the entire African continent,” Lourenço said.
For João Lourenço, governments, civil society, regional organizations and international partners must work together to strengthen peace agreements, support reconciliation efforts and guarantee humanitarian aid to those most in need.
The Angolan president underscored that peace must be the basis for sustainable development to unite and conduct the ongoing peace processes and agree on others.
In his speech, the Head of State also addressed the need to focus on the promotion of education, healthcare and economic opportunities for all, especially women and young people to guarantee a prosperous future.
Lourenço said he hopes for peace and prosperity for Africa led by its own citizens and represented by a dynamic force in the international arena, underscoring that African children and young people must now learn the “culture of peace and tolerance, through peace education and solidarity, international cooperation, social harmony and economic transformation”.
The High Level Forum of Women of the Great Lakes Region, which runs until Saturday in Luanda, is focused on the crisis in the region, with an emphasis on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Running under the motto “Strengthening women's participation and leadership in peace and security processes in the Great Lakes region”, the forum facilitated by the African Union through the Office of the Special Envoy for Women, Peace and Security, aims to promote dialogue and collaboration, as well as achieving a holistic and effective implementation of the “Women, Peace and Security Agenda”, integrating gender perspectives into policies and programs in the region. VIC/TED/AMP
