Africa’s Peace Depends on Women and Young Voices at the Table

Burundi’s First Lady, H.E. Angeline Ndayishimiye, described African women as essential contributors to conflict prevention, community reconciliation, survivor support and the rebuilding of trust after violence.

Africa's peace efforts will remain incomplete when women and young people are excluded from the rooms where conflicts are resolved, and societies are rebuilt. This message shaped a high-level session held in Bujumbura on 11 August during the 5th Continental Dialogue on Youth, Peace and Security in Africa and the Women, Peace and Security Forum. Political leaders, women mediators, youth representatives, rights defenders and peacebuilding professionals gathered under the theme 'From Promise to Practice: Intergenerational Voices on Peace Negotiations and Access to Justice for All Women and Girls,' sharing practical ideas for turning public commitments into real influence, protection and leadership opportunities.

Peace Is Built Through Daily Work

Burundi's First Lady, H.E. Angeline Ndayishimiye, described African women as essential contributors to conflict prevention, community reconciliation, survivor support and the rebuilding of trust after violence. Drawing from Burundi's experience, she explained that lasting peace is created through daily effort and carried forward from one generation to the next, making cooperation between experienced peacebuilders and emerging women leaders especially important.

Women who have helped communities recover from conflict hold valuable knowledge about negotiation, mediation and social healing, yet that experience cannot shape the future unless it is shared. Mentorship can help younger women understand peace processes, enter decision-making spaces with confidence and build on earlier progress, while established leaders can use their influence to open doors that often remain closed. Young women also bring fresh ideas, digital skills and a direct understanding of the pressures affecting their generation, giving peace initiatives a stronger connection to present realities.

Commitments Must Produce Real Opportunities

UN Women representative Jennet Kem, speaking on behalf of Executive Director Dr. Sima Bahous, recognised the work of Burundi, the African Union, FemWise-Africa and other partners supporting the Women, Peace and Security agenda. She recalled that African women peacebuilders helped shape UN Security Council Resolution 1325, adopted in 2000 to recognise women's roles in preventing conflict, negotiating peace and supporting recovery.

The central question is no longer whether women belong in peace and security processes, but why implementation still falls short. Thirty-six African Union Member States have adopted National Action Plans on Women, Peace and Security, while FemWise-Africa and the African Women Leaders Network have expanded mediation skills, leadership networks and collective action. Women remain underrepresented in formal negotiations and high-level institutions, with young women facing added barriers to political influence, training, funding and participation in post-conflict recovery.

Peace also cannot be separated from justice, safety and dignity. Women and girls affected by conflict need accessible legal services, protection from violence and institutions willing to hold perpetrators accountable. Economic security matters just as much because women with stable incomes, resources and community support are better placed to participate in public life and contribute to recovery.

Connecting Women's and Youth Leadership

Participants called for closer links between the Women, Peace and Security agenda and the Youth, Peace and Security agenda. Women and young people can experience displacement, violence and economic disruption in different ways, yet their knowledge often reveals risks that formal institutions overlook. Bringing their perspectives together can strengthen early warning systems, improve community peacebuilding and produce agreements that respond to everyday needs.

Priorities identified in Bujumbura included expanding women's leadership in negotiations, creating clear routes for young women to become mediators, improving access to justice, investing in women's economic empowerment and strengthening locally led conflict prevention. Governments and institutions were also urged to provide funding, opportunities and accountability mechanisms so participation becomes meaningful rather than symbolic.

Experienced women can pass forward hard-earned knowledge and create space for new leaders, while young women can bring energy, creativity and approaches suited to changing challenges. Putting both generations at the negotiating table is not simply an equality measure; it is necessary for building peace that communities can trust, sustain and defend.