Source: New Business Ethiopia
The network of 55 civil society organizations working in Africa known as The gender in my Agenda campaign (GIMAC) call on leaders of South Sudanese and Central African Republic to bring aboard women in the peace process.

GIMAC made the call during its annual meeting opened in Addis Ababa on January 24, 2014. “The thrust of our discussion now is to get now women on the peace and negotiation tables,” said Oley Dibba Wadda, executive director of Femmes Africa Solidarite, which is known as FAS and works focusing on peace and security.

“Too often it is always the man who seats there; too often it is the women that are the ones who usually suffer. We call for women to be fully engaged and be part of the peace processes in Central African Republic and South Sudan. We are working to in earnest to make sure this happens,” she said briefing journalists.

Each year, GIMAC holds a biannual pre-summit consultative meeting on the margins of the African Union heads of States summit to monitor the progress countries made in the implementation of the Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa (SDGEA).

Adopted in 2005 by African Union, SDGEA is considered as a legal achievement in the struggle for protection of women’s rights in Africa. The 23rd meeting of GIMAC focuses on issues related to emerging conflicts in Africa, empowering women in agriculture and food security, according to Oley Dibba Wadda.

It is expected to provide recommendations to heads of states during the African union meeting after a week on these issues. In addition the meeting will also deal with reproductive health issues and women’s priorities on the post 2015 development agenda.

 

• Sudan