Addis Ababa,
23 November 1999

Madame Chairperson,
Your Excellency Mme Stella Obasanjo,
Your Excellency Mme Chantal Compaore,
Members of the African Women’s Committee on Peace and Development,
Members of the Federation of African Women’s Peace Networks,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen;

I greet you in the name of peace and welcome you to this very special occasion – an occasion, which is both a time of painful remembrance and of celebration. Painful remembrance because many of you in this room have experienced the scourge of war and violence or have heard the experiences of your sisters and brothers from the troubled countries of conflict. Celebration because today we pay tribute to the strength, courage and vision of African women, who continue to wage a struggle for peace.

There is now sufficient evidence that the majority of women define human security and power in very different ways from the majority of men. The long history of women’s experiences with violence and discrimination have given them a greater understanding of the need to address peace comprehensively, a preference for constructive, rather than destructive power and often, a greater empathy for other marginalized and disadvantaged groups. These are important perspectives for a reordering of community and national priorities to reflect more closely the aspirations and needs of all people and for the prevention of conflicts, which often arise form perceived or real inequities in resource and power-sharing.

In recent years, women have begun to translate their experiences into a new activism and advocacy for peace. The results are still difficult to quantify but I believe that women’s energy and zeal cannot fail to move us forward in the new millenium. The golden age of social development of which I spoke will not be realized without women’s leadership and full participation in all national and regional decision-making. Mme Obasanjo, we believe that this new spirit is beginning to be seen in your country, where women have been among the most engaged actors in the democratization process. Nigeria is a symbol for us as we leave behind days of despair and darkness and you have our warmest wishes for its continued flowering. Mme Compaore, we thank you for taking the long journey to Addis to provide leadership and encouragement for an end to entrenched practices and traditions which harm women and rob them of their choices.

Madam Chair,

A year ago we launched the Committee and we are pleased to see that it has taken up its work with determination and commitment. Already African women see you as a channel to influence high-level decisions and as a needed entity to increase the coherence of women’s activism for peace. At the launch of the Committee we urged you to take the promotion of a culture of peace as a priority task. I believe this Special Session will contribute to that work. I want to commend also the toil, over the last three years, of the Federation of African Women’s Peace Networks. This coalition of civil society actors provides solidarity for its members and a centre for collective action. The representation of the Federation on the Committee ensures the strengthening of its work and continuity of purpose.

This is the second day of the Conference and I think we are all agreed that the discussions are inspired and the networking intensive. I regret, deeply, therefore, that I have to leave you tomorrow but I leave to attend the WTO meeting and other fora, to follow other aspects of the African agenda. I leave you in the capable hands of my deputy, Lalla Ben Barka and I assure you I will be following the proceedings closely. I have already had a fruitful meeting with Mme Jeanne Dambendzet, the President of the Bureau and we have agreed on close collaboration for follow-up. I thank all of you for your patience with any inconveniences you may have experienced and I thank you also for the seriousness with which you have undertaken this review. I wish all of you a safe return to your countries and I look forward to seeing you very soon.