Africa: Engendering fairness and inclusiveness

Regional Consultation on Engendering Instruments and Mechanisms of Peace Building

In March 2002 Urgent Action Fund-Africa (UAF-Africa) hosted the Great Lakes Regional Consultation on UN Resolution
1325, the first UN measure to endorse women’s involvement in peace processes. That consultation stimulated African women’s desire to learn more about and utilize African instruments and mechanisms for human rights and justice.
In response to this idea to focus on instruments and mechanisms in Africa, UAF-Africa convened another consultation to determine how these regional instruments and mechanisms can be used to engender fairness and inclusiveness in peace negotiations, regional security, and transitional justice processes. Participants in this June
2003 meeting, held in Naivasha, Kenya, included women legal experts, human rights advocates, peace building activists, and development professionals.

Thelma Ekiyor, Coordinator of the Women in Peace Building Network (WIPNET) of the West African Network for Peace Building (WANEP), based in Ghana, facilitated the consultation, which was conducted in English and French. Discussion was based on critical analysis, review of documentation and presentation of case studies, tempered with role-plays, informal exchanges, and bonding/ networking. The full report of the consultation is available on request.

Meeting Proceedings–Naivasha Consultation

Background

The opening session included review of two earlier meetings of the Special Initiative for Africa (SIA) project of the Ford Foundation that led up to this Naivasha consultation. Betty Murungi, Director of UAF-Africa, talked about the June 2002 Maputo Retreat, which yielded the following SIA project highlights:
• Research to establish scientific basis for the contested issues of identity and citizenship
• Documentation and dissemination of successful peace initiatives
• Cross-organizational learning
• Strengthening capacity for informed and collaborative advocacy J

essica Nkuuhe, Isis-WICCE, Uganda, described the first SIA activity, a Regional Consultative Workshop on Documenting Women's Peace Initiatives in Africa, organized by Isis-WICCE in Kampala in April 2003. Recognizing the benefit of documentation as a negotiating tool for women's effective engagement, workshop participants identified pilot projects that demonstrate women's innovations in peace building and conflict transformation in various countries.

Discussion and Planning

Building on these two earlier meetings, the Naivasha participants agreed that, in order to utilize African instruments and mechanisms effectively, women first must identify their knowledge gaps, understand the instruments and mechanisms for peace building, and enhance their learning. The present consultation was a step in this direction.
Early discussion focused on the conceptual challenges of articulating gender issues in this relatively new field and on defining relevant terms. Two key questions the group addressed were: "What visions and values would women bring to the process and outcomes?" and "How do we link up with the policy levels that matter?" The group examined terms such as "conflict resolution" and "peacekeeping" to make theoretical and ideological distinctions. Participants agreed that for Africa, and especially for women, "peace building" embodies the societal ideal.

Engendering processes equip women with consciousness, skills, and confidence to bring their issues and concerns to the negotiating table. While “gender” does not mean women exclusively, engendering cannot happen unless women’s issues, perspectives and perceptions are mainstreamed effectively.

Instruments are laws, resolutions, and conventions at women’s disposal for advocacy. Examples include UN Resolution 1325, peace accords, and the African Charter on People’s Rights.

Mechanisms include transitional justice processes and structures to achieve peace and justice, such as Truth and Reconciliation Commissions (TRCs), regional courts, tribunals, the International Criminal Court, and Rwanda’s Gacaca system.

The group also clarified terms such as “feminism,” “gender equality,” and “women’s rights,” and concluded that, while women’s struggles are universal in nature, African women’s lives are shaped by different realities, hence the challenge to break away from the legacy of colonialism and unequal globalization in order that African women may define their own terms.
The group asserted that the struggle against oppressive patriarchy is the vocation of all progressive forces, and not just women. Likewise, they acknowledged that the struggle is against patriarchy, not against men.

"As African women, we must draw the right lessons from our history and promote principles from our past that add value to the present and to our vision for the future. We must identify internal and external allies and partners who will effectively support our struggles and build solidarity with other struggling peoples everywhere." For African women, the past is characterized by two major expressions of patriarchy: the colonial and the cultural, both of which compounded the dehumanizing experiences of slavery and the massive plunder of African resources. The so-called 'civilizing mission' laid the foundation for violent colonial expropriations and exploitations, all of which visited gender-differentiated violence and violations upon the people of Africa. The past gives way to the present, linked by violent struggles for independence and subsequent wars and strife. For women, the present is characterized by neocolonial patriarchy. Along with trends of unequal globalization and inequitable distribution of resources, gender-differentiated structural and political violations and physical violence against the people of Africa continue. African women envision a future built upon the principles of gender justice and harmony. Peace accords and peace building mechanisms, such as the TRC/TJRCs, may be the link to a future of peace, growth, and stability.

In presenting some international and regional instruments, Ms.Murungi encouraged thorough comprehension of the contents, particularly those aspects providing for gender integration and sensitivity. She emphasized the importance of relating that content to the national context. Ms. Murungi strongly encouraged women’s organizations to seek accreditation with key mechanisms. This is daunting for African women’s organizations, where advocacy is not highly developed and resources are limited and tied to donors’ agendas and conditions. The first step in overcoming these obstacles entails identifying the requirements for accreditation or registration.

Case Studies

Participants presented case examples from Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Uganda and Kenya. While there were marked differences in context, process, and content of various agreements, the emerging commonality was gender insensitivity. Even in countries where affirmative action was a part of policy-making, women needed to organize to advocate for their agenda. Otherwise they often were compromised into either window-dressing or pushing status quo agendas.

Country presentations demonstrated that peace accords drawn up without adequate mobilization, organization, preparation, and participation of women were likely to perpetuate the exclusion, discrimination, and structural oppression of women in postconflict arrangements. Thus, women’s involvement is necessary to form the basis for conflict transformation and sustainable peace.
The group adopted the concept of “watchdogging,” which would include monitoring for violations, engendering police and military work, securing trauma counseling, promoting healing, and psycho-social “bridge-building.” They created the Forum of Women Peace Builders for the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa as an informal framework to ensure information sharing, collaboration, and development of sisterhood initiatives for peace. An activist from Sudan appealed for intervention by the Forum in Sudan, which was opening a new chapter in justice-based peace building. She cited previous fact-finding missions to Rwanda, Burundi, Sierra Leone and Liberia, and requested the new Forum to act in solidarity and prepare a mission to the Sudan in the coming months. A task force of seven was mandated to reflect on the implications of such a mission, develop proposals, and mobilize the necessary resources.

Despite concerns about escalating violence in Eastern Congo, the group was encouraged by political transitions in Kenya and Burundi, and the unfolding peace negotiations for Somalia and Sudan. The meeting thus ended on an optimistic note for peace in the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa region.

UAF-Global PO Box
1287 Boulder,
CO 80306
USA
tel: 303-442-2388
fax: 303-442-2370
[email protected]
www.urgentactionfund.org

UAF-Africa
PO Box 60389-00200
Nairobi,
Kenya
tel: 254-20-2731095
fax: 254-20-2731094
[email protected]