New women empowerment network launched
Network of African Women in Conflict Prevention and Mediation (FemWise-Africa) has been launched in Malawi to strengthen women’s participation in conflict prevention and mediation processes.
Former president Joyce Banda, who presided over the launch in Lilongwe yesterday, called for the need to place women at the centre of peace keeping starting at the grass roots by engaging traditional structures.
Banda, who has been part of women’s movements for over 40 years, further highlighted the need to prevent conflict or peace instability before it happens.
She said: “We need to enhance conflict resolution through traditional structures so that it can take root in our communities. It is important to engage traditional leaders and ensure that they are on board.
“I believe in prevention. We can see situations where conflict might arise and find ways of curtailing it.”
Banda said she sees FemWise-Malawi empowering women to speak out on any injustices they may face.
FemWise-Malawi representative Bishop Mary Nkosi said they are working with traditional leaders because they’re at the helm of mediation.
She said: “There is a lot of conflict going on in the communities and the traditional leaders have to be trained how to mediate and to understand conflict analysis, mapping and all these things. It’s a process that people must understand that when people fight and when there’s violence, there are always reasons.”
Minister of Local Government, Unity and Culture Richard Chimwendo Banda acknowledged the country’s challenges and conflicts which threaten social cohesion and development, including inter-religious tensions, land conflicts, natural disasters and the rise in commodity prices, among others, which undermine democracy and stability.
Meanwhile, FemWise-Africa Network co-chairperson Justice Effie Owour has urged FemWise-Malawi Chapter to help women take up their rightful place in dialogue and mediation, to shepherd other countries in their efforts to launch the same in their respective countries.
Dignitaries who attended the launch included United Nations Women representative Letty Chiwara and some members of the donor community.
FemWise-Africa is an initiative of the African Union (AU) established in 2017 to provide a platform for strategic advocacy, capacity building and networking for women mediators.
The network aims to support the implementation of the AU Agenda 2063, the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and the Malawi Peace and Unity Act (2022), and other relevant instruments that promote women’s participation and leadership in conflict resolution and peacebuilding.
