Leaders from across the Horn of Africa have called for
urgent and concrete action to increase the participation of women and youth in
peacebuilding and mediation, warning that lasting stability in the region
cannot be achieved without their meaningful inclusion.
The call was made during the Intergovernmental Authority on
Development (IGAD) Ministerial Conference on Women, Peace and Security held in
Nairobi from February 25, to February 27, 2026.
Speaking at the conference, IGAD Deputy Executive Secretary
Mohamed Ware said the Horn of Africa continues to face persistent conflicts,
displacement, political instability and climate-related insecurity, with women
and youth bearing the greatest burden.
“None of us need reminding of the pressures facing the Horn
of Africa and the wider IGAD region. Conflicts that have persisted for years
with no resolution in sight,” Ware said.
The meeting brought together ministers, senior government
officials, United Nations representatives, and development partners to
strengthen inclusive peacebuilding frameworks across IGAD member states.
Ware noted that despite being disproportionately affected by
conflict, women and young people remain underrepresented in formal peace
negotiations and mediation efforts.
However, he emphasized their critical role at the community
level, where they often help sustain peace in fragile environments.
“They broker local ceasefires at community checkpoints when the
formal process has fallen silent. They hold social fabric together when
institutions cannot reach far enough,” he said.
To address these gaps, IGAD unveiled three key instruments
designed to strengthen inclusion and evidence-based policymaking.
These include a roadmap for establishing the IGAD Women and
Youth Mediation Advisory Board, the IGAD Gender Statistics Strategy for
2026–2030 and the Gendered Intersectionality Toolkit to improve research and
policy responses to conflict.
Ware said the Advisory Board will serve as an independent
mechanism to ensure women and youth are actively involved in mediation and
preventive diplomacy, rather than being sidelined.
“I want to be clear about something: this is not a symbolic
body. It is not a gesture toward inclusion. The Advisory Board is designed as
an independent mechanism that brings strategic counsel, technical expertise,
and hard-won knowledge on inclusive practice directly into IGAD-led mediation,”
he said.
Kenya also reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening
women’s leadership in peacebuilding efforts across the region.
Cabinet Secretary for Gender, Culture and Children Services
Hanna Cheptumo said the initiative reflects growing recognition that inclusive
leadership is essential for sustainable peace.
“This initiative reflects our collective recognition that
sustainable peace in the IGAD region cannot be achieved without the full, equal
and meaningful participation of women at all levels of decision making, right
from the very basic at village level all the way to the national level,”
Cheptumo said.
She noted that women and girls continue to face
disproportionate challenges, including armed conflict, violent extremism,
displacement and climate-related insecurity, yet remain underrepresented in peace
negotiations.
She described the establishment of the IGAD Women Mediators’
Advisory Board as a historic step toward institutionalising women’s leadership
in peace processes.
At the same time, the United Nations warned that
humanitarian and security crises across East and the Horn of Africa are
worsening, with millions of people displaced and women facing heightened risks
of violence and exclusion.
Speaking on behalf of UN Women, Deputy Regional Director
Adama Moussa said more than 25 million people in the region have been forcibly
displaced, including over 18 million internally displaced persons and six
million refugees and asylum seekers.
“These figures are not abstract, they represent lives
disrupted, rights violated, and futures constrained,” Moussa said, highlighting
the human cost of ongoing conflicts.
He added that women continue to play a critical role as
mediators, peacebuilders and humanitarian actors, but their contributions often
go unrecognized in formal peace processes.
The conference also marked the launch of the IGAD Gender
Statistics Strategy, which aims to strengthen data collection, accountability
and policymaking.
Officials said reliable gender data will help governments
identify gaps, track progress, and design more effective interventions.
IGAD and its partners called on member states to translate
commitments into concrete national action by nominating qualified candidates to
the Advisory Board, strengthening gender data systems, and supporting women-led
peace initiatives.
The Nairobi conference underscored growing regional and
international efforts to promote inclusive governance, recognizing that
empowering women and youth is essential to achieving lasting peace, stability
and sustainable development in the Horn of Africa.
Present at the conference were the United Nations Special
Envoy of the Secretary General for the Horn of Africa, Guang Cong and the Ambassador
of Japan to the Republic of Kenya, Hiroshi Matsuura, who both reiterated support
for women inclusion in leadership, especially in conflict resolution.
