Great Lakes: Regional meeting of the International Conference for the Great Lakes Region

For immediate release
11 October 2004
Unifem

Nairobi 11 October 2004 ------- Over 100 women from the Great Lakes Region
have just concluded a meeting in Kigali, Rwanda, where they discussed key
issues, challenges and action required to bring peace and stability to the
conflict-affected region.

The event, which took place from 7-9 October 2004, is the third regional
meeting of the International Conference for the Great Lakes Region, and the
first women's meeting. The United Nations Development Fund for Women
(UNIFEM) was a lead facilitator of the event, coordinating the activities
of women from numerous countries to ensure that different viewpoints on key
issues were adequately reflected, and that national perspectives would feed
into a broader regional vision. Besides assistance in facilitating the
women's regional meeting, UNIFEM is also providing technical and financial
support towards gender mainstreaming within the International Conference of
the Great Lakes Region process, through the office of the UN Secretary General

The series of regional meetings are being organised in preparation for the
International Conference, which will be held in November 2004 in Tanzania,
under the auspices of the African Union and the United Nations in
partnership with Group of Friends for the Great Lakes. Heads of state from
Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and
Zambia will meet to formulate lasting solutions to the endemic problems
plaguing the region with a particular focus on promoting peace and security
and improving economic and social development.

During three days of deliberations, women repeatedly echoed the pain and
suffering endured from sexual and gender-based violence, HIV/AIDS, poverty,
and social exclusion and marginalization. The women however, also asserted
their historical roles and ongoing contributions to sustaining their
communities by providing food on the table, caring for the young, sick and
elderly, and receiving returning refugees and internally displaced persons.
Women's roles as producers, managers, caregivers, knowledge generators,
peacemakers, leaders and innovators were an invaluable contribution
requiring recognition and support. Numerous women also demanded greater
efforts to address impunity, especially for gross violations of women's
human rights during conflict such as wide-scale sexual abuse and exploitation.

At the end of the meeting, participants put forth a Declaration, which will
be submitted to the heads of state during the International Conference of
the Great Lakes Region in November. The Declaration calls on Heads of State
and Government to:

- take concrete measures to end the culture of impunity and enforce
punitive action against perpetrators of crimes against humanity
particularly genocide, massacres, rape and other forms of gender based
violence;
- put in place a regional mechanism with requisite resources to ensure
women's equitable representation and effective participation in peace,
governance and development processes at national and regional levels
- guarantee economic opportunities for Women to access credit and own
property including land
- negotiate as a bloc on economic issues in order to protect women's
interests from unfair trade practices and policies
- accelerate ratification of the African Union Protocol on Women's Rights
- ensure that special Commissions in charge of Demobilization,
Disarmament, Rehabilitation, and Reintegration to look into specific needs
of women ex-combatants, dependants of ex-combatants and all vulnerable
groups in reintegration and rehabilitation processes.

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