Author: Emmanuel J. Akile | Published: 2 hours ago
Isolated banner held by a woman, and her fist up in a white background, and written: Women’s rights. – courtesy
A senior women’s leader has called for stronger inclusion of women in leadership and peace processes in South Sudan, saying that despite making up more than half of the country’s population, women remain largely underrepresented in decision-making positions.
Maryam Suleiman, the Women, Peace and Security Specialist at UN Women in South Sudan, said women’s participation in leadership and peace efforts across the country remains below 26 percent — far below the 35 percent quota guaranteed under the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement.
“Women make up more than half of our population in South Sudan, which of course makes sense that their participation should be more meaningful, especially in leadership and in peace processes,” Suleiman said.
“Unfortunately, their participation in leadership and peace processes remains below 26 percent, even though the peace agreement has guaranteed 35 percent.”
She made the remarks on Thursday during the opening of the 5th National Conference on Women, Peace and Security held in Juba. The two-day event is organized under the theme, “Restoring Hope and Commitment for Action: Advancing Women’s Role in Peacebuilding.”
Suleiman stressed that women should not be viewed merely as beneficiaries of peace, but as “agents and architects of peace.”
“Women are not just victims or beneficiaries in peace. They are agents of peace, they are architects of peace, and across the country, women have led a lot of community dialogues — but unfortunately without recognition and often without resources,” she said.
“This tells us that when women are included, peace is not only achieved, it lasts.”
She called for stronger collaboration between national leaders and grassroots women’s networks to ensure that community voices are reflected in national decision-making.
“We must build stronger coalitions and connect national leaders with grassroots networks to ensure that the voices from the grassroots are heard at the national level,” Suleiman added.
“We must move from isolated efforts to collective action that truly shapes our national agenda. Peacebuilding should be designed with women, not for them.”
The conference aims to raise awareness on strengthening women’s leadership and participation in peacebuilding, governance, and recovery efforts as South Sudan continues to implement the peace agreement and prepare for its first elections since independence.
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