Madame Chair Person,
Representatives of Organizations,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen. 

It is my great pleasure and honor for being given the opportunity to address this august gathering which is the third Annual Conference of the Development Policy Management Forum (DPMF). 

As the century draws to a close, Africa is ripped apart by conflicts and wars destroying the meager resources that could be used for development purposes.  The selection of this theme of the conference ‘Democratization, Development and Conflict Management in Africa’ is appropriate and timely as this same issue is being discussed in every corner of the continent.  To this effect, institutions are established at regional and national levels to design strategies for conflict prevention and also to create the necessary conditions for development. 

The conflicts in Africa are said to have historical, economic, cultural and political backgrounds including ethnic divisions.  Though the causes may be numerous, the end result of all these conflicts is the destruction of massive human and material resources, increased poverty and, in some cases, the collapse of the state and its institutions. 

In all such conflicts, women and children are the easiest/most likely victims of conflicts and almost invariably, they have no part in creating conflicts nor do they play a role in resolving them. 

Since 1975, the slogan for women in the process of their struggle for social, economic and political equality, has been and still is “Equality, Peace and Development”.  They are very much aware that there could be no peace without the equality of people and no development without equal participation and consequently their guaranteed interests. 

Since their access to resources and services is limited when compared to their counterparts, women find themselves in a disadvantageous situation and thus the struggle for social and economic justice. 

Among the critical areas of concern in the Beijing platform for action were peace and poverty for women in Africa.  To a woman, peace is not only the absence of war but also the absence of inequality and inequity at all levels including in the household and in the community as this void creates misunderstanding and conflict instead of harmony and love. 

When social disintegration occurs in families, communities and countries, women are relied upon to reconstruct the disrupted social relationships and the social fabric of human life through care and nurturing. 

The challenge of securing peace and social integration is therefore a matter of crucial concern for women not just in the war time but also in situations of “peace”.  Conflicts and violence at the household level do not only cause profound physical and psychological suffering to women and their children but also pose a major obstacle to women’s attainment of social justice and their participation in the development of their societies. 

The concern for peace and democracy has become crucially important to women not only to enable them to promote their rights but also to create the necessary conditions to participate in development.  Since yesterday, here at this very same building, the sixth African Regional Conference on Women has been going on; once again women are calling for peace.  They are not only reporting atrocities committed in conflicts raging throughout the continent but also examining the causes and exploring the notions of the conflicts. They are condemning the arms trade as those arms kill their men, handguns kill their children, land mines kill women, children and the aged and yet those ‘merchants of death’ pontificate that women and children have the right to peace and security. 

The Media conferences and workshops keep daily records of the number of women who have become victims of war, those who are raped, mutilated or displaced.  It has to be noted that they are easy victims of conflicts not because they are unable to defend themselves but because of their role as mothers and their social obligations to care for the children, the sick and the aged. 

There have been many conferences on ‘conflict resolution’.  To my knowledge just a few if any women participated in the discussion on the negotiation or peace process.  I believe women’s participation in the peace-making and peace-building process is pivotal for achieving peace in our region or community. 

All peace-loving bodies should emphasize promoting women’s contribution in fostering a culture of peace by increasing their participation in conflict resolution at all levels. 

Talking about the bridge of hope for the next millennium, the potential lies in every woman to promote and advocate peace at home, and to have loving children that guarantee tolerance and develop the culture of democracy.  Government, non-governmental organizations and civic societies should endeavor to: 

•           Introduce peace studies as part of the curriculum of the educational system;

•           Encourage and enhance women’s participation and promote and protect their interests in the social, economic, political spheres;

•           Have a commitment at all levels - local and household, national and international – promoting equality and equity in all our relations is central.

In conclusion, women in the world conference of Beijing demanded the commitment of the whole world to be frank about peace and peace building without any pretension.  They voiced and are still voicing for peace - women’s ideas, feelings, visions and sense of value of peace to be articulated in the peace-making and peace-building processes. 

It has to be recognized that women are having a distinct human experience of conflict resolution in the home, family and the community, and they are effective agents of conflict resolutions.  It is up to our choice though, to use it or not. 

If women are to play an equal part in securing and maintaining peace, they must be empowered politically, economically and represented adequately at all levels of decision-making.  In this connection, I would like to quote Virginia Woolf who brought out the truth when she said that  . . . “war or conflict is not women’s history”.  Perhaps the logical conclusion of what is alluded installment was made by Gabriel Garcia when he said . .” the only thing that can save humanity in the 21^st century is for woman to manage.” 

I thank you for your attention.

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