Maat and Partners for Transparency is organizing a panel discussion on the role of women and youth in building peace 

Khoda: There are no international parties that want to resolve Africa's conflicts decisively if we do not solve them by ourselves

Al-Baddad: The soft power of youth and women must be used in order to establish peace and reject conflicts

Ribera: Economic support for youth and women is the first step for intellectual independence and the rejection of extremism

The Maat Foundation for Peace, Development and Human Rights organized in cooperation with the Partners Foundation for Transparency; As representatives of the Egyptian civil society in the Economic, Social and Cultural Council of the African Union (ECOSOC), a panel discussion on the role of youth and women in bringing peace and resolving conflicts in the African continent, in light of the African Amnesty Month celebrated in September of each year. The session was moderated by Hajer Moncef, Head of the African Affairs and Sustainable Development Unit, Maat Foundation.

Dennis Khouda, Acting President of ECOSOC Africa, stated that in light of International Day of Peace it is a must To seize the opportunity to call for more focus on the role of youth and women in rejecting wars and conflicts, provided that this is at the level of political leaders and peoples. “There are no parties from outside the continent that want to bring peace decisively, so we as Africans have to help ourselves from Cairo to Cape Town to implement this strategy,” he added.

Meanwhile, Maryam Al-Baddad, representative of the African Youth Advisory Council and the Miftah Al-Salam Association for Development and Solidarity in Morocco, said that youth constitute a great demographic force in the African continent, and therefore must be relied upon to spread peace on the continent. Emphasizing on spreading the values of social cohesion, acceptance of others, diversity and equality, in order to achieve social justice as foundations for peacebuilding. Al-Baddad recommended the necessity to focus on the soft forces that attract youth, such as sports, culture and the arts.

Munda Ribera, Head of the Economic Affairs Sector at the African Eco-Soc, indicated that the participation of youth and women in peace-building processes must be emphasized, and their potentials should be used to achieve economic gains for the continent instead of exporting those minds abroad. Ribera emphasized adequate representation of youth and women in government, as well as economic support for them, which provides the capacity for intellectual independence and the rejection of violent extremism.

At the end of the seminar, the participants recommended the necessity of activating the role of African civil society in supporting the participation of women and youth and pressuring governments for their participation at negotiation tables to resolve regional and local conflicts, with a focus on African identity as an entry point to deliver the voice of the voiceless.

It is worth noting that this seminar comes on the occasion of the International Day of Peace, and within the framework of the work of the 45th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council.