Women's groups and experts at the AU Consultative Meeting call for holistic management of the women's peace and security Agenda

Delegates at the African Union Consultation Meeting for women's networks, scholars and experts from across the African continent have warned against subtle trivialization of the women's peace and security agenda by major players on the development arena. They called on the need to view peace and security as a highly political, governance and development issue, and avoid equating it to gender based violence perse.

"Talking about peace and security in Africa is slowly translating directly to violence. While violence and rape in conflict cannot be ignored, there is need to guard against discourses that portray women as overtly victims of violence to one that equips them with agency as actors for conflict transformation," said Zenebework Tadiose.

Aminata Ndiaye, the Gender thematic manager of ACORD in Kenya also argued that post conflict must create real opportunities for women, such as participation in peace and governance processes and renegotiation of roles responsibilities and access to resources.

"Post-conflict periods present an opportunity for gender justice not only to address the injustices and violations suffered by individuals during conflicts, but also to address structural injustice that prevailed in the past, including the integration of other aspects of women's experiences before and after the conflict, such as violations of socio-economic rights, in order to obtain a "transformational" change in the relationships between women and men," noted Aminata Ndiaye.