CAIRO - Egypt's First Lady Mrs. Suzanne Mubarak lauded the role played by African women as peacemakers in the continent, “which is beset by armed conflicts”. Addressing the opening session of a forum on the African Political Dialogue on Women, Peace and Security, Mrs. Mubarak said that the women had assumed a remarkable decision-making role in conflict prevention and resolution, as well as peace-building. Mrs. Mubarak, also the chairwoman of the Women's International Peace Movement, has lauded African women's equal participation in conflict prevention, management and resolution, and post-conflict peace-building in the continent. She said that women, who are usually at the forefront of vulnerable groups that are targeted in sectarian and ethnic conflicts, should be elevated to mediators and negotiators at the official decision-making level. Mr. Mubarak said that if women were put at the negotiating table, they would change the equation of the negotiation to the better. "Women will introduce practical workable solutions to the conflict," she told the forum, which coincides with the world's marking the Tenth Anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution No.1325 However, Mrs. Mubarak called for following up the progress that has been made for the implementation of Resolution 1325, which she described as vital for changing the women's status from victims to re-builders of society. In her speech, Mrs Mubarak called for strengthening the legal protection and physical security of women in conflict situations, and expanding their roles in peace-building operations and leadership positions. She said that the UN Security Council's landmark Resolution 1325 has recognised both women's special vulnerability in wartime and their ability to contribute to the maintenance and promotion of peace.
