CENTRE SGD URGES AFRICAN GOVERNMENTS TO BREAK BARRIERS TO WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP IN PEACE, SECURITY

CENTRE SGD URGES AFRICAN GOVERNMENTS TO BREAK BARRIERS TO WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP IN PEACE, SECURITY



By Jennifer Nwosu 

Twenty-six years after the United Nations recognized women’s central role in peace and security, their presence at the negotiating table remains strikingly limited, prompting renewed calls for African governments to dismantle institutional barriers to their participation in conflict resolution and security governance.

In a call by the African Centre for Security, Governance and Development (Centre SGD) as they marked the anniversary of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, adopted on October 31, 2000, they urged governments and regional institutions to turn long-standing commitments to women’s inclusion into measurable action.

The resolution established a global framework for women’s participation in peace negotiations and security leadership, protection from conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence, gender-responsive conflict prevention and recovery programmes that address the needs of women and girls.

The Executive Director Of African Centre for Security, Governance and Development (Centre SGD), Theresa Chigozirim Odinkalu-Okoro, said Africa had made progress through National Action Plans on Women, Peace and Security, regional inclusion frameworks and networks of women mediators and peace practitioners. Yet, it warned, these initiatives have not sufficiently altered the power structures that determine who shapes peace agreements and security policy.

Citing the United Nations Secretary-General’s 2025 report on Women, Peace and Security, Odinkalu-Okoro, noted that 87 per cent of peace processes in 2024 had no women negotiators, while women accounted for just seven per cent of negotiators worldwide.

The organization argued that this exclusion reflects more than gaps in representation. Entrenched patriarchal attitudes, unequal power relations and institutional resistance continue to limit women’s influence within diplomatic circles and security agencies, even as women and girls bear distinct consequences of armed conflict.

The stakes are particularly high across Africa, where election-related violence, insurgency, violent extremism, unconstitutional changes of government and regional instability continue to test state institutions and regional cooperation.

Centre SGD called on national governments, the Economic Community of West African States, the African Union, international security partners and civil society organizations to guarantee women meaningful, high-level participation in peace negotiations and mediation teams.

It also urged authorities to fund and strengthen national and state action plans, establish clear monitoring frameworks, and improve gender-responsive policies within the police, military and intelligence services. Such reforms, it said, should create pathways for women to advance into strategic leadership positions rather than confining them to supporting roles.

The organization further called for stronger protections for women human rights defenders, mediators and civil society actors working in high-risk conflict environments, where threats and insecurity can undermine their ability to contribute to peacebuilding.

For Centre SGD, the challenge is no longer a lack of policy frameworks but the distance between international promises and institutional practice. It maintains that peace agreements and security strategies are less likely to endure when women, who constitute half the population, are denied a meaningful role in shaping them.

As the resolution enters its 27th year, the organization is pressing African governments to treat women’s participation not as a ceremonial gesture or an optional addition to peace processes, but as a central requirement for durable security and democratic governance.

Media Enquiries & Contact:
Email: centresgd@gmail.com / chigozirim.odinkalu@gmail.com

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