Danish Refugee Council Women Building Peace project brings together Ivorians, Guineans, and Liberians to strengthen peace in the Mano River sub-region and creates the first regional peace network

From the 12th to the 14th December a peace building forum took place in N’zerekore, Guinee.  Over eighty Ivorians, Guineans and Liberians met for the second regional meeting of 30 community peace committees, established in the three countries by the Danish Refugee Council’s (DRC) Women Building Peace project, through its local partners.

On the third day, the peace committees attended, in N’ zoo community, the ceremony of the revitalization of a traditional pact of non-aggression signed by the Kono community of Guinee and the Yakuba community of Cote d’Ivoire, organized by DRC’s Women Building Peace project, its local partners, TWIN and REFMAP, and the N’ zoo community.

During the two days regional meeting, the peace committees’ representatives identified protection needs and disputes in the three countries, such as trade women’s harassment at cross-border activities, gender based violence, refugees’ re-integration in local societies, land disputes and other conflicts.

They had the chance to exchange ideas on best practices, and share information on the existing protection and conflict resolution mechanisms in the three countries, such as a complaint box for trade women, a code of conduct for security officials and a trade women’s union in Liberia, a GBV platform in Cote d’Ivoire and a GBV data base in Guinee.

They also explored ways of harmonizing these protection tools in order to better address the different security needs and conflicts in Liberia, Cote d’Ivoire and Guinee.  The local partners of DRC’s Women Building Peace project, also had the opportunity to work together and elaborate a joint regional plan of action to strengthen the existing 30 peace committees to re-inforce protection and conflict resolution mechanisms in the three countries.

In the end of this second regional meeting, a regional peace network, composed of 12 members from the three countries, was created.  The role of this regional peace network is to co-ordinate the work of the community peace committees in the three countries; to advocate for women’s rights; to address protection needs and disputes; to promote sustainable solutions and peace initiatives at national and regional level and to harmonize the existing protection and conflict resolution mechanisms in place.  All this was reflected in the plan of action that followed the creation of this network.

On the 14th December, another regional peace initiative was held in N’ zoo community of Guinee Forestiere.  The traditional pact of non-aggression signed by the Yakuba community from Cote d’Ivoire and the Kono community of Guinee Forestiere was revitalized and the ceremony was attended by authorities, the DRC regional team, traditional leaders, peace committees from all three countries and representatives from seven Yacuba communities of Cote d’ Ivoire.  After the official and public ceremony in N’ zoo community, traditional leaders of Yacuba and Kono carried out the traditional ceremony in a sacred location.

The Women Building Peace project funded by Danida seeks to increase women’s participation in peace building throughout the region, implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1325.

Read more about the Danish Refugee Council in Liberia, the Ivory Coast and Guinea.

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