African Women Leaders Launch Equality Campaign in South Sudan

Women leaders advocated swift, coordinated action to advance gender rights at the first World Summit on Women's Transformational Leadership in Juba, South Sudan. The three-day conference, sponsored by the UN, began with nearly 400 women leaders from 15 African nations present, including former and present presidents.

The objective is to make progress, address urgent challenges, and identify long-term solutions to problems plaguing women and girls in South Sudan and throughout Africa. GuwaTaMara, which translates to "the strength of women," is the conference's theme. Speakers at the forum concurred that problems still exist concerning gender-based violence, economic hardship, climate change, access to education, and leadership and governance.

Salva Kiir Mayardit, the president of South Sudan, said, "We in government place great importance on the safeguarding of women's rights." "Gender-based violence is unacceptably costly to the peace and development of our nation. Let's continue to push for a better future for women and girls."

He said that the government will make every effort to solve the issues women confront and to give them more influence as the 2018 peace accord entered its final phase. Ongoing initiatives include giving women the chance to improve their skill sets so they may compete more effectively in the job market.

Given the difficulties women confront concerning anxiety and a lack of authority, the government already raised the percentage of female participation from 25 to 35 percent. President Kiir stated, "While we have not quite attained this quota, we will try to do so and allow women to compete for the other 65%."

"Good starting point"

Amina Mohammed, the deputy secretary-general of the UN, said in a video speech to the conference that although women's representation in African parliaments had increased in the last two decades, more needs to be done. She emphasized the need to step up efforts to address this, saying that "many barriers continue to inhibit women's leadership and involvement on an equal level with their male colleagues."

She declared that South Sudan is an excellent place to start when creating a movement for transformative leadership and pledged UN support for the country's continuing initiatives and future successes. "Women must take part in developing solutions that benefit everyone. Together, we can make our aspirations a reality."

The tenacity and tenacity of South Sudanese women, according to the UN's Deputy Special Representative Sara Beysolow Nyanti, are an inspiration.

She said that without women's equal and full involvement and leadership, South Sudan would not advance in its transition from violence to peace and development. "It is my goal that South Sudan will transition to harmony with women at the vanguard," she said.

The difficulties in South Sudan continue to be enormous. Increasing the percentage of women in political and military institutions is a primary objective to reach and surpass the 35% target outlined in the 2018 peace agreement, which put an end to a five-year civil war that murdered or uprooted hundreds of thousands of people.

The preparations for the nation's first polls as a sovereign state, scheduled for December 2024, will also be a major topic of discussion.

‘In Their Hands’

At the conference, the "In Their Hands" multimedia photo show debuted, highlighting the role of women in claiming peace. The strength of women leaders is everywhere, reflecting the conference's theme. African women cleared the path for the Security Council to pass the historic resolution 1325 (2000) on women, peace, and security, and they are now playing increasingly important roles in promoting peace. The exhibit also emphasizes the difficulties they encounter.

Olla al Sakkaf, a 27-year-old youth activist from Yemen, where a civil war has decimated communities since 2014, said: "The war has killed hope and turned our lives into a tragedy, but my work pushes me to persevere and makes me hopeful about the future." Yemen has experienced widespread devastation as a result of the conflict.

Every little improvement I bring about in my neighbourhood brings me to hope for a brighter future for myself and other young people and women, she said. The lone female signer of South Sudan's 2015 peace accord, Alokiir Malual, was also highlighted in the exhibition.

We are expanding, she declared. "We have wisely benefited from the peace process while making sure to increase the status of women. By banding together as women and as groups and formulating a single viewpoint and demand, we were able to meet the 35% participation limit. A remarkable accomplishment for South Sudanese women."