Dar es Salaam:Lawmakers from the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) have adopted the draft Dar es Salaam Declaration, reaffirming their commitment to securing the full and equal participation of women in regional peace, security, and development.
According to Angola Press News Agency, the declaration emerged from the Women's Parliamentary Conference, held in Tanzania from November 2 to 5, under the joint framework of the ICGLR Parliamentary Forum and the Tanzanian government.
The Angolan delegation was led by National Assembly Speaker Adão de Almeida and included lawmakers Pedro Sebastião, Suzana de Melo, Djamila Almeida, Tereza Neto, and Helena Abel. Meeting under the motto "For a peaceful and developed Great Lakes Region," participants emphasized that lasting stability and shared prosperity cannot be achieved without the effective involvement of women in peace initiatives.
While acknowledging progress in female representation within national parliaments, the assembly noted that results remain uneven across member states. To address these disparities, the declaration proposes strengthening legal and institutional instruments to boost women's representation in parliaments, governments, and political party leadership.
The declaration also advocates for a greater female presence in parliamentary presidencies and key committees covering defense, security, foreign relations, and finance. In the realm of peace and security, the document calls for the inclusion of women in conflict mediation teams, support for networks of women mediators, and gender-sensitive peacekeeping operations with robust accountability mechanisms for sexual exploitation and abuse.
Delegates condemned conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence, demanding justice, perpetrator accountability, and support for victims. The proposal further urges member states to adopt or update National Action Plans under UN Security Council Resolution 1325, backed by dedicated financial resources.
Additionally, the declaration highlights the gendered impacts of the illegal exploitation of natural resources and climate change on displaced and refugee women, calling for gender-sensitive resource management and stronger legal protections. The acting chair of the ICGLR Parliamentary Forum has been asked to submit the final declaration to the upcoming ICGLR Summit of Heads of State and Government, the African Union, and the United Nations.
