High-Level Consultation on the Actions of Mediation of Women Leaders of Mali for the exit from the socio-political crisis

At the call of the women of Mali who have expressed the desire to be supported in their initiatives to end the crisis facing the country, a high-level consultation was held by videoconference between 59 women leaders from Mali, representing different socio-political backgrounds and the representatives of ECOWAS, the African Union and the United Nations, with the participation of Her Excellency Mrs. Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF, Former President of the Republic of Liberia, Nobel Peace Prize and President of honor of African Women Leaders Network (AWLN) and Mrs. Amina J. MOHAMMED, Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations.

The meeting also saw the participation of Dr. Phumzile MLAMBO-NGCUKA, Under-Secretary General of the United Nations and Executive Director of UN Women; Ambassador Minata SAMATE CESSOUMA, Commissioner for Political Affairs, African Union Commission; by Madame Bineta DIOP, Special Envoy of the President of the African Union Commission for Women, Peace and Security; Madame Finda KOROMA, Vice-President of the ECOWAS Commission; Madame Mbaranga GASARABWE, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations in Mali and Resident Coordinator of the United Nations System in Mali; and Ms. Ahunna Eziakonwa, Deputy Administrator and Director of the UNDP Africa Office, as well as other women leaders from the continent.

The High Level Consultation was facilitated by the Office of the Special Envoy of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission for Women, Peace and Security and UN Women, global co-organizers of AWLN. It focused on the role and effective participation of women in overcoming the crisis, social cohesion and the strengthening of the Malian state for sustainable peace and development.

Welcoming the initiatives and the work already accomplished by the women of Mali, the African women leaders expressed their commitment to support them, as they have already done in other circumstances, through solidarity missions, especially in the Region. the Great Lakes, the Lake Chad Basin, the Sahel and the Mano River;

Taking note of the initiatives and the work already accomplished by the women of Mali as revealed through the interventions of Mama Koité Doumbia, President of the platform of women leaders of Mali; Cissé Aissata Sissoko, Acting Coordinator of AWLN Mali; Nana Sissako Traoré, Vice-president of the platform of women leaders of Mali; Ms. Diallo Deidia Kattra, (please include another lady who spoke); and Maitre Soyata Maiga, former President of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, on: the need for the effective participation of women for an immediate exit from the crisis and the search for a long-term solution; the major challenges they face in their different roles, including the political, security, socio-economic and health crisis; the sanctions that affect the population, the ongoing negotiations and the need to take into account the specific needs of women and girls and to involve them fully in the search for short, medium and long term solutions;

Welcoming the common roadmap of all platforms detailing the areas of support requested to strengthen their contribution to the search for peace and stability in Mali.

Also taking note of the commitment of the various structures at regional, continental and global level, in particular the research and training centers mobilized by the facilitation, including ACCORD, Africa Leadership Center, Femmes Africa Solidarité (FAS), Kofi Annan Center, and women leaders from other regions of Africa, to support and amplify the initiatives of women in Mali.

Recalling Resolution 1325, for which Mali already has a National Action Plan, urging States to ensure greater representation of women in decision-making in national, regional and international institutions and mechanisms for prevention, the management and settlement of disputes;

Recognizing and thanking the efforts of ECOWAS which, in accordance with the principles of subsidiarity, plays a leading role in the multidimensional crisis that Mali is going through;

Appreciating the other partners who are mobilizing to support the women of Mali;

Acting within the framework of the Reinforced Partnership for Peace, Security and Governance; and the Development Partnership between the United Nations - and the African Union;

The High Level Consultation:

1. Congratulates the Women of Mali for their leadership and their continued engagement in the efforts to find a lasting solution to the crisis in Mali; in this regard, welcomes the initiatives already undertaken, and calls on them for greater cohesion and synergy of actions;

2. Calls on all Malian stakeholders to preserve the supreme interest of their country above all other considerations and further calls on them to include women and take their priorities into account in negotiations to end the immediate crisis and find solutions. long-term ;

3. Also calls for the inclusion of young people and men in women’s efforts for peace and stability;

4. Calls for the strengthening of mechanisms for the protection of women's rights, in particular against gender-based violence and for humanitarian support for women and girls victims of the crisis;

5. Expresses its solidarity with the women of Mali and offers their support, which will revolve around continuous mobilization and advocacy, so that their voice is heard and their concerns taken into account by national bodies , regional and international, in particular through effective representation of women in political transition and governance;

6. Undertakes to mobilize both technical and financial resources, in particular for capacity building in their efforts to mediate their implementation in cohesion and synergy; as well as their protection against COVID-19;

7. Undertakes to continue this mission of solidarity with the Sisters of Mali, and to undertake a field mission as soon as circumstances allow;

8. Undertakes to remain seized of the issue and to support the women of Mali at every stage of their fight for a new Mali.

Bamako, le 26 août 2020 –

Pour contact :

Mamadou Bakary Traore :                                        [ Click to reveal ] ;

Sadio Kanté :                                                            [ Click to reveal ] ;

Ilwad Elmi Mohammed: WGDD, AUC:                     [ Click to reveal ]

Verlaine Soobroydoo: Coordinative AWLN Global:  [ Click to reveal ]