Kenya and the African Union Monday called for renewed regional cooperation and greater inclusion of women and young people in peacebuilding efforts, warning that increasingly complex security and humanitarian challenges across Africa’s Great Lakes Region require coordinated political action rather than fragmented national responses.
The appeal came as policymakers, diplomats, parliamentarians, civil society leaders, women’s and youth organizations, academics and development partners convened in Nairobi for the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) Consultative Forum and Great Lakes Round Table Meeting, a five-day gathering aimed at strengthening regional peace, governance and economic integration.
Opening the forum, Kenya’s Principal Secretary for Gender Affairs and Affirmative Action, Anne Wang’ombe, said the region faces an increasingly interconnected web of threats including armed conflict, violent extremism, forced displacement, humanitarian crises, climate-related insecurity, transnational organized crime and gender-based violence that no single country can effectively address alone.
“These realities call for stronger collaboration, collective leadership and sustained regional action,” Wang’ombe told delegates from ICGLR member states, regional institutions, international organizations and development partners.
She reaffirmed Kenya’s commitment to the objectives of the ICGLR, describing the regional bloc as a critical mechanism for advancing political dialogue, preventing conflict, strengthening governance and promoting sustainable development throughout the Great Lakes Region.
Wang’ombe said experience has shown that military and security interventions alone cannot deliver lasting peace. Instead, she argued, durable stability depends on accountable institutions, respect for human rights, inclusive governance and the meaningful participation of women and young people in peace and security processes.
“The consultations provide an important opportunity for member states to evaluate emerging risks, exchange experiences and strengthen coordinated responses to increasingly complex cross-border challenges,” she said.
Kenya also highlighted progress in implementing its Third Kenya National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (KNAP III), which seeks to expand women’s leadership in conflict prevention, mediation and peacebuilding through partnerships with county governments, community peace structures, civil society organizations, youth groups and development partners.
Wang’ombe commended the work of the ICGLR Regional Women’s Forum, Regional Multifunctional Youth Forum, Civil Society Forum, Parliamentary Forum and Private Sector Forum, saying their continued technical expertise, advocacy and policy leadership have strengthened implementation of the ICGLR Pact while advancing regional integration and peacebuilding.
The call for more inclusive peace processes was echoed by African Union representative on Women peace and Security Ambassador Liberata Mulamula, who urged governments to move beyond symbolic representation and ensure women and young people have genuine influence over decisions shaping the region’s future.
“The question is no longer whether women and young people should participate. That question was settled long ago. The real question is whether they can influence decisions,” Mulamula said during the Pre-Regional Inter-Ministerial Committee Consultative Forum and Great Lakes Women’s Round Table for Peace.
She noted that women and youth continue to bear the heaviest burden of conflicts across the Great Lakes Region through displacement, disrupted education, sexual and gender-based violence, economic exclusion and limited participation in political and peace processes. Yet, she said, they remain among the most effective actors in promoting community resilience by supporting displaced populations, facilitating dialogue, providing early warning information and leading local reconciliation efforts.
Mulamula argued that meaningful participation requires more than seats at the negotiating table. Women and young people, she said, must have access to information, financial resources, institutional authority and decision-making power if regional peace initiatives are to produce sustainable outcomes.
Quoting a Congolese proverb that “a single bracelet does not jingle,” she underscored the importance of collective responsibility in addressing the region’s evolving security landscape.
“No government, institution, generation or community can build sustainable peace alone,” she said. Adding tha: “Peace requires women and young people, communities and governments, and regional and international partners to work together with a shared sense of purpose.”
She further described the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) and Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) agendas as mutually reinforcing international frameworks capable of strengthening conflict prevention, inclusive governance and post-conflict recovery, while cautioning that integrating the two should not weaken commitments to advancing women’s rights.
Mulamula also called for greater investment in grassroots organizations, arguing that local women’s associations and youth networks often detect emerging tensions before state institutions and possess critical knowledge that should inform national and regional policy responses.
“Community organizations must be recognized as implementation partners, not merely invited as participants,” she said. “Their work must be financed, and their analysis must inform national and regional peace and security decisions.”
The Nairobi consultations come at a time of continued instability across parts of the Great Lakes Region, particularly eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where armed conflict, humanitarian displacement, illicit cross-border activities and recurring political tensions continue to challenge regional peace efforts. Climate-related pressures and competition over natural resources have further complicated an already fragile security environment, reinforcing calls for stronger multilateral cooperation.
Established to address the root causes of conflict through political dialogue, regional cooperation and coordinated development initiatives, the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region has increasingly focused on strengthening governance, promoting inclusive institutions and expanding the participation of women and young people in peace and security processes.
Delegates meeting in Nairobi are expected to formulate recommendations for consideration by the Regional Inter-Ministerial Committee and subsequent high-level meetings.
The proposals are expected to focus on strengthening conflict-prevention mechanisms, improving regional coordination, enhancing accountability for implementing peace commitments, expanding women’s and youth participation in mediation and governance, and reinforcing cooperation on sustainable development.
Taken together, the interventions by Kenya and the African Union reflected growing consensus that sustainable peace in the Great Lakes Region will depend not only on stronger security cooperation but also on inclusive governance, effective regional institutions and locally led peacebuilding that empowers communities most affected by conflict.
