The Abidjan Call Places Employment and the Economic Empowerment of Women and Youth at the Heart of Peacebuilding
The High-Level Regional Week on Women, Youth, Peace, Security, and Economic Resilience in West Africa and the Sahel concluded yesterday in Abidjan, at the headquarters of the African Development Bank Group, with the adoption of the Abidjan Call and Commitments.
Organized from September 28 to October 3 by the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) and UN Women, in partnership with the Government of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire and with technical support from the African Development Bank Group, the Week brought together approximately 150 high-level participants: government officials, ministers, representatives from the African Union, ECOWAS, United Nations agencies, financial institutions, civil society, and women’s and youth networks.
At the opening on September 28, the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel, Mr. Leonardo Santos Simão, emphasized the urgency of turning commitments into results: “We now have the necessary frameworks. What we need is to implement them.” He added that “the future of West Africa and the Sahel cannot be built without women and youth. It will be built with them, and thanks to them.”
Emphasizing the importance of the event, Ms. Nasseneba Touré, Minister of Women, Family, and Children of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, stated: “At the end of this week, Abidjan must send a simple yet powerful message. Lasting peace begins where exclusion, vulnerability, and despair recede. It grows where autonomy, opportunity, dignity, and experience flourish.”
“We must mobilize more resources for women in the region, given that funding for their initiatives remains limited,” said Mr. Maxime Houinato, UN Women Regional Director for West and Central Africa.
“Investing in the economic empowerment of women and young people also means investing in their resilience, in the cohesion of our communities, and in the foundations of lasting peace in Africa,” emphasized Mr. Ladislas Nze Bekale, representative of the African Union.
As the host institution and technical partner for the Week, Hassatou Diop N’Sele, Vice President for Finance and Chief Financial Officer of the African Development Bank Group, stated: “If we exclude women and young people from economic opportunities, this exclusion becomes a breeding ground for instability. But if we include them, invest in them, and empower them, they become among the most powerful drivers of resilience and peace that a society can have.”
On September 29, the Regional Week continued with two open house events dedicated, respectively, to the Women, Peace, and Security agenda and the Youth, Peace, and Security agenda.
During the Open Day on Resolution 1325 (2000), which focused on interactive dialogue with women leaders from the region, Mr. Simão emphasized that “women are not merely victims of conflict. They are among the most powerful agents of peace,” recalling the words of United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, who stated that “there is no path to peace without women.”
During the Open Day on Resolution 2250 (2015), dedicated to young leaders from the region, the Special Representative stated that “the future of peace in West Africa and the Sahel will be young, or it will not be at all,” emphasizing that “young people are not a risk to be managed. They are a strategic resource to be mobilized.” He also commended the achievements of the annual Youth Forums—from the Abuja Call (2021) to the Mindelo Call (2023) and the Dakar Pact (2025)—as well as the creation of seventy peace clubs involving young people in early warning and the prevention of electoral violence.
The Abidjan Call advocates for increased investment in youth employment and the economic empowerment of women, particularly in rural, border, and conflict-affected areas. It calls for strengthening technical and vocational training, apprenticeships, and digital skills to better meet the needs of the labor market.
The text also emphasizes access to financing: it advocates for innovative mechanisms to support peace initiatives and businesses led by women and youth, and calls on financial institutions to facilitate their access to credit, markets, and value chains. Finally, it recommends strengthening the participation of women and youth in peace processes and decision-making bodies, as well as the monitoring of commitments and regional coordination.
Speaking on behalf of Côte d'Ivoire, the Minister of Youth Promotion and Youth Employment, Mr. Mamadou Touré, emphasized the need to “take action” and to involve young people more closely in initiatives that affect them.
The Abidjan Call builds on United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1325 (2000) and 2250 (2015) on the Women, Peace and Security, and Youth, Peace, and Security, as well as the 2030 Agenda, the African Union’s Agenda 2063, and the United Nations Integrated Strategy for the Sahel. In Côte d’Ivoire, it aligns with the second National Action Plan on Resolution 1325 and the priorities of the 2026–2030 National Development Plan, which aims to increase the number of formal jobs from 1.5 million to more than 3 million.
This focus on employment and financing comes at a time when regional economic growth—estimated by the African Development Bank Group at 4.6% in 2026—continues to face an annual development financing gap estimated at between $90 billion and $100 billion.
