The United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), in collaboration with the Embassy of Colombia in Senegal, UN WOMEN, the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA), and the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia (UNVMC), hosted on 25 of March a high-level virtual dialogue titled “Promoting South-South Cooperation: Women Peacebuilders Inter-Regional Dialogue.”
The dialogue brought together over 150 women mediators and peacebuilders from Colombia, West Africa, and the Sahel, including members of the Women Mediators Rapid Response Team (RRT).
The opening session was honored by the presence of senior officials, including Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs; Leonardo Santos Simão, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel; Barrie Freeman, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel; Maxime Houinato, UN Women Regional Director for West and Central Africa (representing Sima Bahous, Director UN Women); Miroslav Jenča, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Colombia; Claudia Patricia Mosquera Rosero, Ambassador of Colombia to Senegal; and Arlene Beth Tickner, Ambassador-at-Large for Gender Issues and Feminist Global Policy, Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Their participation underscored the importance of women’s leadership in peace processes, highlighted the value of inter-regional exchange, and reaffirmed their commitment to advancing inclusive and sustainable peace.
Subsequent sessions featured leading women peacebuilders and practitioners, including Adriana Benjumea and Diana Salcedo from Colombia, as well as Saran Keita Diakite (Mali), Minister Achta Sy (Chad), and Diallo Tata Touré (Mali). Their interventions highlighted practical experiences in inclusive dialogue, peace agreements, and community-based mediation.
“In Colombia, peace has a woman’s face. After decades of armed conflict, women not only endured violence—they organized, resisted, and protected their communities,” highlighted Diana Salcedo.
Seven additional women peacebuilders from Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Liberia, Niger, and Senegal joined as discussants, reflecting on the transferability of good practices and how these could be adapted to their respective contexts. They underscored that while cross-regional exchanges provide valuable lessons, the transfer of good practices must be grounded in a thorough analysis of the root causes and drivers of conflict, and carefully contextualized to ensure relevance, effectiveness, and sustainability.
The dialogue emphasized the critical role of women in conflict prevention, mediation, and peacebuilding, showcasing lessons from Colombia’s peace process and practical experiences from West Africa and the Sahel. Participants highlighted the transformative impact of sustained advocacy, inclusive dialogue, and community-based approaches, while underscoring persistent challenges such as limited funding, security risks, and underrepresentation in formal peace processes.
“Ensuring the inclusion of women remains a critical challenge and a determining factor in whether peace processes genuinely reflect the needs of all,” said Ms. Saran Keita Diakite.
Key recommendations included strengthening long-term capacity-building for women mediators, institutionalizing women’s participation in peace and governance architectures, enhancing early warning and rapid response systems, and promoting South-South cooperation and peer learning.
Reinforcing this perspective, “You cannot build a peace process without understanding the land, and without knowing how its people dream of its future,” emphasized H.E. Claudia Patricia Mosquera Rosero, Ambassador of Colombia to Senegal.
The dialogue reaffirmed that women are essential actors in peacebuilding.
