The United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) in partnership with UN WOMEN and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) organized on April 24, 2019, a thematic exchange session of the Women, Youths, Peace and Security Working Group in West Africa and the Sahel which is celebrating its tenth anniversary. Members of the working group, from ten countries in the sub-region, took the opportunity to take stock of the platform since its creation and to reflect on the perspectives.

The platform was set up on 29 April 2009 to facilitate the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000), which stresses the importance of women’s equal and full participation as active agents in conflict prevention and resolution, as well as peacebuilding and peacekeeping. With the adoption of Security council Resolution 2250 in 2015, this working group was extended to young people.

UNOWAS, together with UN WOMENT, coordinates the Women, Youth, Peace and Security Working Group in West Africa and the Sahel, which aims to be an inclusive and multi-stakeholder platform.