UN promises African women will return home in dignity

The UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed has vowed that African women who were displaced by conflicts will return home in dignity.

Mohammed said this as she concluded her visit to Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) where she stressed the importance of women’s participation in peace, security and development processes.

A statement from UN said the final day’s itinerary for Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed included a visit to the Mugunga camp for internally displaced persons in the restive eastern DRC.

Mohammed said that she firmly resolved to ensure that women in the camp returned home in “dignity and humanity, which is not a favour but a right”.

She promised to embark on an advocacy initiative for better financial settlement of the women as they returned to their places of origin.

She also commended the women at the camp for their involvement in small trade through micro-financing, which enabled them to meet the needs of their families.

On victims of sexual violence, she said: “These are our African women and we will take their voices out to the international community and see what can be done to put an end to the scourge.”

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In the DRC, the Deputy Secretary-General also visited the women’s economic and empowerment centre and stressed that the mission was intended to “revitalise women’s participation and leadership in peace, security and development.”

She said that the mission was also intended to seek the support of the governor in the work of women in the provinces and to advocate for the implementation of legal framework in favour of gender equality.

Mohammed began the trip on July 18 which first took her to Nigeria, where she met with Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, women leaders and young women who have been affected by conflicts.

She later attended the burial of Prof. Babatunde Osotimehin, the former Executive Director of UN Population Fund.

She was joined by UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka as well as the UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten, and the African Union Special Envoy on Women, Peace and Security, Bineta Diop.

This first-ever joint AU-UN high-level trip was the first of a two-part mission focused on women’s meaningful participation in peace, security and development, and a similar mission will cover two other countries later in the year.