UN hails “positive contribution” of women

The UN Security Council has hailed the “positive contribution” of Burundian women in the country’s peace process. In a press statement, the Council commended the outcome of the All Party Burundi Women’s Peace Conference, held last month, in promoting the peace process. The conference issued a set of proposals for inclusion in the Arusha peace accord, due to be signed on 28 August. The proposals provide for protecting women’s rights and promoting their role in the search for peace. In a news release, issued on Wednesday, the UN women’s fund UNIFEM, said equality for women in Burundi was closer to becoming a reality. All 19 negotiating sides in Arusha accepted most of the women’s proposals, which would be included in the accord. “The inclusion of women’s proposals in the Arusha accord make the peace agreement one of the strongest in recognising the centrality of women’s rights and opportunities to democracy, governance, peace, security and reconstruction,” the executive director of UNIFEM, Noeleen Heyzer, said. A UNIFEM spokeswoman in Nairobi told IRIN that the consensus among women crossed all ethnic and political divides and should serve as an example for all Burundians seeking peace. The Security Council also expressed support for the facilitator of the peace talks, Nelson Mandela, and urged participants to “engage seriously in the peace process”.