Conference on women and children in conflict 14-16 Nov

A subregional conference on the protection of women and children in armed conflict in central Africa will be held from 14 to 16 Nov. in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, the UN Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa has announced.

The conference will focus on the vulnerability of women and children in armed conflict situations and the need to assure them protection, as well as on the specific needs of women and children in the process of conflict and crisis resolution and in the reconstruction of countries emerging from conflict. The conference will culminate in the adoption of a plan of action for the protection of women and children in armed conflict situations in central Africa, taking into account their role and specific needs in the re-establishment and consolidation of peace.

The conference is a follow-up to the subregional ‘Conference on the Problem of Refugees and Internally-Displaced Persons’, also organised by the Committee, in August 2000. At that conference, participants concluded that women and children represented the majority of refugees and displaced persons in central Africa, and that women and children faced an even more difficult situation than other refugees because of their vulnerability.

Participants at this week's conference will include senior government officials from the member states of the Committee, representatives of major donor countries, UN agencies, international organisations, international NGOs, and representatives of civil society and youth organisations from member states of the Committee.

For further information, contact Pamela Maponga at (212) 963-5521 or visit the website
http://www.un.org./Depts/dda/SACSQCA.html