Kinshasa, October 22nd, 2026 (CPA).- Funding for the “Women, Peace and Security” Agenda in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) was the subject of an advocacy campaign on Thursday in Kinshasa, during a ceremony honoring Annie Matundu’s 20 years of commitment to United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325.
“The Women, Peace and Security Agenda needs, now more than ever, political, financial and strategic resources commensurate with the challenges on the ground,” said Annie Matundu, an expert on Resolution 1325.
“This recognition is not mine alone; it belongs to all Congolese women who, in the face of violence, war and injustice, refuse to remain silent and continue to carry the torch of dignity and peace,” she added.
Ms Matundu explained that her vision for the next 20 years is to move from symbolic representation to decision-making power.
It is to prepare young people to take over. “My vision is one of inclusive and gender-equal governance.
Today, we are not celebrating the end of a journey, but the starting point of a new era. What we have achieved, but what we still have to build, is crucial,” argued the “champion of Resolution 1325”, she said.
She stated that she dreams of a DRC where women occupy half the seats at negotiating tables, in security command structures, in political bodies and in peace mediation mechanisms.
“I dream of a well-educated and ambitious youth. I want to see a new generation of young girls grow up with the certainty that their voices are sovereign.
We must invest heavily in education, digital leadership and the economic empowerment of young women,” she revealed. “I dream of an Agenda 1325 adapted to emerging challenges.
Our movement must equip itself to respond to the new faces of crises: the impact of climate change, economic sovereignty and geopolitical shifts. But this legacy is one to be passed on and a call to action.
To all the young people watching us today, I will pass on this legacy,” she added.She emphasised that one must never lose one’s place at the negotiating table.
Believe in the power of dialogue, the strength of commitment and the legitimacy of your leadership.
Ms Annie Matundu explained that her struggle began when the DRC was going through the darkest hours of its history.
At the time, women were subjected to the worst horrors of the conflicts, relegated to the status of silent victims. “When United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 was adopted, many saw it as merely a diplomatic document.
For me, it was a call to action. A call to proclaim loud and clear that Congolese women cannot be mere victims. They are mediators, they are builders; they are the indispensable architects of peace,” she remarked.“They taught me a fundamental truth: no lasting peace will be built in the DRC without the direct and full participation of women,” she said.
According to her, “over the 20 years of work on Resolution 1325, we have had to break down stereotypes, confront socio-cultural barriers, deal with repeated security crises and tirelessly argue that gender equality is not a concession made to women, but an imperative for justice, security and democracy”.
The expert on Resolution 1325 thanked the “champion of positive masculinity”, President Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, who is working to empower Congolese women; the Prime Minister; MONUSCO; and all the Congolese women who have left their mark on her 20-year journey with Resolution 1325 in the DRC.
The Minister in charge of Gender, Family and Children, who was represented at the event, presented the award winner with a handmade wooden gift. ACP/