Kinshasa, July 23rd, 2025 (CPA).- The women’s involvement in conflict resolution has been the subject of a round table organised on Wednesday in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, for civil society organisations, the media and state actors. ‘We are calling on the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo to take urgent measures to involve women in conflict resolution,’ has declared Christelle Mpongo, editor of Femme d’Afrique magazine, who was reading out the recommendations on behalf of the participants. Ms Mpongo has informed that they have also called for the effective and efficient implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP) of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 3rd generation to push the Women, Peace and Security Agenda in DRC. ‘Civil society organisations and the media should continue to advocate for the restoration of peace throughout the country. They should encourage all national and international actors involved in the peaceful resolution of on-going conflicts in DRC to give women their rightful place in achieving lasting and inclusive peace,’ she has added.
As for the international community, the aim is to strengthen monitoring of the implementation of Resolution 1325. For his part, Prince Murhula, Country Manager of the NGO Journalists for Human Rights (JDH/JHR), has indicated that this meeting follows on logic from the workshop held on June 12th, where civil society, the media and other key actors are gathered to discuss the place of women in peace dynamics. ‘This initiative is particularly relevant in the context of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, which recognises the fundamental role of women in conflict prevention and resolution, peace building and post-conflict reconstruction,’ he has said. According to him, this round table also fits into the ‘Women, Peace and Security’ agenda, which calls on states, international organisations and civil society to promote the full, equal and meaningful participation of women at all levels of decision-making, particularly in times of crisis and transition.
For her part, Ms Josepha Pumbulu Mbimi, President of Chari-Congo, outlined the overall objective of this round table, which aims to mobilise key civil society actors and certain state actors to assess the implementation of Resolution 1325 in order to define effective advocacy strategies that will ensure better representation of women in the decision-making process. ‘It was also important to raise awareness among decision-makers about the implementation of Resolution 1325, to strengthen advocacy for the effective involvement of women and the consideration of their terms of reference for an inclusive peace process, and to rally state actors, CSO members and journalists for advocacy,’ she has emphasised. In addition, Ms Annie Matundu, gender advisor at the Ministry in charge of Gender, has reminded us of the progress made by DRC in implementing United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325.
« Resolution 1325 has recorded significant progress in DRC with the adoption of the National Action Plan (NAP), growing support from international actors (UN Women, UNDP, European Union, etc.), better regional coordination through the Great Lakes ‘Women, Peace and Security’ strategy, and the growing presence of women leaders in civil society and the media, » she has maintained. It should be noted that this event has been organised by the non-profit organisation Chari-Congo, in collaboration with Journalists for Human Rights/Journalistes pour les Droits Humains (JHR/JDH), a Canadian international organisation. It has featured panellists who have discussed the involvement of women in political and social spheres, as well as United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325.