Isabelle Pendeza: “Peace cannot be negotiated without women”

Twenty-six years after the UN adopted Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security, its implementation remains a challenge in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Human rights advocate Isabelle Pendeza told Radio Okapi that women accounted for only 10% of participants in the country’s peace negotiations and processes. She said this underrepresentation hinders lasting, inclusive peace and called for women’s effective participation in decision-making and conflict-resolution mechanisms, beyond the adoption of gender-equality policies.