The Coordinator of the Angie Brooks International Center (ABIC) for women’s empowerment, leadership development, international peace and security, Cllr. Dr. Yvette Chesson Gibson, has been elected to Co-chair the FemWise Network of ECOWAS.
According to Cllr. Gibson, who made the disclosure in a news conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Monrovia Thursday, 14 November the ECOWAS FemWise is the regional dimension of the network of Africa women in conflict prevention and mediation established in July 2017, as an African Union or AU initiative FemWise Africa.
She says her election was held in Abidjan, La Cote D’Ivoire on November 7, 2019 at an ECOWAS meeting, adding a steering committee comprised of seven women was also elected, including two Co-chairs- herself from Liberia, and Ms. Alice Gibson of Togo, who represented young women of ECOWAS.
“The FemWise Network was officially launched by Dr. SigaJagne, ECOWAS commissioner of social and gender. Other making remarks were ECOWAS representative to Guinea, and partners, including United Nations Women, and GIZ. The European Union also supported the launch,” Cllr. Yvette Chesson Gibson explains.She the meeting was moderated by HajiyaRaheematMomodu, head of human security and civil society of ECOWAS, while Rev. KesiaOnam Bijou Togo Birch, Africa Union adviser to FemWise Africa spoke on the role of the AU.
“Remarks were made by the Representative of the Government of the Republic of La Cote D’Ivoire. Progress in implementing the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 that urges the International community to improve women’s participation in peace and security has been slow. UN Women noted that between 1992 and 2011, women globally made up only 2% of chief mediators, 4% of witnesses and signatories, and 9% of negotiators. The African Union has developed instruments and policies for gender equity, including mainstreaming gender into the African Peace and Security Architecture. FemWise Africa is a subsidiary mechanism of the AU Panel of the Wise,” Cllr./ Dr. Chesson Gibson concludes.By Ben P. Wesee
