PEACEBUILDING VISITS - GUINEA-BISSAU
Empowering Young Women in Guinea-Bissau
28 February 2023
During a recent trip to Guinea-Bissau in February, the Chair of the Guinea-Bissau Configuration of the Peacebuilding Commission, Ambassador Ronaldo Costa Filho, witnessed the impact of the support of the Secretary-General's Peacebuilding Fund and the Commission’s advocacy for women’s and youth empowerment.
The long-term engagement with Guinea-Bissau illustrates the complementary nature of the work of the different peacebuilding tools of the Peacebuilding Support Office: In this case, the political accompaniment of the Peacebuilding Commission and the Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund’s support to Guinea-Bissau to achieve its national peacebuilding priorities and build sustainable peace and development.
During a recent trip to Guinea-Bissau from 14-16 February, Ambassador Ronaldo Costa Filho, the Chair of the Guinea-Bissau Configuration of the Peacebuilding Commission and Elizabeth Spehar, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support, had the opportunity to witness the impact of the long-standing support of the PBF in Guinea-Bissau and the Peacebuilding Commission’s advocacy for women’s and youth empowerment. The delegation met future female leaders of Guinea-Bissau who had just graduated from a 6-month “Female Talent Activation Program” at the Leadership Academy, a UNDP project supported by the PBF. In partnership with the Ministry of National Education and Higher Education and the Ministry of Territorial Administration, and in collaboration with Mozambican NGO GirlMove, the Program aimed to strengthen the capacities of young women to become agents of change.
The Chair and the Assistant Secretary-General heard from three young graduates directly, who attested to how the project helped them to recognize their potential and supported them in enhancing their leadership skills and competencies. The graduates described the social and cultural barriers to gender equality in Guinea-Bissau and described the ongoing challenges faced by women and girls in the country, including discrimination and sexual and gender-based violence. The young women informed that the program helped them to adopt a gender-sensitive lens, gain self-esteem and self-confidence, and become more aware of their rights and duties. The graduates expressed their determination to teach others what they learned and to promote gender equality and female leadership, which left the delegation confident in the positive impact they will make in their communities and beyond.