Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Gender, Culture and Children Services, Hanna Wendot Cheptumo, has urged the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to institutionalize the inclusion of women and youth in regional peace processes, highlighting their crucial role in preventive diplomacy and sustainable peace.
Speaking at the IGAD Regional Forum for Eminent Personalities and Leaders for Peace, CS Cheptumo lauded the resilience of women and young people across the Horn of Africa, who, despite being disproportionately affected by conflict, have consistently emerged as grassroots peacebuilders.
“In our IGAD region, conflict has fractured families, displaced communities, and eroded hope. Yet women and youth have long served as unofficial diplomats. Their lived experience and community rootedness offer an untapped reservoir for regional stability,” she stated.
Cheptumo stressed that Kenya’s own experience underscores the transformative power of gender-inclusive dialogue. She cited the country’s 2019 National Policy on Gender and Development, which has mainstreamed gender equality across political, economic, and security spheres.
Women-led Mediation: A Proven Model
Reflecting on Kenya’s post-election recovery, the CS noted how women-led mediation efforts were instrumental in rebuilding trust and fostering reconciliation at the community level.
“These women-led interventions are textbook examples of how collective wisdom, grounded in community trust, can prevent future conflicts,” she remarked.
She also highlighted youth-led initiatives supported by civil society, which have trained dozens of young mediators, particularly women, in conflict-affected counties.
CS Cheptumo urged the IGAD Council of Eminent Personalities to move beyond symbolic representation and embed inclusive practices into Track II Mediation—informal yet powerful peace efforts.
“Peace processes that exclude women and youth ignore half our region’s wisdom,” she said. “Peace that silences their voices cannot endure because it lacks the collective intelligence that makes communities resilient.”
She proposed the establishment of a diverse regional roster comprising senior women and men, youth, and elders—trained in gender-sensitive negotiation, psychosocial support, and trauma-informed facilitation.
In addition to political mechanisms, the CS called on IGAD to recognize the role of shared cultural heritage, traditional practices, and the arts as critical tools for dialogue and reconciliation.
“These time-tested mechanisms have long served as bridges between communities. Let us elevate them in our peacebuilding toolkit,” she affirmed.
The CS further made a case for boldness and vision, inviting regional leaders to collectively redefine peacebuilding as an inclusive, community-driven process.
“When we bring together our daughters and sons, our mothers and fathers, we build peace that draws from the full spectrum of human experience and insight,” she stated.
