Welcome
Statement by Minister of State Michelle Müntefering before her virtual visit to South Sudan and Rwanda
Minister of State Michelle Müntefering issued the following statement today (24 April) before her virtual visit to South Sudan and Rwanda:
Without women there can be no peace. A society can only be strong and stable when everyone is able to actively participate in it on equal terms. This is why Germany has made the Women, Peace and Security resolution one of its foreign policy priorities. Along with my fellow members of parliament, I am looking forward to our talks with women working in different fields in South Sudan and Rwanda. The close cooperation between Europe and Africa on the implementation of Resolution 1325 is very important.
Background information:
On 26 and 27 April, Minister of State Michelle Müntefering and colleagues from the Bundestag will visit South Sudan and Rwanda on a virtual journey. They will be focusing on the implementation of United Nations Resolution 1325. With the Women, Peace and Security agenda passed in October 2000, the international community committed to protecting the rights of women and involving them in peace negotiations on equal terms. Africa and Europe are working closely with one another to implement the resolution.
On 26 April, Minister of State Müntefering and South Sudan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Beatrice Wani will discuss the implementation of the South Sudan peace agreement and other issues and will meet women civil society representatives including Lorna Merekaje, a winner of the Franco-German Prize for Human Rights. The Minister of State will also learn about German projects which are actively supporting the implementation of Resolution 1325 on the ground.
On 27 April, the Minister of State and fellow members of parliament will make a virtual visit to Rwanda, an active partner in UN peace missions and in the implementation of Resolution 1325. They will meet with the Minister of Gender and Family Promotion Dr Jeannette Bayisenge and with leading women members of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. The day’s virtual agenda also includes a meeting with women peacekeepers and a visit to a project run by the Dallaire Initiative, with funding from the Federal Foreign Office, which works to prevent the use of child soldiers. Another meeting with women working in civil society will focus on the national reconciliation process following the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi and on the role of art and education.