The North West Women Mediators' Summit 2026 officially opened in Bamenda with stakeholders calling for stronger collaboration among peace actors and concrete actions to advance women's participation in peacebuilding processes across the region.
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He stressed that sustainable peace cannot be achieved through isolated interventions and called for greater synergy among government institutions, civil society organisations, community leaders, development partners and grassroots mediators.
The Regional Delegate urged participants to use the two-day summit as a platform not only for dialogue and experience sharing but also for producing practical and actionable resolutions capable of influencing policy and strengthening peacebuilding efforts within communities.
According to him, the true measure of the summit's success will be reflected in the implementation of recommendations that improve the participation of women in decision-making, conflict prevention and mediation processes throughout the North West Region.
Board chair of MOHCAM
The Board Chairperson of Mother of Hope Cameroon, MOHCAM was also almost those who address the opening event.She used the moment to appreciate women peacebuilders in the North West Region for the commitment and dedication to the work they do at grassroots level
Addressing the summit, Cynthia Wakuna, Programme Director of Mother of Hope Cameroon (MOHCAM), presented the concept note of the summit, outlining the rationale behind the initiative and the growing need to formalise the role of women mediators in the region's peace architecture.
She noted that while women have played critical roles in mediation, reconciliation and community dialogue throughout years of conflict, many of their contributions remain informal and insufficiently recognised within official peace processes.
Cynthia Wakuna explained that the summit seeks to bridge the gap between grassroots peacebuilding efforts and formal policy frameworks by creating opportunities for women mediators to network, share experiences, strengthen their capacities and influence decision-making processes.
She highlighted the summit's objectives, including the launch of a Women Mediators Network, the promotion of the Women, Peace and Security agenda, and the localisation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 and Cameroon's National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security.
The MOHCAM Programme Director also reflected on the organisation's longstanding commitment to peacebuilding, women's leadership and community resilience in the North West Region.
Over the years, MOHCAM has worked with women, youth, community leaders and conflict-affected populations through mediation initiatives, dialogue platforms, capacity-building programmes and advocacy actions aimed at strengthening social cohesion and empowering women as agents of peace.
In a keynote address, MOHCAM Executive Director Adah Atoh Muyang addressed the North West Women Mediators' Summit, describing the gathering as "a moment of reflection, recognition and renewed commitment" for women peacebuilders across the region.
She says the summit seeks to celebrate resilience while strengthening collective efforts towards sustainable peace in the North West Region.
Addressing participants, Adah Atoh Muyang noted that nearly a decade of conflict in the North West and South West Regions has left profound social, economic and psychosocial scars on communities.
According to her, families have been displaced, livelihoods destroyed, schools disrupted and communities divided by fear and uncertainty.
The MOHCAM Executive Director highlighted the disproportionate impact of the crisis on women and girls.
Adah Atoh Muyang says despite years of conflict, women have remained at the forefront of peacebuilding efforts.
Quote: "Women are not only victims of conflict. Women are agents of change, leaders, mediators and community peacebuilders."
She said women have since mediated family disputes, organised community dialogues, supported internally displaced persons, advocated for justice and created spaces for healing and reconciliation.
Participants at the summit
According to Adah Atoh Muyang, women have continuously brought people together where conflict created division.
Quote: "Women have built bridges where division existed and restored hope where conflict threatened to take root."
MOHCAM Executive Director addressing summit participants
While acknowledging international and national commitments on Women, Peace and Security, including UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and Cameroon’s National Action Plan, the MOHCAM Executive Director said implementation challenges remain.
She noted that women continue to be underrepresented in formal peace negotiations and decision-making spaces.
Panelists and participants at the summit
Adah Atoh Muyang challenged stakeholders to rethink the exclusion of women from key peace processes.
Quote: "Peace cannot be sustainable when women remain on the margins of decision-making. Peace cannot be inclusive if the voices of those most affected are absent from the conversation."
MOHCAM Executive Director addressing participants at the summit
The Executive Director called for greater representation of women in leadership and mediation spaces.
Quote: "Women do not belong only in community support roles. Women belong at decision-making tables, mediation platforms, policy discussions and leadership spaces."
Adah Atoh Muyang outlined key priorities including:
Strengthening women's leadership and mediation capacities
Investing in grassroots women-led peace initiatives
Creating safe and inclusive spaces for women and girls
Supporting young women as emerging peace leaders
Promoting accountability for Women, Peace and Security commitments
The MOHCAM Executive Director paid tribute to women working quietly in villages, communities and organisations across the region.
Quote: "You are not simply participants in peacebuilding. You are architects of peace, voices of resilience and the foundation upon which sustainable communities are built."
Participants at the summit
As the summit gets underway, Adah Atoh Muyang urged participants to move from dialogue to action.
Quote: "Let us transform commitment into action, dialogue into impact and challenges into opportunities."
She called for a future where peace, justice, dignity and inclusion become realities for every family and community in Cameroon.
First panel discussion opens at North West Women Mediators' Summit
First panel discussion
The first high-level panel discussion of the North West Women Mediators' Summit is now underway under the theme:
"From commitment to action: localizing UNSCR 1325 and the national action plan to advance women's inclusion in peace processes."
The discussion focuses on translating global and national commitments on Women, Peace and Security into concrete actions that improve the participation of women in peacebuilding and decision-making processes across communities in the North West Region.
The panel comes against the backdrop of concerns raised by MOHCAM Executive Director, Adah Atoh Muyang, who noted earlier that despite existing frameworks, women remain underrepresented in formal peace negotiations and decision-making platforms, while many grassroots women-led organisations continue to operate with limited resources and institutional support.
Meet the Panelists for panel one
Dr Sakah Bernard (Swiss Peace) Bringing expertise in peacebuilding, conflict transformation and mediation, Dr Sakah is expected to provide insights on strengthening local peace mechanisms and linking community initiatives with broader peace frameworks.
Florence Munteh (North West Regional Women's Convention for Peace) A prominent advocate for women's participation in peace processes, she is expected to share experiences from grassroots peace initiatives and the role of women-led movements in conflict resolution.
Emmanuel Ajonga (Project Officer, UN Women) Representing one of the leading international agencies promoting the Women, Peace and Security agenda, he is expected to discuss progress, opportunities and challenges in implementing UNSCR 1325.
Moderated by Cynthia Wakuna
The session is being moderated by Cynthia Wakuna, Programme Director of MOHCAM, who is guiding discussions on how stakeholders can move beyond policy commitments towards practical and measurable actions that place women at the centre of peacebuilding efforts.
Cynthia Wakuna moderator panel one
Key question before the panel
How can women move from the margins of peace processes to the centre of decision-making and mediation efforts in the North West Region?
Enter the discussions
Representing the Ministry of Women's Empowerment and the Family (MINPROFF), Gillian Tamambang outlined government efforts to implement the Women, Peace and Security agenda in the North West Region.
According to her, MINPROFF continues to organise awareness campaigns and workshops to help community stakeholders understand and implement UN Security Council Resolution 1325 at the local level.
Key interventions highlighted include:
Community sensitisation on Women, Peace and Security
Capacity building for women in leadership and mediation
Psychosocial support for survivors of violence
Economic assistance to vulnerable women and girls
Gender mainstreaming in reconstruction programmes
Skills training through Women and Family Empowerment Centres
Panel discussion
Speaking during the panel discussion, Dr Bernard Sakah of Swisspeace said the organisation has spent the last six years supporting women's participation in peace processes in the North West and South West Regions.
He highlighted support provided to the North West and South West Women's Task Force through:
• Capacity building
• Mentorship
• Technical support
• Resource mobilisation
• Development of mediation and dialogue tools
Dr Sakah stressed that community-based and informal mediation processes remain critical for sustainable peace.
Quote: "Informal mediation processes remain very important because they are community-driven and community-led."
Swisspeace says it has facilitated learning exchanges between Cameroonian women peacebuilders and women involved in peace processes in other conflict-affected countries.
Dr Bernard Sakah cited Colombia as one example where women mediators from Cameroon were able to draw lessons from decades of peacebuilding experience.
The aim, he said, is to strengthen local peace initiatives through international learning and solidarity.
Participants
Representing the National Women's Convention for Peace, Florence Munteh challenged the perception that peacebuilding is reserved for educated women or those holding influential positions.
She argued that grassroots women are already resolving conflicts daily within families and communities.
Quote: "Every woman is a peacebuilder. Even the woman in the most remote village is solving problems and creating peace within her community."
One of the strongest moments of the discussion came from Florence Munteh as she addressed the persistent exclusion of women from formal peace negotiations.
Quote: "Women are ready for peace negotiations. If we are not given a seat at the table, we will bring our own chairs and participate in the peace process."
Her remarks drew strong reactions from participants attending the summit.
Monteh Florence
Florence Munteh revealed that the National Women's Convention for Peace has mobilised women across Cameroon, bringing together more than 1,800 women since its launch.
The initiative now works with over 80 organisations across the country's ten regions, promoting women's participation in peacebuilding, dialogue and conflict resolution.
UN Women Project Officer Emmanuel Ajonga explained that the establishment of a UN Women presence in Bamenda reflects the organisation's commitment to supporting women affected by the crisis in the North West and South West Regions.
He stressed that UN Women's role is to support government efforts while promoting gender equality and women's empowerment.
Participants
UN Women says economic empowerment remains a key pillar of its Women, Peace and Security interventions.
According to Emmanuel Ajonga, the organisation is currently supporting women's cooperatives across 17 municipalities along the Ring Road corridor.
Quote: "When women are economically empowered, they are more likely to participate in decision-making processes."
Representing the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES), Norman Taku argued that women's participation in peacebuilding cannot be separated from the broader struggle against patriarchal systems that continue to exclude women from decision-making spaces.
Quote: "Women are still being kept out of spaces where decisions are made. That is what we must change."
The discussion is converging on one central message:
Women are already leading peace efforts at community level. The challenge now is ensuring that their voices influence formal decision-making, policy development and peace negotiations.panelists linked
Panelists identify key gaps in women's participation in peace processes
As discussions deepened during the first panel, speakers shifted from highlighting achievements to examining why women remain underrepresented in formal peacebuilding and decision-making spaces despite 25 years of UN Security Council Resolution 1325.
Representing MINPROFF, Gillian Tamambang acknowledged that one of the major shortcomings in efforts to empower women is the lack of sustained support after training.
Quote: "Empowerment should be holistic. It is not only about giving women skills but accompanying them so they can become resilient and contribute to decision-making."
She stressed that women need both capacity building and economic support to effectively participate in leadership and mediation processes.
Dr Bernard Sakah of Swisspeace cautioned against measuring success through visibility rather than tangible impact.
Quote: "Peacebuilding cannot be cosmetic. What matters is not how visible our efforts are, but how much impact they create."
He noted that peacebuilding is a long-term process requiring patience, collaboration and sustained commitment.
Dr Sakah urged peace actors to prioritise collaboration over rivalry.
Quote: "We are not running a race where one person wins. We only win together."
He encouraged the newly launched Women Mediators Network to build partnerships with youth groups, religious leaders and male mediators rather than working in isolation.
Quote: "Twenty-five years after Resolution 1325, less than 20 percent of women in Cameroon know what it is."
She argued that practical implementation remains weak despite numerous policy commitments.
Florence Munteh rejected claims that women shy away from leadership positions.
According to her, social norms, discrimination and unequal expectations continue to create barriers for women at home, in workplaces and in public institutions.
Quote: "Women do not shy away from leadership. It is the conditions created by society that hold them back."
Quote: "If you are not at the table, decisions will be taken against you."
He highlighted recent training programmes aimed at preparing women and young people for participation in politics, governance and community leadership.
FES representative Norman Taku argued that discussions about women's participation must address deeper structural inequalities.
He described patriarchy as a system rather than an attack on men.
Quote: "When we talk about patriarchy, we are not attacking men. We are challenging a system that has normalised exclusion."
Several contributors argued that engaging husbands, traditional leaders and male community influencers is critical for changing attitudes that continue to limit women's leadership opportunities.
The discussion highlighted the importance of promoting positive masculinity alongside women's empowerment initiatives.
Responding to audience concerns about conflicts among women, panelists rejected the notion that women are naturally predisposed to undermine one another.
Quote: "There is nothing biological that makes women work against other women. That is simply not true."
One of the strongest interventions of the session came as panelists linked women's inclusion directly to human rights and sustainable peace.
Quote: "Nobody gives rights willingly. Rights are claimed and defended."
Speakers maintained that excluding women from decision-making weakens communities and limits prospects for lasting peace.
KEY QUOTE OF THE SESSION
Norman Taku (FES):
"Every time you exclude women, you choose to impoverish society."
PANEL TAKEAWAY
The discussion is increasingly pointing to a shared conclusion:
The challenge is no longer proving that women contribute to peace. The challenge is dismantling the barriers that prevent women from influencing decisions, accessing resources and shaping formal peace processes.
The second segment of the summit on Women, Peace and Security opened with powerful testimonies from women community mediators who have been working at the grassroots level to resolve conflicts and strengthen social cohesion across communities in the North West Region.
Several speakers testified that the training they received transformed not only their communities but also their personal lives. Many said they had gained confidence, leadership skills and the courage to intervene in conflicts that previously would have been left unresolved.
The women also highlighted challenges they continue to face, including limited resources, cultural barriers, balancing peace work with family responsibilities and misconceptions surrounding women's empowerment and gender equality.
The testimonies underscored a common message: women are increasingly becoming trusted actors in conflict prevention, mediation and community reconciliation.
Following the testimonies, participants were treated to a moving spoken-word performance celebrating the resilience and sacrifices of women during the ongoing conflict.
Through powerful imagery and emotion, the artist paid tribute to women who turned their homes into places of refuge, ensured children continued learning amid insecurity, comforted grieving families and sustained communities during some of the region's most difficult moments.
The audience joined in a stirring refrain:
"Peace is not lost. Peace is where a woman chooses to plant."
The performance drew applause and set the stage for deeper reflections on women's contributions to peacebuilding.
The event then transitioned to Panel Two, moderated by Nina Ambuban, Jurist and Research Officer at the Office of the Public Independent Conciliator.
The panel brought together Clotilda Andiensa, General Coordinator of SNWOT; HRH Fon Nfor Amidu, Vice President of the North West House of Chiefs Executive Council; Ndasi Gilbert of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon National Communications Department; Barrister Tamon, Human Rights Lawyer and Legal Adviser to WOPEN; Ndong Raphaela, Justice and Peace Coordinator of the Archdiocese of Bamenda; and community mediator Haweh Bira.
Discussions focused on women's participation in peacebuilding, access to justice, grassroots mediation, institutional support and the challenges facing women peace actors.
Representing the Archdiocese of Bamenda's Justice and Peace Commission, Ndong Raphaela highlighted efforts to monitor and document human rights abuses, provide legal assistance to vulnerable women and expand peace education programmes in schools and communities. She stressed that economic hardship remains one of the greatest barriers to women's effective participation in peacebuilding.
Human Rights Lawyer Barrister Tamon emphasised the importance of legal awareness and access to justice for women and girls. She called for greater inclusion of women in traditional and customary decision-making structures, noting that many of these spaces remain largely inaccessible to women despite their critical role in community peacebuilding.
Contributors agreed that while significant progress has been made, more needs to be done to ensure women's voices are fully represented in decision-making processes at community, regional and national levels.
The session reinforced a central message emerging from the summit: women are not merely victims of conflict but active architects of peace, reconciliation and community resilience.
END OF DAY ONE COVERAGE
As Day One of the Women, Peace and Security Summit comes to a close, we thank you for following our live updates throughout a day marked by powerful testimonies, insightful discussions and renewed calls for greater inclusion of women in peacebuilding and decision-making processes.
From grassroots mediators sharing stories of reconciliation to institutional leaders reflecting on the challenges and opportunities of advancing the Women, Peace and Security agenda, the message has been clear: women remain central to building sustainable peace in our communities.
Everything being equal, Hilltopvoices will return tomorrow with comprehensive live coverage of Day Two of the summit.
Stay connected for more updates, interviews, key resolutions and highlights as the conversation continues.
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