NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 19 – The role of women in crucial for guaranteeing inclusivity in reconciliation processes, the Italian Permanent Representative of to the United Nations, Mariangela Zappia, said today during a Security Council debate on “the Role of Reconciliation in maintaining peace and security”. Zappia acknowledged that “there is no single recipe for success. As every conflict and ensuing settlement is different, so the related reconciliation process may differ”. Nevertheless, she used the opportunity to illustrate a few key principles such as the need that reconciliations processes are as inclusive as possible with the contribution of local authorities and that women must have a crucial role to guaranteeing such inclusivity.
“Today, too few women are involved in reconciliation and mediation efforts. To address these limitations, Italy launched the Mediterranean Women Mediators Network”, said the Italian Ambassador: “We are proud of the results it has achieved so far: new members have joined; the first two local antennas – in Cyprus and Turkey – have been established; training, capacity building and networking opportunities have been provided; and fruitful synergies with the UN, the African Union, and other regional networks have developed. The latest achievement is the creation of the Global Alliance of regional networks of women mediators, successfully launched in New York last September”.
Zappia stressed that for peace to be lasting there must be a linkage between national and local reconciliation initiatives. Religious leaders and civil society are proven to be key partners, for example when the Comunità di Sant’Egidio engaged in the Central African Republic peace process, aiming to carefully balance its work on the need to ensure accountability, without jeopardizing the final outcome of the reconciliation process. As a national best practice, the Ambassador recalled the activity of the Italian NGO “Rondine Cittadella della Pace”, an organization committed to reducing global armed conflicts by educating young generations in conflict resolution, second-track diplomacy, and the promotion of peace and human rights. (@OnuItalia)
