The document is a lecture given to launch the "She Builds Peace" campaign championed by ICAN. The campaign aims to support women peacebuilders, ensure inclusive peace initiatives, appreciate women's contributions to peacebuilding, and resource women's peacebuilding efforts. It has already been launched in 25 countries. The lecture discusses the importance of women's roles in peacebuilding based on examples from Rwanda, South Africa, and South Sudan. It defines peacebuilding as policies and programs to restore stability and effective institutions after war or conflict. Peacebuilding includes development projects and confidence-building measures. The lecture argues the "She Builds Peace" campaign provides an opportunity for women in Cameroon, the region, and Africa to create synerg

1. LECTURE TO ‘SHE BUILDS PEACE’ CAMPAIGN: A Campaign
Championed by ICAN – 09 February 2022
by Dr Daniel Ekongwe
Introduction
Greetings to all of you present here to launch this ‘she build peace
campaign and please accept my encouragement to your efforts. The
campaign as I am made to understand is championed by ICAN and aims
to reinforce and reiterate the critical role women play in fostering the
women Peace and security (WPS) agenda. ‘She builds peace’ is a global
platform and collaborative campaign that aims at:
 supporting women peacebuilders in ensuring their safety and
protection
 ensuring peace and security initiatives are inclusive
 appreciate the critical contribution of women in peace building and
 resourcing women efforts in peace building
As I understand, the Women’s Alliance for security leadership (WALS)
has already carried out this same activity across twenty Five (25)
countries. In this domain, Reach Out Cameroon is continuing in its
pioneering role to lead the women of Cameroon in these efforts.
My wish is that you all as women and we as Africans should strive as you
are here demonstrating to understand the nature, method and process
of peace building. This is important because the subject is broad and
entails many things. It is only when or after someone acquires
appropriate knowledge and expertise over the subject then can they
obtain or provide or suggest sustainable solutions.
It is always an honour and great excitement for me to talk on this matter
especially when invited by organizations and people of great repute and
whose actions and contributions to peace building process has received
acclaim across the globe.
I am talking about the efforts of Reach Out Cameroon led by its
indefatigable leader and Executive Director Mme Omam Esther and all of

2. the different groups led by you in the quest for justice, respect of human
rights and human dignity and the preservation of peace and security in
our country, region and continent.
2. Subject of Discourse
I speak as a pan Africanist and professor of these things and
subject….the subject of peace, security, governance and development…
one cannot be detached from the other if we must eliminate or reduce
the propensity of conflict in our society and community or country and
continent. In all these the role of women is crucial as we have seen in
other places such as Rwanda, South Africa, and South Sudan etc.
In your effort to make the world and our society a better and safe place
to live in peace and minimal conflict I have a few things or may be
directions to make.
First, ‘She builds Peace’ is a campaign championed by ICAN and She
Builds Peace is a Global collaborative platform to support women. Of
what significance is this to you and your organization……explain
Secondly, the campaign has already been launched in over twenty five
countries, how can this be useful to you and your organization…it’s a
veritable platform to create a synergy of women action for
peacebuilding.
3. Emphasis on the Subject of Peacebuilding
Now I want you to understand a few other things
What is peace? Peace a political condition that ensures stability through
formal and informal institutions, practices and norms. Peace is
notoriously elusive and means more that the absence of war or
hostilities. Peace is either positive or negative. Positive peace is the
institutionalization of justice and freedom. In the western world peace
denotes the respect of contractual terms of a relationship …… that is the
state of peace which is different from negative peace which means the
absence of war or conflict
Several conditions must be met for peace to maintained or reached.

3.  Balance of political power amongst the various groups within
society, region or most ambitiously the world
 Legitimacy for decision makers and implementers of decisions in
the eyes of their respective group as well as those of external
parties, duly supported through transparency and accountability
 Recognized and valued interdependence relationships among
groups, fostering long-term cooperation during periods of
agreement, disagreement, normality and crisis
 Reliable and trusted instituted institutions for resolving conflicts
 Sense of equality and respect in sentiment and in practice within
and without groups and in accordance with international standards
 Mutual understanding of rights, interest, intents and flexibility
despite incompatibilities
Peacebuilding on the other hand are policies, programs and efforts to
restore stability and the effectiveness of social, political and economic
institutions and structures in the wake of a war, conflict or some form
of catastrophic event. To understand peacebuilding efforts and
activities I would advise that you take a look at the works of the
former Secretary General of the UN…Boutros Boutros-Ghali’s Agenda
for Peace.
That is peacebuilding efforts include cooperative projects that not
only contribute to economic and social development but also enhance
the confidence that is so fundamental to peace. This means
peacebuilding should focus on the alleviation of pain and suffering
and the restoration of human dignity through sustainable actions on
agriculture, transportation, resource management, cultural
exchanges, educational projects; this is the connection between
security, peace and development
The UN has launched several initiatives that involve elements of
peace building such as the ‘Peacebuilding Support Offices under the
department of Political Affairs and they have already operated in
Liberia, Central Africa Republic and Guinea Bissau.
Peacebuilding involves a wide range of stakeholders that include
international donors, aid agencies and international, regional and

4. community and grassroots civil society organizations. Their actions
focus on the following.
What all these means is that as you gather here to launch ‘She Builds
Peace, an opportunity is open for the women of Cameroon, this
region and the African continent to create a synergy and push the
agenda for peace forward. The role of women in the peace agenda
will involve the following:
 Coordinating the roles of numerous internal and external parties
involve in the inter-related mission of peacebuilding
 Providing humanitarian relief to victims
 Protecting human rights
 Ensuring security and related services
 Establishing non-violent modes of resolving present and future
conflicts
 Fostering reconciliation among the various parties to a conflict
 Building and maintaining the operations of institutions to
provide such services
 Providing psycho-social or trauma healing services to victims of
severe atrocities
 Assisting an end to military or violent exchanges through the
decommissioning of arms, the demobilization of combatants
and rehabilitation and reintegration programs.
4. Conclusion
The role of women in peace building is fundamental because of the
position women occupy in society, especially in Africa. I will advise that
peacebuilding efforts in Africa should involve and be focus on African
Methods. Otherwise, the methods, institutions and processes of
peacebuilding efforts that yielded sustainable results in order African
countries can be adapted to the realities and specificities of other African
countries.