Wangari Maathai is calling on the African Union to recognize the vital role of women in the ongoing Sudan peace process at the summit in Kampala, Uganda later this month.

In an opinion editorial published in Daily Dispatch and the Deccan Herald, Maathai urges African leaders to ensure that women play a key role in the upcoming referendum on the secession of Southern Sudan.

Read the full editorial.

The African Union has declared 2010 as the Year of Peace and Security in Africa, and will soon launch the African Decade of Women. In order to show real commitment to these pledges, the AU must carve out a space for women to meaningfully participate in all decision-making processes. As Maathai has eloquently put it, “achieving lasting peace and security in Sudan is not possible without women’s full inclusion”.

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Learn more in our Sudan section