The President of the Senate of Côte d’Ivoire, Kandia Camara, has showcased her country’s initiatives for fostering inclusive and lasting peace, with a focus on women’s leadership, empowerment, and climate resilience, during the 15th Summit of Women Parliamentary Presidents in Geneva.
The summit, held on 28 July 2025 at the headquarters of the International Labour Organization (ILO), brought together senior female parliamentary leaders from across the globe. Organised by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in collaboration with the Swiss Parliament, the event explored strategies to strengthen women’s roles in peace, security, and sustainable development.
In her address during the opening session, Camara highlighted Côte d’Ivoire’s progress on women, peace, and security, including the adoption of two national action plans, the participation of women in reconciliation processes, support for community mediation initiatives led by women’s associations, and the training of women for roles in the security sector.
Speaking at a second session, dedicated to “new challenges for inclusive and sustainable peace and the way forward,” Camara emphasized actions aimed at strengthening women’s resilience to climate change. These included integrating gender perspectives into public policies, promoting the use of improved stoves to reduce environmental impact, and ensuring women’s involvement in land governance.
She stressed that a lasting response to climate challenges requires “systematically integrating gender approaches into all environmental policies, while expanding women’s access to resources, technologies, and information.”
The summit coincided with two landmark anniversaries: 30 years since the Beijing Declaration on women’s rights and a decade of progress toward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Its conclusions, which include recommendations on strengthening women’s leadership in peacebuilding, will be incorporated into the 6th World Conference of Parliamentary Presidents scheduled from 29 to 31 July 2025.
Camara, joined by members of the Ivorian Senate, reaffirmed Côte d’Ivoire’s commitment to advancing women’s leadership in peace, security, and sustainable development, under the summit’s theme, “Presidents committed to inclusive and lasting peace.”
About The Author
