Women can bring world peace -- Robinson
Tuesday November 18 2008
FORMER president Mary Robinson has appealed for countries to maintain their concern about the developing world despite the economic conditions.
Speaking at a conference on conflict resolution yesterday, she said that if more women were involved in peace negotiations, there would be a greater chance of arriving at solutions.
The human rights campaigner said that there was a problem of whether governments would continue their commitment to development aid.
"It is true that there is a lot of focus on the financial crisis," she said at the 'Women, Peace and Conflict' event in Dublin.
"How do we ensure that there is attention to the extraordinary suffering and the invisibility of women and their families in situations where they are both victims of conflict and want to be agents for change?"
Ms Robinson said a national action plan to bring women to the forefront in war-torn countries would bolster Ireland's human rights reputation and voice.
"If women were given more opportunities to engage in conflict prevention and peace negotiations, it is likely that solutions would be more holistic and effective," she said.
- Shane Hickey and Sarah Stack
