Interpol in Mozambique to investigate drug trafficking - AIM report
Mozambique: Civil Society debates mechanisms to strengthen women’s participation in the National Dialogue
10:10 CAT | 20 Jun 2025
File photo: Carlos Júnior
The President of the Technical Committee for the Inclusive National Dialogue (COTE), Édson Macuácua, met with Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) this Thursday (19) to define mechanisms that guarantee the effective participation of women in all stages of the process.
“We want to ensure that women are an important and active part of the national dialogue process, where they will have a say and we hope that they will also take ownership of this process. The dialogue would never be a success without the participation of women, because women represent the majority of the Mozambican population,” he said.
Macuácua was speaking this Thursday (19), in Maputo, during a round table, where he highlighted the crucial role of women’s participation in the dialogue process.
“Women have psychic and keen sensitivities for certain matters. Therefore, they can advise us better, as well as bring experiences they have lived so that they can be taken into consideration”, she added.
On the occasion, she shared about the current stage of the process of selecting personalities from civil society.
“The process is ongoing, and the information on how many candidates we have will be shared after the 30th, for the sake of transparency. If we start opening up now, we may be tempted to influence the process”, she said.
She also encouraged women to apply in large numbers to join the Technical Committee, currently composed of 18 members, six women and 12 men, in order to represent civil society.
Macuácua maintained its commitment to respecting gender balance. “We will maintain our coherence in terms of respecting the principle of gender balance, as well as prioritizing the existence of both male and female genders, so when the second phase arrives, we encourage women to apply for the different working groups.
She said that specific issues of interest to women will be discussed during consultations, debates and round tables, and that women will be able to share ideas and aspirations so that they are reflected in the dialogue process.
She also expressed openness to welcoming initiatives from structured women in civil society, as well as to responding positively to invitations from active women’s organizations that wish to participate in the dialogue by bringing their vision and contributions.
On the other hand, CSOs advocate joining forces to reduce the structural and sociocultural barriers that limit women’s equitable and effective participation in political processes and in reform, peace and national reconciliation.
They state that several studies show that when women participate, the likelihood of agreements lasting at least 20% increases. two years than when they do not participate. Therefore, in the opinion of the organizers, the presence of women in peace processes is not only a matter of social justice, it is a condition for achieving sustainable agreements.
“The current political context marked by post-electoral tensions and the need to consolidate peace, stability and national reconciliation, further reinforces the need for ever greater and better involvement of women in decision-making processes”, states the Institute for Multiparty Democracy (IMD).
In addition, the IMD project coordinator believes that maximizing women’s participation during the consultation process can influence the National Political Agenda and the consolidation of democracy. “Women should not be left out when the consultation process begins”.
The event was held in partnership with the Civil Society Support Mechanism Foundation (MASC) and the Community Development Foundation (FDC).
Source: AIM
Show comments
Also read
Leave a Reply
Be the First to Comment!
You must be logged in to post a comment.
You must be logged in to post a comment.