Dakar, 15 September, 2010 – On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of UN Security Council resolution 1325 on the role of Women in Peace and Security, a regional conference will be held at ministerial level from 15 to 17 September 2010 in Dakar.

The objective of the conference is to review progress made in West Africa in order to empower women to fully participate in conflict prevention, peacemaking and peacebuilding in the sub-region. It will bring together Ministers in charge of the matter from 16 West African countries, as well as representatives of the civil society, regional organizations and the UN System including peacekeeping missions. This initiative aims at mobilizing various stakeholders and supporting the efforts of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Mano River Union (MRU), the African Union (AU) and governments to foster the implementation of resolution 1325.

Conclusions and commitments made at the forum will be presented to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon by his Special Representative for West Africa, Said Djinnit. This will take place at a special event entitled "Women Count for peace, Global Open Days ", which will be held in New York at UN Headquarters on 21 October 2010 in preparation to the Open Debate of the UN Security Council on Women, Peace and Security dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the resolution.

The conference is organized under the auspices of the UN Office for West Africa (UNOWA) in collaboration with various Regional Offices in West Africa such as the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Children s Fund (UNICEF) and the UN Information Centre in Dakar (UNCC).