Gathered at the Senate on the sidelines of the 51st Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of La Francophonie (APF), the Network of Women Parliamentarians of La Francophonie placed equality, peace, and female leadership at the heart of its work. The participants intend to make parliamentary diplomacy a lever of influence for more inclusive governance.
The session of the Network of Women Parliamentarians of La Francophonie opened on July 8, 2026, in Yaoundé under the presidency of Lydienne Epoube, First Vice-President of the Network. The meeting brought together women ministers from Cameroon as well as Marie Pierre Raky Chaupin, UN Women resident representative in Cameroon, demonstrating institutional mobilization in favor of women’s political participation.
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The discussions focused on several priorities, including the evaluation of initiatives in favor of young women’s civic participation, leadership for equal representation, the implementation of United Nations resolution 1325 on women, peace, and security, as well as the adoption of gender-sensitive budgets.
Drawing on the 2026 global report of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and UN Women, Marie Pierre Raky Chaupin recalled that women hold 27.5% of parliamentary seats worldwide and only 19.9% of parliamentary presidencies. These figures illustrate the path still to be traveled toward balanced representation.
“By choosing to institutionalize feminist parliamentary diplomacy, you remind the world that women should no longer only be seen as victims of conflicts, but as essential actors, mediators, and architects of peace,” she declared.
The work is expected to conclude with the adoption of a declaration dedicating the strengthening of feminist parliamentary diplomacy, in line with the “Women, Peace and Security” Agenda.
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