APGDI Cameroon

26/07/2026

26/07/2026

2026 Global Women Peace Forum: APGDI adds
her voice.

The Association for the Promotion of Gender and Disability Issues (APGDI) Cameroon, represented by its Founder and President, Ms. Umenjoh Vania Andoumbeni, proudly participated in the 2026 Global Women Peace Forum held on 20 July 2026 and organized by the International Women Peace Group (IWPG). She was honored to serve as one of the presenters in the Africa Regional Group.

The theme of the forum was “Regional Voices for Sustainable Peace: Women's Perspectives, Solutions and Policy Recommendations.” This global gathering brought together women from diverse regions to share experiences, innovative solutions, and policy recommendations for building sustainable peace.

The forum featured distinguished speakers from governments, international organizations, academia, civil society, and women working directly within their communities. Through their presentations, participants examined urgent regional peace challenges, highlighted women-led solutions and successful peacebuilding practices, and explored how local experiences can inform international cooperation and policy.

Ms. Umenjoh Vania Andoumbeni presented on the topic:
“Beyond the Absence of War: Examining the Impact of Peace Challenges on Women's Empowerment and Sustainable Development in Cameroon.”

Her presentation emphasized that:
“Peace is more than the absence of war; it is the enjoyment of dignity, human rights, well-being, and equal opportunities.”

She reiterated that peace is essential for sustainable development and that women experience conflict differently due to existing gender inequalities. Lasting peace requires inclusion, justice, equal opportunities, and meaningful participation of women in decision-making processes. She further stressed that gender must be mainstreamed into all peace and development agendas from the conception stage rather than being treated as an afterthought. Additionally, both men and women should be regarded as allies, not rivals, in advancing peace and sustainable development.

Her presentation examined:
Peace challenges affecting women in Cameroon. The impact of conflict and crisis situations on women's empowerment and sustainable development.Why women's participation in peacebuilding matters.
How APGDI is turning advocacy into action through community engagement and inclusion initiatives.

She also proposed several recommendations, including:
Eliminating discriminatory cultural practices.
Expanding access to psychosocial support services.
Promoting women's economic empowerment.
Investing in girls' education.
Strengthening gender-responsive peace and development policies.

We sincerely appreciate the International Women Peace Group (IWPG) for providing this opportunity to contribute to global peace advocacy through the voices and experiences of women. Integrating feminist perspectives into peace, security, and development agendas is instrumental to achieving sustainable peace and sustainable development for all.

🔗 https://iwpg.org/en/gwpf-2026-registration/

23/07/2026

Global peace forum 2026.
APGDI was represented by her President Ms Umenjoh Vania.as she was one of the presenter with her presentation focusing on the impact of peace challenges on women's empowerment and sustainable development in Cameroon.

🌍🕊️ The International Women's Peace Group (IWPG, President Na-young Jeon) hosted the Global Women's Peace Forum online on July 20–21, bringing together 1,067 women from the Asia-Pacific, Africa and Europe, the Americas, and South Asia and the Middle East.

The forum served as a preparatory meeting for the 2026 International Women's Peace Conference, which will take place in September in the Republic of Korea 🇰🇷. Recommendations from each region will be compiled into the Global Women's Peace Recommendations 2026 and presented at the conference.

🎙️ Opening the event, IWPG Chairwoman Jeon Na-young emphasized the importance of listening to local women's voices.

💬 “Women living in each community understand the challenges they face better than anyone else... The solutions we seek must emerge from the voices, experiences, and wisdom of local women themselves.”

🕊️ Discussions focused on today's most pressing peace challenges and the essential role of women in building sustainable peace.

🇪🇸 Carmen Magallón warned against the growing normalization of war, reminding participants that “War is not a natural phenomenon; it is a human decision.”

🇹🇷 Sanem Arikan highlighted culture and the arts as powerful tools for promoting dialogue, understanding, and social cohesion.

🇨🇲 Speakers from Cameroon addressed the long-term impacts of the Anglophone Crisis, emphasizing women's leadership, empowerment, and the urgent need to tackle drug abuse and teenage pregnancy to support community recovery.

🇰🇪 Regina Mutiru Mwendwa stressed that lasting peace requires prioritizing mental health and psychosocial support, not just restoring security.

🇲🇬 Raveloson Tchiourson Rovahanitra Ida called for stronger institutional support to ensure women's voices are included in policymaking.

🇨🇿 Jana Merunková demonstrated how education, entrepreneurship, and financial independence empower women and young people while strengthening social integration.

🇲🇩 Victoria Donu emphasized that trust, belonging, and community engagement are the foundations of lasting peace.

🌸 About IWPG

The International Women's Peace Group (IWPG) is an international women's NGO committed to advancing sustainable peace through women's leadership, peace education, advocacy, and international cooperation. By working with women leaders, governments, international organizations, and civil society, IWPG continues to strengthen women's participation in peacebuilding and promote a global culture of peace.

🕊️🌍

21/03/2026

SENTTI in collaboration with Association for the Promotion of Gender and Disability Issues ( APGDI) Cameroon adds their voice to the international community to carried out an advocacy seminar at SENTTI -IBES Obili YAOUNDE in commemoration of Down Syndrome Day 2026. The theme was "Together against Loneliness". Here the will be inclusive special educators training at SENTTI -IBES Yaounde did a variety of presentation such as:. What is Down Syndrome, the significance of the mismatched socks, why loneliness is a human rights issue, what we can all do to address or help the situation of loneliness experience by persons with Down Syndrome etc. It was emphasized that real inclusion is what is required to stop the discrimination, marginalisation and exclusion experience by Individuals with Down syndrome. Both the family, the school, the community, NFOs, the government and the International Organizations have a great role to play. Policies equally need to be translated into action. We need to practice what we preach.

# Down Syndrome Day 2026.
against Loneliness
#:SENTTI Cameroon
Cameroon

15/03/2026

Our humanity comes before our gender. Thus there should be no reason for discrimination based on gender as is often experienced by Women & Girls

08/03/2026

Right, Justice, Action. For All women and girls” : Significance of the theme of the International Women Day 2026.

International Women Day is a day commemorated every 8th of March is a day set aside to advocate for action to foster the human rights of women and girls. The Theme for this year 2026 is “Right, Justice, Action. For All women and girls”

Human Rights are the fundamental rights and freedoms to which all humans are entailed respective of their unique diversities such as gender, race, disability status, ethnicity etc without discrimination on any ground. Thus woman's rights are human Rights coupled with the fact that their identity as humans comes first before their identity as women. Despite this woman and girl across the globe often face structural barriers that prevent or restrict them from enjoying their human rights on an equal basis like men/boys. Cases in point include forced and early marriages, limited access to quality education, low political participation, domestic and community care responsibilities targeting mostly women and girls in most societies in Africa and Cameroon in particular. Most traditional societies equally restrict women ownership or control of land on the basis of their gender. For women to enjoy their human Rights, justice must be effected to ensure that the discriminatory practices experience by women are eliminated.

Justice here has to do with the fact that everyone should be given equal chances without bias. It requires equity to ensure that there is fairness from the start without which some people will always be at the disadvantage position.
In the contest of Gender justice, both men and women, boys and girls need to be treated faily and should be given opportunity to resources on equal basis as men/boys. Women are not lesser humans. Women and girls deserve economic, social,legal and political participation on an equal basis as men without any discrimination. The family, the church, society and the government need to put in place measures to ensure justice for all Women and girls through various mechanism such as education, advocacy and implementation of policies or laws validated. All these should be done taking into consideration the diverse needs and interest of women and girls since women are not a homogeneous group. For instance the needs of rural women, women with disabilities, poverty striken women/girls, women from ethnic minority groups etc These concrete action need to be taken to foster justice for women.

Action for women and girls here implies that contrete actions need to be taken to uphold, respect and protect the human Rights of women and girls. Singing the same song every year, changing themes without concrete steps to push gender equity forward is waste of time and resources. We need to work as individuals and collectively to eradicate gender based violence and foster the empowerment of women and girls. Victims of Gender Based Violence should be rehabilitated through the provision of psychosocial support. This is because domestic violence has been so common in our society as can be seen from the numerous cases of femincide witness in Cameroon within January and February 2026. Perpetrators of Gender Based Violence should also be sacttion and provided psycho-social support when need arises. The family that is supposed to be the main organ of protection is increasing becoming an area of abuse and discrimination. Women are abused and girls are discriminated regarding opportunities and distribution of chores. Safe reporting mechanisms should be put in place for cases of abuse to be reported without fear of intimidation.
Moreover, duty beares such as parents, teachers, local authorities, Non Governmental Organizations, the government, International Organization should play their roles and understand that it is for the benefit of the family, society and the nation in general when women are empowered and given opportunity to participate in society without discrimination on any ground. Women are assets that need to be utilized for our national development. An empowered woman will have the financial strength and knowledge to build a better family thereby fostering the Wellbeing of the family . Given the fact that the family is the foundation of the society, a mentally stable family will lead to a mentally stable society thereby positively influencing other aspects of national development.

Umenjoh Vania Andoumbeni
Gender and Disability advocate.

CEO Association for the Promotion of Gender and Disability Issues (APGDI Cameroon)