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Speaker: Solange Lwashiga Furaha
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Chair: Dr Marsha Henry
Women’s participation at decision-making at all levels is 
a key to development and sustainable peace all over the world, including in the Democratic Republic of Congo. UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) expanded Congolese women’s opportunities to advocate for their right to participate in decision making in all spheres of life.
They have worked hard to bring this question to the attention of
different actors including women and decision-makers at the local, national, regional and international levels.
Rien Sans Les Femmes (Nothing Without Women) is formed of more than 60 Congolese organisations and individuals, and builds on the achievements of the long-standing women’s rights movement. Its core aim is to ensure the equal representation of men and women in decision making at all levels.
The Rien Sans Les Femmes movement has led many actions to change gender dynamics between men and women at the local community level and through policy advocacy at the local, provincial and national levels, targeting key decision-makers. In just 16 months, the movement has made significant progress.
Solange Lwashiga Furaha is the national spokesperson of Rien Sans les Femmes. She studied in a teacher training college called L'Institut supérieur pédagogique de Bukavu, where she got a degree in pedagogy in the Department of African Culture. She taught English at secondary school for more than 10 years before joining the Caucus des Femmes Congolaises du Sud-Kivu pour la Paix, a civil society network that works for gender equality and human rights – focussing in particular on women’s participation in decision-making at all levels in DRC. She continues to work as a human rights and women’s activist, and is currently the Executive Secretary of the Caucus des Femmes.
Marsha Henry (chair) is Deputy Director of the Centre for Women, Peace and Security and Security and Associate Professor in the Gender Institute.