FREETOWN, Sierra Leone, 1 July 2025: The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) participated in the 4th NALAFEM Summit held in Freetown under the theme “From representation to power: women leading in crisis and peace”. The event brought together over 100 feminist leaders, activists, government officials, and survivors from across Africa to discuss strategies for advancing women’s leadership in crisis and peacebuilding.

In her opening remarks, NALAFEM Founder and President, Aya Chebi, reflected on the movement’s growth and the resilience of women leading through adversity.

Today we celebrate the 4th anniversary of NALAFEM. Four years of building across movements, across generations, across borders. We started from 17 women forming our first council to 100 women guiding our strategy. From 10 grassroots organizations benefiting from NALAFEM Academy to over 50,000 feminists and our organization’s members of NALAFEM.

She went on to honour the complexity of women’s leadership journeys—marked by strength, sacrifice, and deeply personal experiences that are too often overlooked:

The journey of a woman is not a linear journey. We lead through pregnancies, periods, menopause, griefs. We lead through physical pain, emotional labor and we rise.

In a special message to the summit, UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to promoting gender equality, advancing sexual and reproductive healthand supporting feminist leadership globally. She celebrated the enduring impact of African women’s activism in driving social transformation and shaping inclusive, peaceful societies.

Drawing from global milestones that have shaped the women’s rights movement, Dr. Kanem reflected on the historic role of collective action in redefining development:

History tells us that women’s activism has long been an engine of change, leading to the attainments of rights that some had deemed impossible. Proof of this is the 1993 International Conference of Population and Development in Cairo which fast tracked progress on women’s health and rights, and told us to put women at the centre of development.

She concluded her message with a call to solidarity and shared purpose, emphasizing resilience and partnership in overcoming global challenges:

UNFPA is your steadfast partner. We shall rise together, from the fragility of crisis to the fortitude of peace.

During a high-level panel discussion titled “From the Margins to Leadership: Survivors Confront Systems of Power and Anti-Rights Movements”, UNFPA Sierra Leone Officer-in-Charge, Ms. Sibeso Mululuma, highlighted the agency’s survivor-centered approach to ending gender-based violence.

Gender-based violence survivors are experts at their experiences. Our interventions are thus designed around their voices and needs through a multi-faceted approach that empowers them and gives them a platform to participate in decision-making processes, she said.

Also speaking on the panel was Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mr. Alpha Sesay, who emphasized the urgent need to transform justice systems to ensure meaningful, survivor-focused accountability.

We need to change norms, we need to reimagine the way we think about justice. We need to deploy several justice services across the countries. We need to reform our laws. We need to make sure that yes, we reform these laws and then we implement them, so yes, we need to strengthen the accountability regime.

He added:

 We also need to acknowledge that progress also means understanding that accountability goes beyond prosecution and that should inform what we do when we talk about survivor-led accountability processes. Our progress has been informed by resonate political will.” He further noted that political will alone is not enough, and must be complemented by strong survivor-led and civil society advocacy, supported by effective partnerships.

The panel also featured prominent human rights advocates from across the continent, reinforcing a shared commitment to ending impunity and protecting  rights.

The summit fostered critical conversations on feminist strategies in political and digital spaces, intergenerational leadership, and expanding women’s influence beyond symbolic representation. The event concluded with the signing of the Freetown Declaration, pledging to strengthen feminist leadership, accountability, and peacebuilding efforts across Africa.

UNFPA continues to collaborate closely with governments, civil society, and survivor-led groups to promote gender equality, combat gender-based violence, and uphold the sexual and reproductive health and rights of all, particularly women and girls affected by conflict and crisis.

Media Contacts: Islander Kabia | Communications Unit| UNFPA Sierra Leone | ikabia@unfpa.org