A Unified Voice: Guinea Launches the National Council for Girls and Women

^{CONAFFEG National Office (Photo credit: MPFEPV communication department)}

October 2025

Nearly 2,000 women engaged nationwide, 17 elected leaders, and a new institutional platform to bring girls and women’s priorities into decision-making.?

After 21 years of waiting, Guinea has reached a historic turning point for the inclusion of girls and women in decision-making. On 23 June 2025, the country inaugurated the National Council of Girls and Women of Guinea (CONAFFEG), an advisory body created to raise their voices and defend their interests.?

The Council responds to a long-standing demand from women’s organizations for a unified, institutional, and representative platform to carry women’s voices into decision-making arenas. Until then, women’s representation had been fragmented, relying on the valuable work of grassroots associations with limited resources and access to political spaces. The establishment of CONAFFEG marks a major step forward, made possible thanks in part to the support of the United Nations through the project “Support for Women’s Participation for an Inclusive and Peaceful Transition in Guinea.” Funded by the Peacebuilding Fund and jointly implemented by UNFPA, UNDP and UNICEF, the project aims to strengthen the participation, protection, and empowerment of women in Guinea by addressing structural inequalities, exclusion from decision-making, and gender-based violence — with the broader goal of fostering durable peace and inclusive development.?

A milestone moment?

The official ceremony to present the CONAFFEG National Bureau — the final step in establishing the Council — was held at the People’s Palace in Conakry. It brought together government officials, representatives of UN agencies, technical and financial partners, civil society actors, and women’s organizations from across the country.?

Each UN agency played a complementary role:?

UNDP strengthened the institutional and organizational capacities of women’s structures and developed mechanisms to promote women’s participation in decision-making and peace processes.?

UNICEF mobilized communities and raised awareness among girls, focusing on education, protection, and access to information to foster civic engagement.?

UNFPA supported efforts to combat gender-based violence through prevention campaigns, assistance to survivors, and the promotion of reproductive health.?

Together, these interventions created an enabling environment for women and girls to play a more active role in Guinea’s transition.?

^{Mrs. Charlotte DAFF?, Minister for the Advancement of Women (Photo credit: PBF Guinea)}

Support through the Peacebuilding Fund?

CONAFFEG is designed as an advisory and unifying body, with a national office and regional, prefectural, and communal branches. Its mandate is to provide women with an institutional space for expression, consultation, and active participation in public decision-making. While consultative rather than executive, the Council can advocate, monitor, and influence policies to ensure that women’s perspectives are integrated.?

The Minister for the Promotion of Women, Children and Vulnerable Persons, Charlotte Daffé, also welcomed the UN’s role: she praised the support provided through the PBF, which she said had “considerably contributed to the realization of a social project long supported by Guinean women” and was aligned “with the inclusivist vision of the State.”?

"The entire United Nations system is working with the women, girls and representatives of the sectors that have fueled and supported the government in its effort to set up all the offices of this council," said Francesco Galtieri, UNFPA Representative in Guinea, speaking on behalf of the UN system.?

A participatory process?

The process of establishing CONAFFEG was deliberately inclusive and transparent, ultimately engaging nearly 2,000 women and girls from over 1,500 organizations across all municipalities.?

According to Fanta Wagué, UNFPA Project Coordinator: “The implementation of the project began with a national consultation workshop to lay the foundations of a representative body of women from all regions and social categories. Then, legal work made it possible to develop the founding texts, in collaboration with the ministries concerned and experts in the field under the leadership of the Ministry for the Advancement of Women, Children and Vulnerable Persons. Finally, the members of the Bureaus, at different levels, were appointed according to a democratic and transparent method by vote or consensus under the supervision of a joint organizing committee responsible for validating the process.”?

As a result, 17 women were elected to form the National Bureau of CONAFFEG, reflecting the country’s rich regional and social diversity.?

^{Mrs. M'balou KABA, President of CONAFEG (Photo credit: MPFEPV communication department)}

A new beginning?

Expressing the historic significance of the moment, the newly elected President of CONAFFEG, M’Balou Kaba, emphasized that the creation of the Council is not an end but a beginning.

She committed to making it a “lever for change, a bridge between women's concerns and public policies.”?

She also outlined the Bureau’s priorities, aligned with national development goals: women’s economic empowerment, equitable access to education, health and justice, the fight against gender-based violence, and the promotion of sustainable peace.?

^{View of the room, (Photo credit: MPFEPV communication department)}

Looking ahead?

The installation of CONAFFEG fulfills a demand that has persisted for more than two decades. It testifies to the recognition of the indispensable role of women in Guinea’s society and governance. Crucially, it comes at a pivotal time in the country’s transition — providing a mechanism to strengthen inclusiveness, protect girls and women’s rights, and ensure that their voices help shape the future of the nation.?

As an advisory body, CONNAFEG is playing a critical role in advancing women’s political participation ahead of the upcoming presidential, legislative, and local elections. Since its establishment, it has advocated with the Prime Minister and other members of the government for the implementation of the principle of gender parity enshrined in the new constitution. These advocacy efforts will continue with other institutions, including the transitional parliament and political parties.?

麻豆传媒