An African Union (AU) gender conference aimed at fostering a deeper understanding of the trends, challenges and opportunities for women is set to start today, according to a statement from the Rwanda Governance Board.

The two-day event, to be held in Kigali Serena, will have participants discussing along the theme; "Silencing the Guns: Women in Democratisation and Peace Building in Africa”.

Key speakers will include Prime Minister Anastase Murekezi, Aisha Abdullahi, AU commissioner for political affairs, and Lamin Manneh, the UN Resident Coordinator.

The meeting will also look at identifying practical initiatives and strategies for enhancing women inclusion and engagement in peace building and democratisation processes in Africa.

"The conference aims at providing a platform through which challenges facing women in conflict situations shall be examined and recommendations made,” reads part of the statement.

Amb. Fatuma Ndangiza the deputy CEO-RGB (Good Governance and Decentralisation, is quoted in the statement as saying: "The issues of gender should be taken into consideration because in most cases it is women who shoulder the burden of conflicts.

"It’s a great opportunity for Rwanda to host such a conference that has attracted participants from all corners of Africa. We hope at the end of the conference, participants will analyse the root cause of violent conflicts and come up with recommendations plus a road map to silencing the guns.”

The event was organised by the AU in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme, UN Women, Rwanda Governance Board, Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion, German International Corporation (GIZ) and Institute for Peace and Security Studies of the University of Addis Ababa.