Panel discussion at the European Training Mission in Mali on the role of young woman in Malian society

• Five experts have shared their knowledge on how the local society deals with the role and growth of women in the country, their role and traditions.

The European contingent, including the Spanish military, deployed in Mali has had the opportunity to improve its knowledge of the Malian reality in general and, in particular, the role of women in the country.

In the format of a panel discussion, five speakers gave their views on the "History of Malian women between the ages of ten and twenty". They all offered different points of view, from their personal and professional experience of Malian women, focusing on their teenage years.

In two sessions, the first for multinational personnel and the second for the Spanish contingent, they described their vision and then answered questions from the audience. At the end of the talks, General Fernández Ortiz-Repiso thanked the five speakers for their efforts.

The participants were Kalilou Daouda Traoré, a jurist, professor and active member of several civil society organisations, particularly in the field of associations; Marian Coulibaly, a local translator who has accompanied the Spanish contingent for the last ten years and an activist in associations working for the struggle for women's empowerment in the Koulikoro area; and Khadija Khadija (better known as Tenemba), who has been an activist in the Koulikoro area for the last ten years; Khadija (better known as Tenin) Coulibaly, jurist, entrepreneur and female activist for women's empowerment; Aitana Constans, Communications specialist for the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) in Mali, and Cecilia Sánchez-Bodas, humanitarian coordinator for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Mali.

Thanks to actions such as this, European military personnel promote knowledge of Malian society and facilitate their interaction with Malian society.