"In deciding to meet here in Abuja, our First Ladies, in their own right, have come to the conclusion that they cannot remain indifferent to the humanitarian tragedies as the ones witnessed in Liberia, Angola, Somalia, Sierra Leone and more recently in the Grate Lakes Region. They are concerned and disturbed by the plight and immense suffering, particularly of women and children in areas of conflict. They have been sensitive to the suffering and agony of child soldiers in our Continent." - Dr. Salim, May 5, 1997
