The 5th STC focused on
“Scaling up actions on commitments to gender equality and women’s rights”, was
preceded by the meeting of Experts, who had earlier concluded a two-day meeting
to evaluate key gender issues. Held on the 23rd and 24th November 2020, the
Experts set the ground ready for the Ministerial meeting, by evaluating and
discussing among other key issues, the progress in the implementation of the
African Union Gender Responsive Responses to COVID-19 aimed at cushioning the
grave negative effects the pandemic has posed, threatening to reverse the
progress realized in the advancing women’s right on the continent over the
years. The Experts also reviewed the Report of the African Women’s Decade
(2010-2020), assessing the achievements on the goals to empower every African
women through deliberate and focused actions on “Grassroots Approaches to
Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment”.
Addressing the meeting
of Experts, the African Union Commission Acting Director of the Women, Gender
and Development Directorate, Victoria Maloka
said Africa has a chance to build back better post COVID-19 and ensure
inclusion of women is prioritized in the recovery plans. “What this virus does
that is of particular relevance to this meeting, is that it attacks women and
girls disproportionally and even so, in multiple ways. This virus has gone
straight into the heart of our gender and women’s rights agenda and among
others- destroyed women’s livelihoods, it attacked women’s security by creating
conditions that are favorable for sexual and gender-based violence to thrive,
it threatens to keep our girls out of the classroom. In short this virus has
brought about a crises. But as gender equality policy makers gathered here
today, how do we make sure that we don’t waste this crises? How can we reimagine
our present crises to enable us to reinvent a favourable present and rebuild
better for the future?” she posed.
Taking stock of the
achievements of the past African Women’s Decade, is particularly timely as the
existing gaps and unexplored opportunities will richly feed into the
development of the roadmap and strategy for the Action Plan on the new African
Women’s Decade on Financial and Economic Inclusion for African Women
(2020-2030). The Action Plan will integrate greatly the mobilization and deployment
of financial resources under the “Fund for African Women”, which is being
redesigned into a “Trust Fund”, to ensure the resources improve and transform
the lives of millions of African women through sustainable development.
Addressing the Experts
meeting on behalf of the outgoing Chairperson of the Bureau of the Specialised
Technical Committee on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (Democratic
Republic of Congo), Annie Kenda reflected on 2020 as the year of celebration
for gender equality and women's empowerment, marking the 25th anniversary of
the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action-Beijing+25; the 20th
anniversary of the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women,
Peace and Security, the end of the African Women's Decade (2010-2020), adding
that the 5th STC on GEWE was a platform to learn from the challenges
encountered and identify new approaches to accelerate the implementation of
commitments. “As noted repeatedly, services to respond to and prevent violence
against women and girls must be seen as essential services and should be
adequately funded and be an integral part of national and local COVID-19
response plans. Governments must support the active participation of women in
leadership and decision-making processes in COVID-19 responses and invest in
sex-disaggregated data to ensure that gender impacts are recognized and
addressed effectively. This timely meeting will consider the statutory and
urgent and important issues of the Gender Equality Agenda that require ministerial
consideration, adoption and decisions”, she stated.
The Experts meeting
also conducted the elections of its third Bureau. The Minister in charge of
Gender and Women’s Affairs from Benin (West Africa) is now the Chairperson of
the Bureau, with the 1st Vice-Chairperson from Uganda (East Africa).
The Experts, under the
Chairmanship of Maimouna Baboni,
representing the incoming Chairperson of the STC Bureau, during the two days,
reviewed the status of implementation of the several policies and institutional
frameworks to protect the rights of women. The outcome report of the Experts
reflects that despite several commitments, there still exist areas for
improvement and more action is required to end harmful cultural and social
norms and negative gender stereotypes that continue to restrict women in the
full enjoyment of their human rights. Furthermore, the allocation of sufficient
financial resources to strengthen the position of women in Africa is essential.
2020 is the year
African Union member states committed to the universal ratification,
domestication and implementation of the Protocol to the African Charter on
Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, commonly referred
to as the Maputo Protocol on Women’s Rights. The reports on the implementation
of other key instruments were also evaluated that included the 2019 Reports of
the Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa (SDGEA); the African Union
Strategy on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment and the Gender Parity
Project to have a 50/50 representation of women and men at the African Union
and 35% quota of youth making up the staff component.
To scale up actions on
the commitment to ending all forms of violence against women and girls in
Africa, the Experts deliberated on embarking on the process of negotiations to
draft the African Union Convention on Ending Violence against Women and Girls.
The Outcome Report of
the Experts meeting with observations and recommendations will be considered at
the upcoming Ministerial meeting.
Source: Directorate of Information and Communication, African Union Commission
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