Addis Ababa, 31 Oct 2019 - Under the theme “Realizing Women’s Rights for an Equal Future”, African Union Member States Ministers in Charge of Gender and Women’s Affairs converged for the 4th African Union Specialized Technical Committee (STC) on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, today at the AUC Headquarters, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Addressing the Opening ceremony, on behalf of H.E. Mr Mousa Faki Mahamat, AUC Chairperson, Mr. Tordeta Ratebaye, AU Deputy Chief of Staff highlights the Beijing+ 25 Review is significant as it takes place on the eve of several key milestones in the Gender Agenda Calendar. “In addition, Africa will also be marking the end of the African Women’s Decade that started in 2010; it is also the 20th anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325; it is the 5th anniversary of Agenda 2030 on Sustainable Development Goals and the 5th anniversary of the 1st Ten Year Implementation Plan of Agenda 2063”. He said . He urged the Member States to identify the root causes of these persistent issues, to define transformative strategies for their eradication. ( Full speech of the CP on the AU website http://www.au.int )

H.E. Ms. Béatrice LOMEYA ATILITE, State Minister of Gender, Family and Child, Democratic Republic of Congo and Chairperson of the Bureau of the STC on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment noted that, the review of the progress made by the African Union member countries on the implementation of the Declaration of Beijing and its platform 25 years later, gives the opportunity to reflect on public actions of significant dimensions to undertake for an appropriation of the Action Plan.
She encouraged the African Ministers responsible for Gender Affairs to facilitate the adoption of common and practical positions in the fight for Gender Equality and Women’s empowerment on the respective platforms.

H.E. Mrs Semegne Wube on behalf of H.E. Ms Yalem Tsegay, Minister Of Women, Children and Youth of the Federal; Republic of Ethiopia said that as part of their implementation of the Beijing Declaration, the Ethiopian Government has had great achievements including having a female president and female president for the Supreme Court. The Government has also just launched the Ethiopian Chapter of the African Women’s Leaders Network (AWLN). As part of achieving Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, Ethiopia has also ratified and adopted international instruments.

The AUC, in partnership with UNECA and UNWOMEN, is leading the Africa Beijing + 25 review process and develop a synthesis report from the fifty-four 54 AU Member States which will constitute the Common Africa Position (CAP) to be presented at the 64th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women in March 2020, at the UN Headquarters in New York. The Africa Beijing +25 review report will be adopted by AU Ministers in Charge of Gender and Women’s Affairs during the STC on Beijing + 25.

The Ministerial Session also will be updated on the support for the Pan-African Women’s Organization (PAWO), African Union Pan-African Women’s Awards (PAWA), the launch of the AU Strategy for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE Strategy), Coordination of AU Side Events at the 64th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW64), advocacy missions for the ratification, domestication and implementation of the Maputo Protocol, African Women Leaders Network (AWLN) and African Women Leaders’ Fund (AWLF), African Women’s Decade and Fund for African Women.

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