Two Major Gatherings Assess Women's Progress in Africa

Abayomi Azikiwe, editor of the Pan-African News Wire, pictured at the Michigan Roundtable Festival on Belle Isle in Detroit during the summer of 2008. Azikiwe has written extensively on pan-african and world affairs over the years. (Photo: Alan Pollock)
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Two Major Gatherings Assess Women’s Progress in Africa

Conferences Held in Gambia and South Africa Continue to Press for Gender Equality

By Abayomi Azikiwe
Editor, Pan-African News Wire

Two recent conferences held on the African continent reaffirmed the determination of women to achieve genuine equality and political empowerment. The Eighth Africa Regional Conference on Women (Beijing + 15) took place in Banjul, Gambia in West Africa between November 16-20 and featured reports on progress made towards achieving the goals adopted during the United Nations’ Fourth World Conference on Women that was held in Beijing, China in 1995.

Another major meeting took place with convening of the annual Pan-African Women Conference 2009 which was held in Sandton, South Africa from October 21-23. This gathering is sponsored by the Pan-African Women Projects and a network of women groups and organization from all over the continent.

The Pan-African Women Conference (PAWC) meets every year and includes participation from women from the fifty four nations on the continent as well as the Diaspora. The theme of the 2009 conference was “African Women Marching Against Poverty.”

According to the organizers of the event “African women have decided to fight poverty both in homes and in the continent as from the previous conferences, it was clearly understood and unanimously agreed that the primary cause of all the problems facing the African woman and Africa in general is this ugly cankerworm called poverty.” (Pan-African Women Conference 2009)

This statement continues by pointing out that “Poverty has caused coups and wars in the nations of Africa. It has given birth to numerous ills including deaths, crime, prostitution and human trafficking, forced and early marriages, illiteracy, child labour and slavery, recruitment of child soldiers, etc.”

The conference this year was attended by over three thousand women from various regions throughout the continent and the Diaspora. The opening address was delivered by Hajia Turai Yar’Adua, First Lady-Federal Republic of Nigeria and Chairperson, Association of Wives of Heads of States/Presidents of Africa.

In addition, the keynote address was delivered by Graca Machel-Mandela, the wife of former South African President Nelson Mandela and a major figure in conflict mediation and child welfare on the continent. There were 18 presentations delivered at the PAWC including ministers representing women’s affairs and social development from various African states.

One of the highlights of the PAWC this year was the formal launching of the blue print for a Pan-African Women Bank that would provide credit for development projects benefiting women and girls on the continent. Also there was the unveiling of the architectural design for the Pan-African Women Projects’ headquarters by president of the Republic of Liberia, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.

Women Meet in Banjul

In the West African state of Gambia, the Eighth Africa Regional Conference on Women (Beijing + 15) met during November to assess the progress in the ongoing struggle for gender equality and empowerment on the continent. Prior to the actual conference, experts met on November 13-14 to discuss and prepare recommendations for the ministerial gathering which was held between the 16-19.

Later on November 21, Ministers of Women and Gender Affairs convened to consider numerous African Union documents related to women and gender issues including the AU Women’s Trust Fund feasibility study, the African Union Commission Gender Action Plan and the Roadmap for the African Women’s Decade, slated for 2010-2020. The meeting on November 21 also provided reports on the Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa.

In the opening ceremony of the ministerial meeting, the Director of Women, Gender and Development Directorate, Ms. Liltha Musyimi-Ogana, reiterated the political commitment of the AU to gender equality and empowerment for women. The AU has adopted the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, the Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa, the AU Gender Policy and the African Women’s Decade 2010-2020.

So far 27 AU member states have ratified the Protocol to the African Charter on the Rights of Women and 30 have addressed the Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa. Musyimi-Ogana, speaking on behalf of the African Union Commission Chairperson Mr. Jean Ping, reaffirmed the continental organization’s commitment to develop an African Women Trust Fund stating that “this move will pave the way for the realization of the objectives presented in the Road Map for the African Women’s Decade and in the Decade Action Plan.” (African Union Press Release, November 21, 2009)

In a speech delivered by the Political Affairs Commissioner of the African Union Commission, Julia Dolly Joiner, she placed the conference within the context of the global economic crisis. Joiner stated that “We gather at a time when the financial, economic and environmental crises that the world faces together represent no other than a human rights crisis and increasingly pose a challenge to the 12-point women’s empowerment and gender equality agenda that we had set for ourselves in Beijing in 1995.”

The AU Political Affairs Commissioner specifically addressed the particular situation in the region by emphasizing that “This reality is more apparent for Africa than any other part of the globe. The consequence for us is clear—we must respond to the voices of the marginalized who call on us to act in a situation where their human rights took a backseat to a globalization that swept the world into a frenzy of growth and environmental degradation. At this time of crisis, we are all called upon to be bold in thought and action, as we strive to move towards a system that is inclusive, sustainable and respectful of universal rights.” (Foroyaa Online, November 24)

In a major address at the Banjul conference, Ms. Monique Rakotomalala, Director of the African Centre for Gender and Social Development of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), indicated that after the Beijing +15 Conference several major objectives had been identified for action. One major area was maternal health and mortality, noting that women should not die anymore while giving birth.

Rakotomalala emphasized that “In the context of high food prices due to the impact of global warming, the meeting must act to ensure food security as a right for women. Action applies also to employment as it paves the way to empowerment.” She ended her address by pledging the UNECA’s commitment to work with the AU in implementing the outcomes of the conference and to develop young women leaders. (African Union Press Release, November 21)

Dr. Aja Isatou Njie-Saidy, the Vice-President of the host nation of the Republic of Gambia, said in her address to the conference that participants must “review progress, analyze current challenges and plan the way forward for ensuring the advancement and empowerment of women and girls, the poor and the most marginalized members of our society.”

With specific reference to the upcoming African Women’s Decade 2010-2020, she pointed out that this important period will provide “impetus for African women as it will provide them with the opportunity to consolidate gains made in the quest to attain gender equality and to close existing gaps that serve as barriers to the attainment of these laudable goals.”

Njie-Saidy continued by stating that the AU Fund for Women “will provide the much needed resources that women need to concretize their dreams and ambitions. Africa is on the move and the trend is irreversible.” (African Union Press Release, November 21)

The resolutions from the Banjul conference will be presented to the upcoming United Nations Commission on the Status of Women to be held in New York in March 2010.

Other important issues were discussed at the Banjul conference including two panels convened by Women in Law and Development in Africa (WILDAF). One panel entitled “women’s rights implementation in Africa: what has been achieved so far” was held on November 17.

Another panel focused on “Women’s access to land: issues, challenges and expectations of West Africa rural women” took place on November 18. The panel examined issues involving women farmers and their access to land in West Africa and the need to advocate for national and local authorities to develop policies geared toward women’s sustainable access to land.