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4th World Congress of Rural Women:
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Article Website Link:
http://allafrica.com/stories/printable/200704260278.html

Africa: Women Call for a Partnership to Defeat Poverty

April 26, 2007

Oupa Segalwe
Durban, South Africa

Governments, civil society and the private sector have been urged to partner with rural women's organisations in order to help the women participate meaningfully in the economy.

In a declaration following the 4th World Congress of Rural Women (WCRW), delegates at the Durban conference said this partnership was critical for addressing unemployment and hunger as a central focus on development.

 

They said the partnership was also important to undertake the necessary measures to give rural women full and equal access to productive resources, including ownership of land and other property.

The issues of access to credit, start-up capital for emerging businesses, skills development and access to markets for emerging businesses also came across as urgent matters of concern in the declaration.

"We must take collective responsibility to address rural poverty in a comprehensive, integrated and holistic manner through mobilising political, economic and social resources," they said.

Regarding social issues, the women said the partnership should be strengthened in order to deal successfully with diseases such as HIV and AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

The partnership, the declaration said, should seek to protect and promote their human rights and freedom by ensuring that gender equity principles are mainstreamed in national and international development agenda.

It should ensure necessary legal, policy and administrative measures for the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence and other harmful practices against rural women and the girl children.

But while many have hailed the congress as a success, concerns are being raised about whether the outcomes will be implemented.

Acting Director for Gender in the African Union (AU), Yetunde Teriba said ever since the first such congress took place in Australia in 1994, much had not changed in terms of the improvement of the rural women's living conditions.

"Over the years not much has changed because of the top-down approach that was used however in this congress there was a lot of change as the bottom-up approach was used," Ms Teriba told reporters after the congress.

South Africa's Agriculture and Land Affairs Minister Lulu Xingwana said in between the four-yearly congress sessions, there would be continental conferences to check on progress made and ensure full implementation of the resolutions.

"It is important that we meet from time to time as women to evaluate progress made from such congresses and share experiences to better address these challenges," Ms Xingwana said.

Minister for Community Development, Gender and Children in Tanzania Sophia Simba said the congress had been unique in that it allowed women to get involved in making decisions to improve their own conditions.

"We can't keep on planning things on behalf of other people without involving them.

"We must up hold the 'nothing for us without us' approach to strategise on how to tackle the porvety that is overwhelming our women," Ms Simba said.

Calista Chapolo-Chimombo, a Malawian member of parliament, said the congress had been good in that it gave women a platform to share experiences and learn from one another.

"It has given me the opportunity to go back to Malawi and start to interact with rural women because in my country they are one of the most marginalised members of society," Ms Chapolo-Chimombo said.

The delegates decided that the next congress be held in India in four years time.

 




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