WUNRN
26 June 2008
Dakar, Senegal
FAS - Femmes Africa Solidarite
12th Pre Summit Consultative Meeting on Gender Mainstreaming in
the African Union
June 21-23 2008
Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt
African women to send a mission of solidarity to
Zimababwe after elections
African
women attending Femmes Africa Solidarité's 12th Consultative Meeting on gender
mainstreaming in the African Union held in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, from 20 to
23 June 2008, agreed to send a Women Solidarity Mission to Zimbabwe to support
women of that country after the Presidential Run-Off election scheduled for
June 27, 2008.
This 12th Pre Summit was
organised by the "Gender is My Agenda" network, composed of 40
members and coordinated by FAS, with the support of the African Union Commission (AUC), AU Gender
Directorate (AUGD), United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA),
Suzanne Mubarak Women's International Peace Movement (SMWIPM), Egyptian Women Business
Association (EBWA), Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA), ActionAid
International, Department For International Development (DFID), African
Development Bank (ADB), African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF), and the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland.
In
the outcome document of the meeting called Solemn Statement and
Recommendations, the women also undertook to take measures to protect
Zimbabwean women and girls affected and
displaced by violence after the March 29 Presidential and Parliamentary
elections. There was also a call to facilitate their access to humanitarian
resources such as food, shelter and medical services. In this regard, the women
called on the Government of Zimbabwe to reconsider its ban against humanitarian
organizations operating within the country and
to ensure the safety and protection of all its citizens.
The
women called on 'all leaders in Zimbabwe, and all other actors involved from the regional and the international
community to commit themselves to a peaceful resolution of the crisis in that
country.'
The
12th Pre Summit was offically opened by the First Lady of Egypt,
H.E. Mrs Suzanne Mubarak,who strongly
advocated for the empowerment of women, respect for their freedom and
dignity. Mrs. Mubarak who is also the
founder of the Suzanne Mubarak Women's International Peace Movement was
cognisant of the effects of violence against women during conflicts and
said there was need to establish a good social protection mechanism for them.
On the situation in Dafur, the women asked the African Union to intervene in the dispute between Sudan and Chad, and
ensure that the peace accord signed between the two governments in Dakar,
Senegal, in March 2008 was full implemented.
The
women felt it was important for the African Union to demonstrate leadership in
supporting the Comprehensive Peace Agreement as well as ensuring that women
were included in the Darfur peace process as equal partners in line with the
principle of parity in SDGEA and the UNSCR 1325.
On
the theme of war in Africa, the Meeting welcomed the initiatives of resolving
African conflicts, particularly the appointment of a distinguished African
woman, Her Excellency Graca Machel within the Mediation Team to Kenya. To this
end, the women encouraged the African Union to also nominate women to positions
of mediators and / or special envoys to participate in peace negotiations in Darfur, Somalia, and Zimbabwe.
The women also enthusiastically welcomed the initiative of H.E. Ellen
Johnson-Sirleaf, President of Liberia, and her counterpart, H.E. Tarja Halonen,
President of Finland, to jointly organise an International Colloquium on Women Empowerment,
Leadership Development, International Peace and Security in March 2009, in
Monrovia, Liberia.
To
this end, the women asked the African Union to mandate the President of the
African Union Commission to initiate the process leading to a Second Summit of
Heads of States on Gender in July 2009, in order to review and strengthen
African commitments to gender equality as set forth in the SDGEA and
other instruments.
Other topics such as land were also addressed at the 12th Pre Summit with the
women demanding that mandate be given to the AUC, in cooperation with the
women's movement, to convene a continental round table on women's access,
control and ownership of land/natural resources and productive in Africa in
2008, to discuss and develop indicators and benchmarks for the AU Land
Framework and Guidelines before their adoption by the AU Summit in 2009.
####
FAS is an international organization of women enjoying
consultative status with ECOSOC, which works to strengthen the capacity of
African women so they can assume a leadership role in peace building and
conflict resolution. FAS programs particularly apply in countries ravaged by
wars and in the regions of the Mano River and Great Lakes. Similarly, FAS works
closely with subregional and regional
bodies such as ECOWAS and the African Union to ensure greater involvement of
women in decision-making processes for peace and development
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