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14th Pre-Summit Consultative Meeting on Gender Mainstreaming in the African Union

 

PRESS RESLEASE

 

 

27-28 June 2009

Tripoli

 

             

 

With the support of: ECA, OSIWA, AWDF, FINLAND, DFID

 

         

        

 

 

From the communication director

 

 

TRIPOLI, June 28th 2009

 

 

At the 14th Pre-Summit Consultative Meeting on Gender Mainstreaming in the African Union that was held at Tripoli, Libya from 27-28 June 2009, on the margins of the Summit Meeting of the African Union (AU), African Women called the Heads of States and Governments of the continent for the implementation of their right to access property.

 

“Women are often victims of traditions that prohibit them from accessing property even though they are largely responsible for feeding children throughout the continent”, said Mrs. Soyata Maiga, (Special Reporter on the rights of women in Africa for the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights) in calling for a ratification of the additional protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the rights on women in Africa.

 

“Even though women produce 60% to 80% of the food consumed in Africa, they suffer more hunger and malnutrition, and are marginalized when it comes to land control.” This point was underlined by the women’s organisations that took part in the Summit, prior to asking for implementation of  regional legal texts on land management of the recent African Land Policy. They requested that an investment plan on Agriculture for Economic Growth and Food Security be developed.

 

Women have also called all African Women’s organisations for the mobilisation of all resources needed for a second Summit of Heads of State and Government on Gender Mainstreaming in the African Union to happen in 2010.

 

In addressing Peace and security in Africa, women have reiterated the need to implement the Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa as a the best solution, and called for States to put into action the national plans on the 1325 and 1820 Resolutions of the UN Security Council  which followed the Monrovia Call to Action on March 9th 2009 by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.    

 

It should be noted that only 35 countries of the 53 signatories have submitted their report on the implementation the Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa (SDGEA) between January 2007 and now. Less then 30 countries have ratified the Protocol on Women’s rights in Africa. Other factors such as the African Women’s Decade 2010-2020, and the availability of funds to African women have also been discussed at the meeting.

 

The meeting was coordinated by Femmes Africa Solidarité (FAS), and organized by the GIMAC network, which is composed of more than 40 African women’s organisations who work in partnership with the Libyan Ministry of Social Affairs, the National Organisation for Libyan Youth, and the Maghreb Mother’s Association, on the Implementation of the Solemn Declaration signed by the Heads of State and Government in July 2004.

 

 The ‘Gender is my Agenda’ network has a consultative meeting every six months on the margins of the Summit Meeting of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU). This meeting in Tripoli is the 14th consultative Pre-Summit meeting.

 





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