8th African Union Gender Pre-Summit on 2016 African Year of Human Rights, with Particular Focus on the Rights of Women 17 - 21 January 2016
8th African Union Gender Pre-Summit on 2016 African Year of Human Rights, with Particular Focus on the Rights of Women 17 - 21 January 2016
MEDIA ADVISORY / 26th
8th AFRICAN UNION GENDER PRE-SUMMIT ON 2016 AFRICAN YEAR OF HUMAN RIGHTS, WITH PARTICULAR FOCUS ON WOMEN RIGHTS
INVITATION TO REPRESENTATIVES OF THE MEDIA
When: 17 –21 January 2016
The 2016 Gender Pre-Summit will hold as follows:
Day 1: GIMAC Civil Society Meeting
Date: 17 January 2016
Venue: United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Conference Center
Time: 09h00 – 17h00
Day 2: GIMAC Civil Society Meeting
Date: 18 January 2016
Venue: United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Conference Center
Time: 09h00 – 17h00
Day 2: Closed Ministerial Session
Date: 18 January 2016
Venue: African Union Commission (
Time: 09h00 – 12h30
Experts Meeting of the Continued 1st Specialised Technical Committee on Gender and Women Empowerment
Date: 18 January 2016
Venue: African Union Commission (
Time: 09h00 – 12h30
Ministerial Meeting of the Continued 1st Specialised Technical Committee on Gender and Women Empowerment
Date: 18 January 2016
Venue: African Union Commission (
Time: 14h00 –17h45
Day 3: Joint Session of Ministers,
Date: 19 January 2016
Venue: African Union Commission (
Time: 09h00 – 17h30
Day 4: Joint Session of Ministers,
Date: 20 January 2016
Venue: African Union Commission (
Time: 09h00 – 17h30
Day 5: Africa Consultative Forum of the CSW
Date: 21 January 2016
Venue: United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA)
Time: 09h00 – 17h30
Who: Under the Presidency of H.E Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Chairperson of the AUC, the 2016 Gender Pre-Summit is jointly organized by the
Why: The year 2016, marks important milestones in the continental and global women’s agenda for gender equality and women empowerment. Among others, continentally, it is the 30th anniversary of the coming into force of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights in 1986 and the beginning of the second phase of the African Women’s Decade 2010-2020. The African Women’s Decade is the
The African Union has developed an extensive and progressive body of legal instruments to promote gender equality and women’s rights. These are the
Despite these elaborate mechanisms, and women and girls forming the majority of the population in Africa, there is still a huge deficit in the actual enjoyment of these rights by women. African women and girls still face a multitude of barriers to gender equality. These include, among others, economic exclusion and financial systems that perpetuate the discrimination of women; limited participation in political and public life; lack of access to education and poor retention of girls in schools; gender-based violence, harmful cultural practices, and exclusion of women from peace tables either as lead mediators or part of negotiating teams of conflicting parties.
Objective: The overall objective of the Gender Pre-Summit is to bring together voices of key actors in the gender equality and women’s empowerment arena, to update and discuss critical developments in the field, assess the extent of implementation of commitments, especially the Declaration on 2015 Year of Women’s Empowerment and Development Towards Africa’s Agenda 2063 as well as the Mid-Term Review of the African Women’s Decade, identify future priority areas of action including the implementation of the 2016 year of Human Rights with a focus on the Rights of Women, and call for greater acceleration in the effective implementation of commitments on gender equality and women’s empowerment.
The specific objectives are to:
• Raise awareness and develop a common strategy on the implementation of the 2016 theme of African Year of Human Rights, with Particular Focus on the Rights of Women.
• Assess progress on women’s participation in politics, public office and the judiciary and identify challenges and barriers hindering their effective participation as well as develop strategies to accelerate women’s agency and leading role in politics, public office and the judiciary.
• Identify how national regulations and policies, on one hand, and practice from financial institutions and investors, on the other, can work more closely in ways to improve the financial inclusion of women in the formal economy.
• Stimulate dialogue between
• Explore recent developments on migration, particularly recent trends, challenges and impact on women as well as discuss best ways to manage it by policy makers in Africa and countries of destination.
• Engage practitioners, policy- makers, activists, and a broad range of stakeholders to review the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda on the continent, learn from various experiences and challenges, and reflect critically on what is needed to accelerate implementation and monitoring at all levels as well as a way forward.
• Share progress, challenges and opportunities for women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and in Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET).
• Provide an understanding of the extent of the several HTPs still prevalent in Africa, as well as the role that social society plays in amplifying gender divisions. and
• Provide an opportunity for different stakeholders to discuss the challenges hindering progress in achieving women’s land and property rights in Africa, as well as to identify and promote practical approaches to address these challenges with a view to gain commitment towards promoting good models. Among others.
Expected outcomes:
• The outcomes document/ communiqué with concrete decisions will be presented to the
Participants: The 2016 Gender Pre-Summit will draw participants from:
- Ministers of Gender and Women’s Affairs of
-
- Gender units of the RECs;
- Women’s network from GIMAC;
- Civil Society Organisation (CSOs);
- UN Agencies;
-
- Officials from the
- The Private Sector.
Background: The African Union (
The Gender Pre-Summits are organised by the
Consequently, the Gender-Pre Summit on the "Year of Women’s Empowerment and Development Towards Africa Agenda 2063”, held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 21-23 January 2015, took the format of a stakeholders’ consultation to enhance partnerships between Ministers of Gender and Women’s Affairs, RECs and CSOs to enable collective action in shaping decisions of the
JOURNALISTS ARE INVITED TO MASSIVELY COVER THE EVENT.
Media inquiries should be directed to:
Mrs Esther Azaa Tankou| Ag. Director of Information and Communication | African Union Commission | Tel: +251 (0) 911361185 | Fax: (251) 11 551 78 44 | E-mail: yamboue@africa-union.org|
For further information:
Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: DIC@african-union.org I Website: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia
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Event Documents
References
Topic Resources
Executive Council Twenty-Eighth Ordinary Session Decisions
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Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa STISA 2034
"Driving Africa's Future"