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REPORT ON THE PARTICIPATION OF AFRICAN WOMEN IN

The 8th Africa Regional Conference on Women (Beijing +15)

and

The Meeting of African Union Ministers Responsible for Women Affairs and Gender

Banjul, The Gambia November 13-21, 2009

Compiled by: Naisola Likimani Advocacy Officer, FEMNET

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TABLE OF CONTENTS Summary....................................................................................................................................3 Africa NGO Preparations for Beijing +15 Review ......................................................................4 Participation in the 8th Africa Regional Conference on Women (Beijing +15)............................6

The Africa Women’s NGO Consultative Meeting...................................................................6 The Experts and Ministerial Meetings of the 8th Africa Regional Conference on Women....10 Commemorating 30 Years of CEDAW.................................................................................11

Participation in the Meeting of AU Ministers Responsible for Women Affairs and Gender......12 Immediate Outcomes from the Banjul Meetings ......................................................................14

Successes............................................................................................................................14 Areas for Further Improvement............................................................................................14 Lessons Learned .................................................................................................................14

Annexes ...................................................................................................................................15

A) Statement from the Africa Women’s NGO Consultative Meeting.............................15 B) Briefing from African women’s civil society on priorities, actions and strategies for the

African Women’s Decade.........................................................................................18 C) Program for the Africa Women’s NGO Consultative Meeting ..................................22 D) List of Participants at the Africa Women’s NGO Consultative Meeting ....................23 E) Africa Taskforce Members For Beijing +15 NGO Review Process ..........................29

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1.0 Summary African women’s organizations have an opportunity, as part of commemorating 15 years since the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BPfA) of 1995, to mobilize at the national, sub-regional, and regional levels in order to hold their governments accountable for commitments made to women’s rights including those in the BPfA, the African Union Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa, CEDAW (which was adopted 30 years ago in 1979)) and the Millennium Declaration and Goals. African women’s organizations and individual activists also have the opportunity to strategize on the role they can play at the national and regional level going forward to truly advance women’s access to and enjoyment of human rights over the next five years. The African Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET) has played a leadership role for African women’s NGOs at regional and international decision- and policy-making fora since its inception in 1988. FEMNET continued its efforts in monitoring the implementation of the BPfA in collaboration with partners during the Beijing +15 Review process. This included mobilizing women to review the status of implementation of the BPfA in their respective countries, through producing shadow reports or filling in an adapted version of the official UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) Beijing +15 Review questionnaire. The national reports from civil society, together with sub-regional reports from Southern, Eastern and West Africa, were then compiled into a draft Africa NGOs Shadow Report on Beijing +15. In November 2009, the ECA convened the 8th Africa Regional Conference on Women (Beijing +15) in Banjul, The Gambia, and created a space for civil society to participate in the Conference, including an opportunity to present to the Experts Meeting their summarised conclusions drawn from the synthesized draft Africa Regional NGO Shadow Report. FEMNET, as part of the Africa NGO Taskforce on Beijing +15, convened a two day Consultative meeting for women’s organizations in the margins of the 8th Africa Regional Conference on Women, to discuss the findings of the draft African NGO Shadow Report on Beijing +15, to dialogue on the key issues emerging and make recommendations for further action from African Governments. A total of 100 participants from 15 countries attended the Consultative meeting. Civil society subsequently presented the conclusions and recommendations emanating from the Consultative meeting to the Experts and Gender Ministers meeting, around national and regional issues that should be included and addressed in the final official report. Several CSO recommendations were integrated into the final report of the Experts, and adopted by the Ministers thereafter. In anticipation of the African Women’s Decade (2010-2020) FEMNET also initiated a consultation in September 2009 of women’s rights activists around the region, to get their views on priorities, strategies and actions to accelerate realisation of women’s human rights during the Decade. FEMNET presented these findings during the meeting of Experts prior to the Meeting of AU Ministers Responsible for Women Affairs and Gender, in Banjul. Several recommendations for key outcomes of the Decade were integrated into the AU Road Map for the Decade, and later adopted by the Ministers. Finally, FEMNET and Solidarity for African Women’s Rights (SOAWR) members including Equality Now, Oxfam GB, IAC, ACDHRS and EASSI lobbied the attending Ministers1 on the need for urgent ratification and implementation of the AU Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa, particularly advocating for the use of a multi-sectoral approach in implementing the provisions, and making recommendations on how the African Women’s Decade can be utilized to deliver on commitments in the Protocol and other key women’s rights instruments like CEDAW.

1 Ministers from Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Chad, Cote D’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Sudan, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

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One of the highlights of the Banjul meetings was the commemoration of the 30th Anniversary of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) which was convened by UNIFEM. The occasion was graced with the presence of the Vice President and Minister for Gender for the Republic of The Gambia who was the key note speaker, Ms. Michelline Ravololonarisoa, the Chief of the Africa Section, UNIFEM Head Quarters, and the Special Advisor to the UN Secretary General on Gender issues and the Advancement of Women, Ms. Rachel Mayanja, among many others. At this function two women – Ms. Sara Longwe and a young upcoming lawyer from The Gambia - shared their testimonies on how they have used the provisions of CEDAW to protect, demand and secure their rights to personal dignity, right to education and the right not to be discriminated against on their basis of their sex. In Banjul UNIFEM also convened the inaugural meeting for the Regional Steering Committee for the Africa Wide Campaign on Violence against Women and Girls. In the meeting held on the 15th of November 2009 members shared information on the activities undertaken by their organisations in relation to the Secretary General’s Africa Regional campaign. They discussed the terms of reference for the Regional Steering Committee and the coordination mechanism of the campaign in Africa with the regional committees. The meeting ended with discussions on the preparations for the launch of the Regional Campaign in January 2010 in Addis Ababa prior to the 14th Ordinary Session of the Africa Union Heads of States and Government. The proposed date for the launch is the 30th of January 2010. SOAWR Coalition is a member of the Regional Steering Committee for the Africa Wide Campaign on Violence against Women and Girls. 2.0 Africa NGO Preparations for Beijing +15 Review During the 53rd session of the Commission of the Status of Women (CSW) in March 2009, an NGO consultation was held in New York, and a Task Force was set up to coordinate and mobilize NGOs in the African Region towards the 2010 Beijing +15 NGO Forum2. Two coordinators volunteered to take responsibility to coordinate the review process within the Africa Region at the continental level, and a Task Force of 10 members was also set up, with members taking responsibility to mobilize women and networks across the region to participate in the national, sub- regional and regional review processes. The list of the Africa task force is attached for ease of reference (Annex E) Each Task Force member was responsible for mobilizing women’s organizations and individuals in the four or five countries assigned, to carry out activities at the national level, aimed at raising awareness on the Beijing +15 Review and ensuring that governments take further and appropriate measures and achievable actions to implement the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. The national coordinating teams were also expected to identify 12 issues within the 12 critical areas that will need priority focus for action in the next five years when a new global framework for promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment will be considered and adopted. FEMNET was responsible for mobilizing women’s organizations in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi. Various FEMNET members were responsible for countries in West Africa (Benin, Cote D’Ivoire, Togo, Niger, Burkina Faso), North Africa (Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Sudan, Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania) and the Islands (Madagascar, Comoro, Seychelles, Mauritius, Reunion and Mayotte)..

2 The Global NGO Forum will be held on February 27 and 28, 2010, prior to the 54th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) which will be meeting to review global progress on implementation of the BPfA. The NGO Forum is a space for civil society from Africa, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific, and North America, to review regional progress and agree on a global Call for Action to submit to the CSW.

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In order to mobilize women at the national level, FEMNET utilized various strategies: 1. Mainstreaming the Beijing +15 review into other FEMNET activities e.g. Post-CSW debriefing

workshops in Uganda (for East and Southern Africa) and Burkina Faso (for five French Speaking countries in West Africa); and as part of a Gender Mainstreaming in Macroeconomics training workshop in Cairo (for North Africa).

2. Development and dissemination of information, utilizing list-serves and one-to-one messaging - FEMNET disseminated information about the review process, and developed guidelines for national working groups outlining the process and timeline for the review.

3. Liaising with other regional and sub-regional women’s networks such as EASSI, WiLDAF, WLSA, AAWORD, AMwA and SOAWR to disseminate information and mobilize women at the various levels.

Concurrently, FEMNET engaged the African Centre for Gender and Social Development at the ECA, which was responsible for compiling the official Regional Beijing +15 report and convening the 8th Africa Regional Conference on Women (Beijing +15) in Banjul, The Gambia. ECA offered to assist the NGO Regional Taskforce by availing their teleconferencing facilities for Taskforce meetings, as well as providing Observer status for CSOs at the Conference. They also generously shared information with FEMNET and by extension the Taskforce, to assist the review process and preparations for Banjul. This included availing the questionnaire that FEMNET adapted to collect more NGO-specific information, and inviting FEMNET to participate in technical committee meetings for preparations of the regional conference. The information sharing between civil society and the ECA facilitated more coordinated preparations for the Regional Conference held in Banjul. Mobilizing resources for the Beijing +15 processes was particularly challenging in the current economic climate, a sentiment that was echoed by other Taskforce members. Resources were needed to support national working groups to hold consultation meetings in order to produce comprehensive and participatory National Women NGOs shadow reports as well as support national groups to mobilize women around the 16 Days of Activism - seen as an opportunity to highlight the findings of Beijing +15 implementation. It was challenging to secure the resources needed to support the process of compiling, translating and publishing the Africa NGO Shadow Report, to support sub-regional (including the Taskforce members), national and community women leaders to be in Banjul, and to convene the Africa Women’s NGOs Consultative meeting held in Banjul in the margins of the 8th Africa Regional Conference on Women. FEMNET developed several proposals and was ultimately able to secure resources from the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) for the compilation and production of the Report, Ipas Africa Alliance and the Government of The Gambia. In-kind support was provided by the ECA as detailed earlier, as well as by the African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies (ACDHRS) and The Association of NGOs (TANGO), both providing tremendous support in the preparations for the Africa Women’s NGOs Consultative Meeting held on the 15th – 16th of November in Banjul, The Gambia. UNIFEM supported the representative of SOAWR on the Regional Steering Committee on VAW/Gs and UNDP supported two members of the Regional task force to be in Banjul.

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3.0 Participation in the 8th Africa Regional Conference on Women (Beijing +15)

FEMNET was able to support 8 representatives to attend the Conference in Banjul, The Gambia: • Ms. Norah Matovu Winyi – Executive Director,

FEMNET • Ms. Naisola Likimani – Advocacy Officer, FEMNET • Ms. Rachel Kagoiya – Documentalist, FEMNET • Ms. Rosemary Okello – Executive Director, African Women and Child Feature Service and

consultant responsible for compiling the Africa NGO Shadow Report on Beijing +15 • Ms. Deborah Kaddu-Serwadda – Executive Director, ICON Women & Young People's

Leadership Academy and Africa NGO Taskforce Member responsible for Uganda, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia

• Ms. Matrine Chuulu – Director, WLSA Zambia and coordinator for the production of the Southern Africa NGOs Shadow Report on Beijing +15

• Ms. Atinuke Odukoya – Women’s Consortium of Nigeria, and coordinator of the Nigeria working group on Beijing +15

• Ms. Winifred Lichuma – Commissioner at the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights and representing the Kenya national working group on Beijing +15

In addition Ms. Roselyn Musa of AWDF, Ms. Dunstanette Macauley the Co-coordinator of the Africa Beijing +15 NGO Taskforce, Ms. Jane Ocaya-Irama of EASSI, Ms Kafui Adjamagbo -Johnson of WiLDAF West Africa and Ms. Mary Wandia of Oxfam GB worked closely with the team supported by FEMNET in the execution of the NGO Consultative Meeting.

3.1 The Africa Women’s NGO Consultative Meeting3 November 15-16, 2009 Her Excellency Dr. Isatou Njie-Saidy, Vice President of the Gambia and Minister of Women’s Affairs, opened the Consultative Meeting, stating “I am excited on the one hand that a lot is happening to change the status and the situation of women in Africa in terms of their power, leadership, education, access to health services and information, access to land, credit and employment opportunities, and having more freedom to participate in public affairs. On the other hand it is truly challenging that the progress is so slow. We have to do more and faster. We have to remain committed and passionate about changing the situation. We cannot afford to remain complacent. Sustainable change is our goal.” Ms. Norah Matovu-Winyi, the Executive Director of FEMNET, also made opening remarks, emphasizing that “African women deserve much better treatment, resources, care, attention, influence and power than what is currently the reality on the ground… We therefore owe it to the women who are not in Banjul to make our voices clearly heard so that the leaders in Africa know

3 Full meeting programme available in Annex C

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that they have an obligation to promote, protect and fulfil all the human rights of women. Things must change for the better in the lives of majority of women in Africa” said Ms. Winyi. She ended her remarks by appreciating the hospitality of the government of The Gambia and its people who used every resource possible to ensure that the civil society experts coming from all parts of Africa have a fruitful meeting. Ms. Hannah Forster, Director of ACDHRS, on her part urged participants to work towards harmonization of the efforts that are promoting the implementation of the Beijing Platform of Action, CEDAW and the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa. She noted that the Protocol is seen in many spheres as the African version of CEDAW and encouraged stakeholders gathered at the meeting to relentlessly advocate and lobby their governments for its ratification, domestication and full implementation. 3.1.1 Presentation of draft Africa Regional NGO Shadow Report findings Ms. Rosemary Okello presented the findings articulated in the synthesized draft Regional Women’s NGOs Shadow Report, noting key trends across the region in terms of progress, gaps, challenges, and recommendations, as drawn from national and sub-regional reports.4 She noted that the biggest strides since the Beijing +10 review are in narrowing the gender gap in access to primary education. More countries have also adopted affirmative action measures to support more girls to access higher education. Other achievements include: • Key commitments on gender equality and women’s empowerment have been made by

governments, including the rapid entering into force of the African Union Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa, which 27 countries had acceded to by the time of the review and 21 have signed. Several mechanisms are also in place under the African Union, focusing on implementing gender equality commitments such as those under NEPAD and its various programs like the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program, and the Africa Peer Review Mechanism. In addition member states of SADC adopted the Gender Protocol which provides among others the commitment to achieve gender parity in leadership and decision making at all levels, by 2015.

• Several African countries have embarked on constitutional, legal and policy reforms including

drafting of new constitutions and gender responsive legislation. A number of countries have adopted child rights laws, sexual violence legislation and laws banning female genital mutilation. There have been reforms in employment laws supporting work/ family balance for men and women and providing for the elimination of discrimination in employment on the basis of sex, age, and marital status;

• African women are increasingly key participants in reshaping global and regional processes in

areas such as trade, development aid, reforms of governance institutions like the UN and AU and management of global crises such as responses to HIV/AIDS and macroeconomic structural adjustment policies.

4 National reports received in time to produce the draft Africa shadow report were from Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote D’Ivoire, Kenya, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo and Uganda. Several more were received and integrated after the Consultative meeting. Sub-regional reports were received from Eastern, West and Southern Africa.

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• There is increased representation of women in governance structures at regional, sub-

regional, national and local levels. • Those living with HIV are increasingly breaking the silence to speak about their own life

experiences, the effects of violence against women and its links to HIV and illustrating the importance of men and women equally sharing the burden of care.

• The adoption of a Land Policy for Africa to facilitate land reforms and management of

improved agricultural development and productivity is also noted as a key area of progress as it has great potential when fully implemented to address many inequalities that have for a long time marginalized women from enjoying the benefits of economic growth and development.

• The media has played a critical role in publicizing women’s rights issues and supporting public education to influence changes in attitudes, social values and practices and gender relations. Significant improvements have been noted in the way women rights issues are portrayed by the media.

In terms of gaps and challenges, Ms. Okello noted the following: • Large gaps still exist between policy formulation and what happens in practice, particularly the

non – shifting of practices and attitudes in institutions responsible for implementation of legislation/policy, and the monitoring mechanisms; Harmful reservations lodged by some countries that have ratified human rights instruments such as CEDAW and the Protocol on Women’s Rights, which dilute the spirit and application of the instruments. Legislation on women’s rights is also not adequately harmonized at the national level in most countries which have dualist legal systems.

• Increasing insecurity, failing states, and the crisis of armed conflicts in several African

countries have increased violent crimes against women and children. The recent developments in some countries that threaten to reduce the democratic space and work of women’s rights defenders, and claw back clauses in legislation continue to put limits on women’s rights and freedoms, as does corruption and impunity particularly for perpetrators of VAW.

• Lack of sex disaggregated data or limited access to data that clearly indicate the progressive

changes in the quality of life of women continues to be a major challenge; There is also limited capacity for gender analysis and programming within governments in Africa and due to poor working conditions many of the experts have left to find opportunities elsewhere

• Resources for implementing Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment strategies at all

levels are limited, with an over- dependence on development aid and non governmental interventions which are also heavily donor dependant and fragmented.

• Though enrollment of girls in primary education has increased, there are concerns about the

quality of education, retention of girls, gaps in tertiary education, and under-representation of girls in science and technology fields, and the relevance of the education to the job market.

• Women remain largely invisible in the formal economy, and women’s unpaid labour continues

to be unrecognized; The situation of the rural and urban poor has not changed and in some instances it has worsened despite all the policies and action plans in place and the amount of resources that have been committed to the processes of change.

• Maternal mortality rates in the Africa region continue to be unacceptably high; quality of health

services is still very poor, quality services are inaccessible for the majority of women due to

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the high costs involved; and there are widespread issues with drug shortages and barriers to accessing free medication for example treatment for HIV/AIDS and malaria which are the major killer diseases in Africa.

• Challenges have been experienced in the HIV/AIDS pandemic responses that have led to

serious gender discrimination and violations of women’s rights, particularly inheritance rights. Current care strategies for HIV/AIDS have failed to address or transform the intensified burden of care that is shouldered by women and the girl child.

In the plenary, participants5 supported the findings, lamenting on the gap between policy and practice at the national level, and the lack of harmonization of family law, the increasing scourge of corruption and impunity, under-resourcing of gender machineries and the lack of gender disaggregated data as obstacles to the realization of the goals articulated in the Beijing Platform for Action. They noted some key emerging issues in the arena of advancement of women’s rights, specifically the global economic and financial crisis, peace and security issues that have led to increased cases of sexual violence against women and girls, human trafficking, exploitation of loopholes in FGM legislation, and the increasing claw-back clauses in legislature. Participants expressed a need for more country-specific information in the Regional report, including an analysis on what laws have been passed and where, and capturing the shortcomings of new legislature. Ms. Okello assured them that the final report will contain a section on country-specific findings based on national reports/questionnaires submitted, and that the draft being presented was an analysis of national and sub-regional findings to highlight the regional trends. Participants also mentioned that some issues appear not to have been highlighted in the report, for instance the importance of women in sports (raised by Senegal), the issue of increasing infanticide by women (raised by Senegal), and the fact that increased enrolment of girls in school has resulted in decreased enrolment of boys in some countries (raised by Tunisia). 3.1.2 Group work and presentation of the NGO women’s statement At the close of this session a working group consisting of representatives from Egypt, Nigeria, Uganda, Senegal, Zambia and a member of the Africa NGO Taskforce on Beijing +15, was formed to complete the NGO statement to be delivered to the Experts Meeting. Meeting participants then split into groups to discuss specific areas of concern from the Beijing Platform of Action, and were tasked with developing concrete recommendations that were not the usual demands from women. The groups were divided into: • Women and the Economy, Poverty and

Environment • Women and Health, Education and the Girl

Child • Human Rights, VAW and Armed Conflict • Women and Power and Decision Making, the

Media and Institutional Mechanisms for the Advancement of Women.

Participants requested that Women and Media and the Girl Child be treated as cross-cutting concerns. The Statement working group then worked late into the night and most of the morning on the second day of the meeting, to compile a statement utilizing the recommendations from the draft

5 A full list of participants is available in Annex D

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Africa NGO report, the group work and plenary discussions. The agenda as planned for the rest of the second day was shifted to accommodate debate and agreement on the Statement. Norah Matovu-Winyi, Executive Director of FEMNET delivered the statement to the group of Experts in the afternoon of November 16th, and copies in English and French were distributed to the assembled Experts, UN and AU officials, Civil Society and other Observers. The final report of the Experts Session incorporated 13 of the 18 recommendations made by civil society, with a slight variation on the language. The Statement presented to the Experts meeting is attached hereto as Annex A.

3.2 The Experts and Ministerial Meetings of the 8th Africa Regional Conference on Women November 16-17, 2009 Civil society participants were granted Observer status by the ECA, and in addition to the opportunity to present the findings from the NGO Consultative meeting, were also able to participate in the group work sessions of the meeting. Participants from the NGO Consultation meeting organized themselves strategically to participate in the groups, which were broken down into seven thematic areas: i. Economic empowerment ii. Peace and security iii. VAW iv. Women’s representation and participation in decision-making v. Sexual and reproductive health, HIV and AIDS vi. Climate change and food security vii. Financing for gender equality Among the key recommendations/strategies emanating from the groups were the following: • Economic Empowerment: Priority should be given to employment creation for women

through targeted entrepreneurship, skills and business development, paying particular attention to the needs of the rural women.

• Peace and security: priority should be given to research and domestication of international instruments, particularly UN Security Council Resolution 1325, through national legislation and action plans.

• VAW: countries should ensure that in the next five years there are national multi-sectoral and multi-faceted plans to address gender-based violence, underpinned by social mobilization, capacity building and monitoring and evaluation.

• Women’s representation and participation in decision-making: Constitutional guarantees should be in place to provide for gender parity, which would be enforced by affirmative-action measures such as quotas.

• SRHR and HIV and AIDS: Family planning should be repositioned as a development priority and fully recognized and mainstreamed into all interventions.

• Climate change and food security: Governments need to develop gender-responsive policies on climate change which focus on agriculture, water resource management, energy, forest use and management, transportation and technology transfer.

• Financing for gender equality: There is need to explore alternative sources of funding other than traditional sources, with emphasis on setting up of solidarity funds for gender equality at national, sub-regional and regional levels, and increased partnerships with the private sector.

The recommendations were later adopted by the Ministers of Gender and Women Affairs after deliberation on November 19 and 20th, and greatly informed the Banjul Declaration on the Acceleration of the Implementation of the Dakar and Beijing Platforms for Action.

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3.2.1 Support for UN Gender Equality Architecture Reform During the Ministerial, a brief presentation on the recently approved UN agency for gender was made by Micheline Ravololonarisoa of UNIFEM. Gender Ministers in attendance agreed to support the creation of this new entity and incorporated a statement of support in the Banjul Declaration. They also expressed interest in knowing the modalities for the new structure, particularly how the new entity will be more responsive at the country level. 3.2.2 SOAWR lobbying The SOAWR Coalition members in Banjul from FEMNET, Equality Now, Oxfam GB, IAC, ACDHRS and EASSI distributed information packs to the Gender Ministers, containing the communiqués from the AU Protocol Domestication meeting in Kigali held in July 2009 and the SOAWR Agenda-setting meeting held in Nairobi in October 2009 whose theme was “Spreading our Wings: A Multi-sectoral approach to Women’s Rights”. In addition the packs had a copy of the policy brief developed by Ms. Mary Wandia of Oxfam titled “How States can deliver on the AU Declaration for an African Women’s Decade 2010-2020.” The purpose was to offer information and strategies for the domestication and accelerated implementation of the AU Protocol on Women’s Rights, particularly in the context of the African Women’s Decade. 3.2.3 Side Events FEMNET and partners in Banjul participated in the following side-events occurring parallel to the 8th Africa Regional Conference on Women (Beijing +15) from November 17th to November 20th. • Why has Capacity Building for Gender Mainstreaming not worked? What new solutions do we

have? (UNDP) • Women’s Rights Implementation in Africa: What

has been achieved so far? (WILDAF, FIDH, GIMAC, Female Lawyers Association – Gambia)

• Launch of Voice, Power and Soul: Portraits of African Feminists (AWDF and UNIFEM)

• The Economic Crisis and its Impact on Women and the achievement of the Gender Equality targets under the 12 Critical Areas for Action of the BPfA.(UNIFEM, AWDF, UNFPA and UNDP)

• Women’s Political Participation and the use of Quotas as a Strategy for Accelerating Gender Equality (UNDP/ECA)

• Presentation of the Africa Gender Index (ECA)

3.3 Commemorating 30 Years of CEDAW November 18, 2009 The Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women marks its 30th anniversary in 2009. The gathering of gender experts, Ministers of Gender and Women’s Affairs, AU and UN high level officials and a representative group of civil society organisations drawn from across the region in Banjul was viewed as an opportune moment to reflect on the importance of this ground-breaking instrument in the lives of African women and women all over the world. The proceedings for the day included remarks by high-level representatives from UNIFEM, the Committee on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women, ECA, the AU, and the Vice President of the Gambia. Additionally, Ms. Hannah Forster of ACDHRS represented civil society on the panel. Some quotes:

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“State parties need to tackle discrimination in the private lives and relationships of their citizen… and move from non-interference to non-indifference.” – Ms. Hannah Forster, Director, ACDHRS. “(Because of CEDAW) today women’s equal rights and gender equality are part of the political debate” – Ms. Michele Ravololonarisoa, UNIFEM Chief of Africa. “… sometimes it is the women who reject these bills. The women you are trying to help need to be sensitized so they appreciate the provisions encapsulated in the bill.” – Dr. Isatou Njie-Saidy, Vice President of The Gambia. The celebrations also included songs and performances by a Gambian women’s troupe, who portrayed the inequality of women in various spheres of life and how they can be addressed. Attendees were also treated to testimonials on how CEDAW has impacted the lives of women. Personal testimonies were shared by legendary women’s rights activist Ms. Sara Longwe, and Ms. Satang Nabaneh, a dynamic young Gambian law student. 4.0 Participation in the Meeting of African Union Ministers

Responsible for Women Affairs and Gender November 13-14, 2009 (Experts), November 21, 2009 (Ministerial)

The AU Women, Gender and Development Directorate convened the Experts meeting and Meeting of Gender and Women Affairs Ministers back-to-back with the ECA –convened 8th Africa Regional Conference on Women (Beijing +15). The AU meeting was a critical one because of the two important items on the agenda:

1) Consideration and adoption of the Feasibility Study on the African Women’s Trust Fund; and

2) Consideration and adoption of the Road Map for the African Women’s Decade (2010 – 2020).

The presence of civil society was vital in this space as major decisions were being undertaken on long-term projects by the AU and its Member States with great potential to impact the lives of African women, and the voices of African women needed to be present during these deliberations. In anticipation of the African Women’s Decade (2010-2020) FEMNET initiated a consultation in September 2009 of women’s rights activists around the region, to get their views on priorities, strategies and actions to accelerate realisation of women’s human rights during the Decade. Annex B contains the draft presented by Ms. Naisola Likimani of FEMNET to the AU Experts meeting. Ms. Likimani emphasized that rather than focusing on activities for the Decade, the focus should be on clear objectives and anticipated outcomes. She then presented the summarised views of African women, gathered through a consultative process implemented throughout October 2009. She also underscored the importance of the stakeholders at all levels taking ownership of the Decade in order to make this period truly count in the lives of women, men and children in Africa.

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Of all the recommendations made in the briefing, the following were integrated into the Road Map for the Decade: “…reviews will, for example, consider the following as successful outcomes of the Decade: • The number of AU member states that ratified and domesticate the Protocol; • Marked increases in women’s ownership of properties and productive resources; • The number of discriminatory laws abolished • Integration of women’s rights into national development processes; • Promotion of gender parity at the national and sub-national levels; • Grown in mass movement of women; • Increase of awareness on women’s reproductive rights and reduction in maternal

mortality and morbidity rates as well as HIV prevalence rates among women.” - quoted from The Road Map for the African Women’s Decade: 2010-2020, Prepared by the Women, Gender and Development Directorate, African Union Commission, November 2009 The following are noteworthy highlights and outcomes of the Meeting of the Ministers: On the Road Map: Ministers felt there was no need for baseline studies at the onset of the Decade as there was sufficient data on the current state of women in Africa. The WGDD noted that they intended to use data from the Beijing +15 and MDG reviews in 2010 as a baseline. Ministers also felt that the Road Map was quite heavy on activities and not heavy enough on outcomes for the Decade. Ministers also said the Decade must be launched in July 2010 and not in October 2010 as had been indicated by the WGDD. The Ministers from Uganda and Burkina Faso offered their countries as potential sites to launch the Decade (Uganda will be the host to the AU Summit of Heads of State in July 2010). On the African Women’s Trust Fund Feasibility Study: Ministers adopted the name “African Women’s Fund” and adopted the Experts decision that the AUC would administer the Fund as there was precedence for this with the AU Peace Fund. Ministers felt strongly that Member States should be asked to allocate at least 1% of their contribution to the AU to the Women’s Fund. They were adamant that the contribution should not be referred to as “voluntary” as the time had come for States to live up to their many commitments to women’s rights. Several ministers also sought a cost-benefit analysis on the proposal to merge the NEPAD Spanish Fund with the African Women’s Fund. Several Ministers emphasized the need for the Fund to directly impact the economic status of African women, and avoid running into high overhead costs that do not benefit the majority of African women. The Fund will be launched in January 2010 as part of the African Women’ Decade activities.

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5.0 Immediate Outcomes from the Banjul Meetings

5.1 Successes 1) Most of the recommendations made by the African Women’s NGO Consultative Meeting were

incorporated into the Experts report and later adopted by the Ministers at the 8th Africa Regional Conference on Women (Beijing +15)

2) Civil society recommendations for possible outcomes for the African Women’s Decade were integrated into the Road Map for the Decade and adopted by the AU Ministers meeting. However the recommendations on key areas of focus and strategies for the Decade were not taken up, indicating a need for greater advocacy in this area by women’s civil society organisations. Greater advocacy is needed to ensure popularisation and a bottom-up approach in the planning and implementation of the Decade.

3) Four sub-regions in Africa were represented in the NGO Consultative Meeting, in addition to contributing to the Africa NGO Shadow Report on Beijing +15, making this process significantly participatory and representative.

4) The African Women’s NGO Consultative Meeting was organized at a time of limited funding and priority for convening women’s rights organisations and activists, mostly due to the prevailing global financial and economic crises. Convening a working meeting for 100 women in this environment was a challenging undertaking that would not have been possible had it not been for the support and ingenuity of civil society partners and the Government of The Gambia.

5.2 Areas for Further Improvement 1) The draft Africa NGO Shadow Report was not ready in time for translation into French prior to

the meeting in Banjul. This was partially due to late submissions of shadow reports by national and sub-regional working groups, and also due to an underestimation of the level of analysis needed in the report. This process needs to be accorded more time and the participating teams at different levels to work within the agreed timeframes.

5.3 Lessons Learned 1) Partnering with Gambian NGOs: ACDHRS and TANGO greatly facilitated the process of

organizing the NGO Consultative meeting, and allayed some of the upfront costs. TANGO also liaised with the Government of The Gambia and UNDP to support some of the conference costs of the Africa Women’s NGOs Consultative meeting, which, considering the financial challenges previously mentioned, was highly appreciated.

2) If FEMNET had waited to have all the resources required to move forward with this process,

very little would have been accomplished. Taking advantage of all available opportunities and partnering with different stakeholders to facilitate the processes at different levels made it possible to achieve a lot more.

/END

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6.0 Annexes

A) Statement from the Africa Women’s NGO Consultative Meeting

Statement from the Africa Women’s NGO Consultative Meeting

Beijing +15 Review

November 16, 2009 Banjul, The Gambia

We, the representatives of civil society organisations addressing women’s and human rights issues across Africa, meeting in the margins of the 8th Africa Regional Conference on Women (Beijing +15) on November 15 and 16, 2009 in Banjul, The Gambia; Having assembled to deliberate on the progress in implementing the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in Africa since the last review (Beijing +10), to validate the Africa Regional NGO Shadow Report on Beijing +15 which incorporates national and sub-regional reviews from women’s civil society organisations and networks; Recognizing that the Beijing +15 Review process is taking place at a time of both great opportunities and challenges for African women in the realization of their civil, political, social, economic and cultural rights; Considering WITH GREAT CONCERN that although the process of implementation of Beijing Platform for Action over the last 15 years has utilized significant resources, progress remains minimal, slow and fragmented, and has not resulted in fundamental changes in the lives of the majority of women in Africa; Noting that the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action and human rights instruments that reinforce its provisions such as Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Protocol on the Rights of women in Africa involves a range of stakeholders, the primary responsibility rests with member states of the African Union; Further noting that the Beijing commitments have been repeatedly articulated as human rights guarantees which states parties are obligated to protect, promote and fulfil to the fullest extent possible, and that this requires visible and consistent political will and resources in order to deliver on this agenda; We therefore highlight the following actions among others, specified in the Beijing +15 Africa NGO Shadow Report as an urgent Call on African Governments to accelerate the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action over the next 5 years; 1. Ensure universal ratification of the African Union Protocol on Women’s Rights, CEDAW and

its Optional Protocol, as an indication of their political commitment to the human rights standards and urgently domesticate in full the instruments on women’s rights to provide a legal basis for protecting, fulfilling and enforcing provisions on women’s social and economic rights in particular;

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2. Accelerate implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action and all women’s rights

commitments through a multi - sectoral approach, that States committed to in Beijing in 1995, by the end of the first three years of the Africa Women’s Decade;

3. Ensure that structures established to lead the gender equality and women’s empowerment

agenda have adequate resources as an indication of member states’ political commitment to women’s advancement;

4. Ratify the African Union Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, harmonize the

electoral laws and democratic structures with its provisions and consistently implement the African Union gender parity commitments at national and local governance levels by 2015;

5. Ensure that electoral and policy reforms are fully implemented to guarantee women’s full and

effective participation in leadership and decision-making in terms of equal representation, participation in political parties and as key stakeholders in the democratic processes of their countries;

6. Allocate funds from the African Union Women’s Fund for training and education programmes

for women politicians aspiring for elected positions as a priority to enhance their capacities to effectively participate in and influence decision making processes.

7. Enact Freedom of Information legislation in line with internationally accepted human rights

principles and standards in order to guarantee citizens’ access to critical information particularly to African women, to facilitate their full and effective participation in governance, democratic processes and development.

8. Urgently implement their commitments to change attitudes and practices that negatively impact

on the protection, promotion and fulfilment of women’s rights by using the media among others, as a powerful tool for building public and targeted awareness and education on women’s rights and advancement.

9. Meet their reporting requirements on progress made towards gender equality in Africa and

where there is non compliance we call upon the African Union to institute additional mechanisms for ensuring accountability under the Protocol on the Rights of women (2003) and the Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa (2004).

10. Address the burning issue of impunity in Africa with regard to violations of human rights of

African citizens, particularly violence against women and children in conflict situations, and ensure fulfilments of commitments to the protection of women and children from all forms of violence;

11. Ensure that member states prioritise women’s health as a human rights issue, particularly

maternal, sexual and reproductive health, as a critical component of sustainable development in Africa, and intensify actions to reduce the feminisation of HIV/AIDS;

12. Take deliberate efforts to nominate female candidates for the position of Chairperson of the

African Union Commission as a sign of equal sharing of leadership and responsibilities for delivering on the development agenda in Africa;

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13. Invest in women’s education with particular attention to science and technology training, to

ensure that African women benefit from the changing global technology framework; 14. Build the capacity of rural women in agriculture and strengthen women’s land rights as part of

the process of implementing the New Partnership for Africa’s Development Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) and the AU Land Policy Framework and Guidelines;

15. Invest in research on climate change in Africa and its implications for women, and address

gender dimensions with respect to mitigation, adaptability, response and compensation mechanisms. Invest in research and technology on clean and renewable energy sources ensuring gender analysis is integrated;

16. Desist from engaging in bilateral and international trade and economic agreements that

undermine the regional integration process and impact negatively on women’s rights and advancement;

17. Invest in women’s entrepreneurship for effective economic empowerment and eliminate

barriers to women starting businesses and small/medium enterprises and commit sufficient resources to infrastructural development that facilitates trade within countries and across borders in the region; and

18. Ensure that gender equality is incorporated in all planning and budgeting processes at different

levels, and the deliberate development of sex disaggregated data and gender sensitive indicators, as one of the ways to guarantee effective implementation of all the Beijing commitments and as a strategy for promoting, protecting and fulfilling African women’s right to development.

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B) Briefing from African women’s civil society on priorities, actions and strategies for the African Women’s Decade

DRAFT

THE AFRICAN WOMEN’S DECADE (2010-2020): MOVING AFRICA FROM COMMITMENTS TO ACTION

A briefing from African women’s civil society on priorities, actions and strategies for the

African Women’s Decade  The African Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET) consulted over 45 African women’s rights activists on what the framework and strategic focus for the African Union (AU) African Women’s Decade should be. The objectives of the consultation were to: Popularise the AU Heads of States Decision of an African Women’s Decade amongst women’s rights activists in Africa; To get their views on strategic areas of focus for the decade and strategies that will be effective in accelerating the realisation and enjoyment of women’s human rights in Africa; and to catalyse debate on national and regional level priorities, actions and strategies for the decade by both government and civil society organisations. The result is this briefing paper on priorities and strategies  for  the African Women’s Decade which will be presented  to  the AU Women, Gender and Development Directorate, and  the AU meeting of Gender Ministers  in Banjul  in November 2009, where decisions on the framework and focus of the Decade will be taken.  The African Women’s Decade is an opportunity to integrate and strengthen linkages in the work on women’s human rights, integrating women’s social, political, economic and cultural rights into a single agenda. The decade is also an opportunity to show the multiplier effect that achieving all these rights has  for women and society at  large. To  the greatest extent possible  the goals of  the Decade  should  be  linked  to Millennium Development Goals  (MDGs), which  are  the  primary yardstick for progress in Africa. The ideology behind this is not that women are being left behind by development, but that development on the continent is slowed by the exclusion of women.  As the continent experiences a wave of increased fundamentalism, the Decade can also be used as a  critical  space  to  spark dialogue  on progressive views on  culture,  tradition  and  religion,  as  a catalyst  for  accelerated  realisation  of  women’s  rights.  The  Decade  additionally  provides  an excellent  platform  for  the  women’s  movement  to  work  together  and  reach  out  to  other constituencies,  to  tell  our  stories,  celebrate  victories  and  achievements,  and  project  our  own images of African women and girls to Africa and the world.   Key Areas of Focus for the African Women’s Decade Recognizing  that women’s  rights  are  indivisible,  the  primary  areas  of  focus  proposed  for  the Decade were selected for their potentially broad, ripple‐effect impact on other women’s rights in Africa. These priority areas are: 1. Women’s Economic Empowerment, which includes: 

a. Increasing financing for gender equality and women’s rights b. Supporting women’s labour rights c. Increasing women’s access to, ownership of, and control over productive resources, in 

particular land. 

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d. Improving women’s incomes, livelihoods and social security e. Impacting the aid effectiveness agenda 

 2. Women’s Bodily Integrity, Autonomy and Dignity. This includes: 

a. Ending violence against women  in all  its  forms – with a  focus on SGBV, Trafficking, and Harmful Traditional Practices 

b. Reduction of HIV prevalence c. Addressing impunity in the context of VAW d. Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights e. Poverty reduction strategies f. Conflict resolution 

 3. Women’s Participation in Decision Making. This includes: 

a. Achieving gender parity in decision making in all sectors b. Women’s full participation in conflict resolution and peace building c. Building women’s political visibility d. Addressing the democratic recession and its impacts on African women e. Promotion of education for women and girls 

 Using the African Women’s Decade at the National and Regional Levels At  the  national  level,  the Decade  can  be used  to push  for  legal protections  and promotion  of women’s  rights  through  ratification  and  implementation  of  regional  and  international instruments such as  the AU Protocol on Women’s Rights and CEDAW, which will address  the key focus areas above.   The more focused the Decade is in its message/goal and the higher the level of political will from the  regional  to  national  levels,  the  better  the Decade  can  be  at mobilising  stakeholders  at  the community and grassroots  level.   This would be facilitated by synergized efforts and resources, and enhanced networking and coalition building among African women across the region.   Overall,  the Decade provides a platform for persistent, focused advocacy for  implementation of existing State commitments to women’s human rights, and increased sensitisation and training on women’s rights in general, and the key areas of focus in particular.   At  the  regional  level,  the Decade  allows  for  new  linkages,  strategies  and  dialogue within  the women’s movement and between the movement and other constituencies. It provides a space to strengthen mass movements of women, such as farmers, urban women, etc, so  that women can forge stronger political blocks and more easily mobilise women across race, class and ethnicity to make demands from government. At this level of cohesion, African women’s voices will also be amplified at the regional and global fora.   Innovative Strategies to Keep the Decade Alive from 2010‐2020 Initial consultation of key stakeholders on women’s rights in Africa on the priority areas of focus and  goals  to  be  achieved,  is  a  primary  strategy  for  keeping  the  decade  alive  in  Africa. Strengthening women’s power to act by fortifying the women’s movement, facilitated perhaps by the AU Gender Directorate and  the Economic Commission  for Africa,  is another strategy. Once 

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again  this  includes  coalition‐building  across  the  region  around  the  key  areas  of  focus.  It  is important however to be very specific on the issue(s) women should rally around.   The Decade must  be  branded well  and  kept  alive  through  various media  to  attract  and  keep various  constituencies  engaged.  This media  includes:  an African Women’s Decade  interactive website, social networking sites as Facebook and Twitter, popular television and radio, and also use of theatre, documentaries, and community level public campaigns in local languages. Music and cultural events are very useful, and popular musical and other creative artists could be used as Ambassadors for the various issues of the Decade.   The Decade can also be kept alive through: • Development and use of a monitoring and evaluation tool for member states to use • Organising mid‐term sub‐regional and regional conferences  • Organising collaborative conferences with developed countries/other emerging democracies • Operationalisation of the African Women’s Fund • Focusing on a specific theme each year • Use of the Media to monitor progress on the Decade • Use of non‐traditional women’s rights days such as International Labour Day and important 

events such as 2015 for MDGs, CSW, AU Summits • Periodic reviews by civil society and government every 3 years • Annual awards that must include recognition of young women  The Decade Will Have Been a Success If….  • All AU Member States ratify and domesticate the Protocol on the Rights of Women • There is marked increase in women’s ownership of property and productive resources • There are policy reforms that repeal discriminatory laws and establish gender‐equality laws • Women’s rights  are integrated multi‐sectorally at the national level • There is growth of mass movements of women at the country level • There is gender parity in all sectors • Maternal mortality and morbidity rates are reduced • HIV prevalence amongst women is reduced • End to GBV • States have translated their political will and commitments into action  In  general,  a  baseline  at  the  beginning  of  the  Decade  should  be  established,  particularly  in reference  to  the key  areas of  focus,  and against which progress  and  success will ultimately be determined.  /END  Compiled  by  Naisola  Likimani,  Advocacy  Officer,  FEMNET.  The  writer  acknowledges  the generous input into this brief by:  Nancy Kachingwe, L. Muthoni Wanyeki, Mulutsehay Mussie, Mama Koite, Bernice Heloo, Roselyn Musa, Jessica Horn, Agnes Kabajuni, Astou Sylla Ndeye, Chantal Kambiwa, Matrine B. Chuulu and Solidarity for African Women’s Rights (SOAWR) members: Alliance for Africa, African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies (ACDHRS)

Page 21 of 29

Akina Mama wa Afrika (AMwA), Cellule de Coordination sur les Pratiques Traditionnelle Affectant la Santé des Femmes et des Enfants (CPTAFE), BAOBAB for Women’s Human Rights, Centre for Justice Studies and Innovations (CJSI), Coalition on Violence against Women in Kenya (COVAW), Eastern Africa Sub-regional Support Initiative (EASSI), Equality Now-Africa Regional Office, FAHAMU, FAMEDEV-Inter-African Network for Women, Media, Gender and Development, FEMNET - African Women’s Development and Communication Network, Girl Child Network, Federation of Women Lawyers of Kenya (FIDA-Kenya), Forum Muhler, Inter-African Committee on Harmful Traditional Practices (IAC), Human Rights Law Service (HURILAWS),Legal and Human Rights Centre in Tanzania (LHRC), Oxfam GB, People Opposing Women Abuse (POWA), Sister Namibia, Strategic Initiative for the Horn of Africa (SIHA), Tomorrow’s Child Initiative (TCI), Uganda Women's Network (UWONET), Women of Liberia Peace Network (WOLPNET), Women in Law and Development in Africa (WiLDAF), Women’s Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA)  

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C) Program for the Africa Women’s NGO Consultative Meeting

The Africa Women’s NGO Consultative Meeting during the 8th Africa Regional Conference on Women (Beijing Plus 15)

November 15th - 16th 2009 Senegambia Beach Hotel

Banjul, The Gambia

Sunday, 15th November 2009 8: 30 – 9: 00 am Registration

Session 1: Opening Session 9: 00 – 10: 00 am Opening Remarks -Ms. Norah Matovu-Winyi, Director, FEMNET

Welcome Address - Ms. Astou Sylla Ndeye, FEMNET

Board Remarks - Ms. Hannah Forster, African Centre

for Democracy and Human Rights Studies (ACDHRS)

Remarks - Ms. Thoko Ruzvidzo, Economic

Commission for Africa (ECA) Official Opening Address - H.E. Mrs. Isatou Njie-Saidy, Vice

President of Gambia and Secretary of State for Women’s Affairs

10: 00 – 10: 30 am Introductions

Review of meeting program Group Photo

10: 30 – 11: 00 am Coffee/Tea Break

Session 2 11: 00 – 11:45am Presentation of the draft Africa NGO Shadow Report on Beijing +15

- Rosemary Okello, African Woman and Child Feature Service 11:45am – 1: 00 pm Plenary discussion Setting up of working group to complete the Women’s NGO

Statement for the Beijing +15 Experts and Ministerial meetings 1: 00 – 2: 00 pm Lunch

Session 3

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2: 00 – 4:00 pm Group work on selected thematic areas (5 Groups) 4: 00 – 4: 30 pm Coffee/Tea Break 4:30– 5:30 pm Presentations on the outcomes from the group discussions/

identification of key issues to include in statement 5:30 – 5:45 pm Wrap up Monday, 16th November 2009 8: 30 – 9: 00 am Registration

Session 4 9: 00 – 9:15am Recap of Day 1 9:15 – 10:00am Discussion of draft Women NGOs Statement for the Experts and

Ministerial meetings 10:00- 11:00am Panel discussion: Linking the BPfA to the AU Protocol on the Rights

of Women in Africa – SOAWR Plenary 11:00 – 11:30 am Coffee/Tea Break

Session 5 11:30am – 12:30 Consultation on the African Women’s Decade 2010-2020:

Translating the Decade into Results for African Women 12:30PM – 1:00pm Final Review and Approval of Women NGOs Statement for the

Experts and Ministerial meetings

Session 6: Closing Session 1:00 – 1:30pm Remarks on Way Forward by the Regional Coordinator, Africa Task

Force on Beijing +15 Word of Thanks by TANGO, Gambian NGO Vote of Thanks, FEMNET Evaluations 1: 30 – 2: 30 pm Lunch 2: 3 0 – 5: 30 pm Africa Women participate in the Experts Meeting at Kairaba

Hotel

D) List of Participants at the Africa Women’s NGO Consultative Meeting

Page 24 of 29

Africa Women’s NGO Consultative Meeting during the 8th Regional Conference on Women (Beijing +15) November 15th and 16th, 2009 Participants List

Name Position Organisation Country Email Address Phone number

1. Chigedze Chinyepi

Botswana Cchinyepi@yahoo.com

2. Dr Amany Asfour

President Egyptian Business Women Association

Egypt asfour2721@yahoo.com

Tel : 202 33368304 Fax : 202 37495671

3. Mwila Chigaga ILO Ethiopia chagaga@yahoo.fr

251 544411

4. Yetunde Teriba Head, Gender Coordination And Outreach Division, Women, Gender And Development Directorate

African Union Commission

Ethiopia yetundeteriba@yahoo.com teribay@africa-union.org

251 115 525863

5. Edwin Nebolisa Nwakaeme

Director of Programs Africa in Democracy and Good Governance (ADG)

Gambia adg_gam@yahoo.com

220 7707063/ 9718235/ 4399880

6. Ms Pamela Cole

National Network Coordinator

West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) Gambia

Gambia wanepgambia@yahoo.co.uk

8805885

7. Mardi Jobarteh Program Manager The Association of Non-Governmental Organizations

Gambia madi.jobarteh@yahoo.com

220 4390 525 / 9995093

8. Barrow Kebba K.

The Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (TANGO)_

Gambia barrowba@qanet.gm

220 4390 525 / 9918528

9. Barbara Arrington

Gambia barbarrington@gmail.com

220 7797612

10. Mrs. Roberta Al-Salihi

Lecturer

The Gambia College Brikama,

Gambia ralsalihi@yahoo.com

220 9224541

11. Jerry Jallow The Gambia Family Planning Association

Gambia jerry_jallow40@hotmail.com

4370325

12. Dr Isatou Touray

Executive Director Gambia Committee On Traditional Practices Affecting the Health Of Women and Children -Gamcotrap

Gambia info@gamcotrap.gm / isatou2000@hotmail.com

220-4497416 /220-9813325

13. Nyang-Njie Jainaba

Head of Communications and Documentation

ACTION AID THE GAMBIA

Gambia Jainaba.nyang@actionaid.org

4392004/9904229

14. Nyang Modou

Communication Focal Point

Young People in the Media

Gambia modouc2006@hotmail.com

+220 344 80 41

15. Momodou Njie Media Unit Head

Worldview The Gambia Gambia modouawa@hotmail.com

9910556/ 4496990

16. Dr. Amie Silla Executive

Director

Women For Democracy And Development (WODD)

Gambia Woddgambia@yahoo.com

220 9981929, 220 7218926

17. Forster African Centre for Gambia acdhrs@acdhrs. 220 -

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Hannah

Democracy and Human Rights Studies

org 4462340/1/2

18. Adama Cooper-Jah

African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies

Gambia acdhrs@acdhrs.org

220 - 4462340/1/2

19. Georgia Burford

Advocacy Adviser EFANET Gambia georgiaburford@gmail.com

20. Margemily Mahoney Bryant

Executive Director GAMESCO Gambia gamesco@gmail.com wogam1997@hotmail.com

220 769 1317

21. Fagbaile Agnes GAMESCO Gambia Mfagberl25@gmail.com

22. Hawoa Touray GAMESCO Gambia 220 77 81 899 23. Jarrai Daffeh Child Fund Gambia fatoumata@yah

oo.com 220 972992 5

24. Patricia Wall Director Concern Universal Gambia Patrica.wall@concern-universal.org

220 775 9698

25. Yadicen Njie Emb

Coordinator FAWEGAM Gambia Yadineribo@hotmail.com

220 99 2984

26. Mariatu Kassim-Loum

Executive Director WISDOM Gambia kasssimmariatu@hotmail.com

220 4390 536 220 79 14 738/9806136

27. Haruna Kuyatel Coordinator Worldview Gambia hkuyateh@yahoo.com

220 99 10640 / 66 10640

28. Arokey B. Accounts Officer Worldview Gambia aroheyb@yahoo.com

220 344 33721

29. Juliet N Treasurer WWA Gambia 220 72 91211 30. Modupe

Olukoya Gambia modupeolukoya

@hotmail.com 220 992 8792/6928 792

31. Yadion Njie-Eribe

Coordinator FAWEGAM Gambia yadineribo@hotmail.com

220 99 29811

32. Emily Sair Chairperson FAWEGAM Gambia Emilysar~yahoo.com

220 78 33 979

33. Binta J Sidibe Executive Director APGWA Gambia apgwatsf@hotmail.com

220 99 122 41

34. Fatou Samba Coordinator NAWFA Gambia sambanjai@yahoo.com

220 99 20315

35. Sirra Ndow Progamme Analyst UNDP Gambia Sirra.ndow@undp.org

220 77 87 781

36. Nuha Ceesay Country Officer UNAIDS Gambia ceesayn@unaids.org

220 99 66 233

37. Fatou Jobe Admin Officer ADG Gambia Jobes30@yahoo.co.uk

220 63 93916

38. Ebou Sohna Coordinator Women Advancement Suport

Gambia gawsaca@yahoo.com ebou1999@yahoo.com

220 4375141/ 98 16 149

39. M Mathaha Coordination Officer UN Gambia Gambia Mojakisane.mathaha@undp.org

220 7406371

40. Yvette Phillola Coordinator ACDHRS Gambia training@acdhrs.org

2209908422

41. Janet Sallah-Njie

President FLAG Gambia enquiry@flag.gm

220 3318041

42. Aminatta L. R. N’gum

Member FLAG Gambia ruwisa@hotmail.com

220 33 60606

43. Anna Njie Junior Executive FLAG Gambia njieanna@hotmail.com

220 66 44405

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44. Ramou Cole-Ceesay

Assistant Director Health Services

MOH Gambia 220 9909078

45. Gifty Dzah Deputy National Program Coordinator

WiLDAF Ghana Ghana info@wildaf.org 233 768 349

46. Lydia Sasu National Women’s Leader

Farmers Organisation Network in Ghana

Ghana doa@africaonline.com.gh

233 21 31 5694

47. Roselynn Musa AWDF Ghana Roselyn@awdf.org

240 318 015

48. Norah Matovu-Winyi

Executive Director African Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET)

Kenya director@femnet.or.ke

254 20 2712971/2

49. Naisola Likimani

Advocacy Officer FEMNET Kenya advocacy@femnet.or.ke

254 20 2712971/2

50. Rachel Kagoiya Documentalist FEMNET Kenya library@femnet.or.ke

254 2712971/2

51. Rosemary Okello Orlale

Executive Director African Woman and Child Feature Service

Kenya rookello@awcfs.org

+254-20-2724756

52. Winifred Lichuma

Commissioner Kenya National Human Rights Commission

Kenya wlichuma@yahoo.co.uk wlichuma@knchr.org

+254 721 952322

53. Mary Wandia Gender And Governance Lead

Oxfam GB Kenya mwandia@oxfam.org.uk

54. Muthoni Muriithi

Equality Now Kenya cmuriithi@equalitynow.org

+254-20-2719913/ 2719832

55. Hadjia Hadiza Tahirou

MPFIPE Niger tahiouhadjia@yahoo.fr

227 96974454

56. Katambe Mariama

Vice President CONGAFEN Niger mkatambe@yahoo.fr

227 96 8982 81

57. Atinuke Odukoya

Secretary Nigerian Beijing +15 Task Force Committee

Nigeria tinuodukoya@yahoo.co.uk

234 18933398 234 8023130167

58. i

Bisi Olateru Olagbegi

Women’s Consortium of Nigeria

Nigeria wocon95@yahoo.com

59. Joy Ngwakwe

BAOBAB for Women’s Human Rights

Nigeria jngwakwe@baobabwomen.org; baobabwomen@yahoo.com

234.802.306.0270

60. Lydia Umar Executive Director Gender Awareness Trust Nigeria lyumar@yahoo.com

234 80 33 14 6543

61. Odi Mma EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Rural Women Empowerment Network (RUWEN)

Nigeria Ruwen2000@yahoo.com

234 803 454 1915

62. Elizabeth Preye Joseph

Program Director Collective Capacity For Peace And Development

Nigeria preyejoseph@yahoo.com

234 8074268130

63. Oulie Keita Program Manager FAS Senegal ouliekeita@gmail.com

221 773897198

64. Ndeye Maty NDOYE

Coordinatrice Reseau Genre Ducongad

Senegal maty_ndoye@yahoo.fr

77 503 40 22

65. Mrs Lamotte Mbeinda DIOP

Presidente du COSAPERE.

Collectif Sénégalais des Africaines pour la Promotion de

Senegal cosapere@live.fr mbela39@hotm

Fax : 221 338220430

Page 27 of 29

l’Education Relative à l’Environnement – COSAPERE

ail.com

66. Mrs Ndiaye Ramatoulaye NDIAYE

COSAPERE Senegal cosapere@live.fr

221 777899247

67. Moussa DIOP Communication Officer

FAS Senegal communicationdk@fasngo.org

Tel: +221 33 869 81 06 Fax: +221 33 860 20 47 Cel: +221 77 550 52 47

68. Mrs Diouf Penda SECK

Présidente Association des Facilitatrices Africaines - AFA/NENUPHAR

Senegal nenuphar54@yahoo.fr

+221 520 81 49

69. Fatou DIOUF Présidente Centre Africain pour l’Education aux Droits Humains ( CAEDHU)

Senegal ndewdiouf@yahoo.fr

70. BIRAME DJIGUENE Ndoye

Member FEMNET Senegal Senegal bipandoye@yahoo.fr

221 775132444

71. Oumy Cantome Sarr

Gender And Human Rights

Raddho Rencontre Africaine Pour La Defense Des Droits De L’homme

Senegal raddho@orange.sn

72. Faye Odile Executive Secretary AAWORD Senegal Aaword@orange.sn

221 33 324 2053

73. Aminatta Kebe Coordinator Association Femmes Juristes Senegal

Senegal amitouke@hotmail.com

221 7761916 – 91

74. Fatou Ndiaye Guaje

Secretaire Chargee RAFET Senegal 221 77 700 1558

75. Safiatou Diop Presidente COFDEF Senegal Safidiop2000@yahoo.fr

221 77 62 365

76. Dr. Mariam Racine Sow

Gender Expert GEEP/EED Senegal Masow2004@yahoo.de

221 33 82 44877

77. Aly Khoudia Sene

Senegal Paposen66@yahoo.fr

221 77 54 59989

78. Bouboucar Jow Senegal 79. Fatou Diop COSEF Senegal Cosefsenegal@s

entoo.sn diop.fatou@gmail.com

221 33 8422 3034

80. Adja Cozzea Senegal adjuamiee@hayop.fr

776 404831

81. Marianne Coulibaly

RADI WILDAF Senegal Marianne_c@yahoo.fr madi@orange.sn

776 368984

82. Adama Carine Bengwe

FAWE Senegal Mbenjue_ndeya@yahoo.fr

775102038

83. Ndeye Daro Fall

DNAFA Senegal fallndyedaro@yahoo.fr

775117938

84. Adama Gueye ABOYA Senegal adamaaboya@gmail.com

775662158

85. Babocar Wade RNPT Senegal 766672277 86. Regis Mtutu SONKE Gender Justice South

Africa regis@genderjustice.org.za

27 214 237 088

87. C. Lowe Morna Executive Director Gender Links South Africa

execdirector@genderlinks.org.z

27 11 622 2877

Page 28 of 29

a 88. Girlie Silinda General Manager SAWID South

Africa Girlien@idt.org.za

27 12 845 2087

89. M Matiwane Project Manager SAWID South Africa

matiwaneml@vodamail.co.za

27 78 972 7008

90. Dekawola Novissi Aquigah

Secretaire Generale Women in Law and Development in Africa, West Africa

Togo Wildaf_togo@yahoo.fr

Tel:0022822669

91. Dedevi Ekue Présidente Ong/Consel Consultatif Des Femmes Au Togo(CCoFT)

Togo ccoft@yahoo.fr Tel:002282612118

92. Dunstanette Macauley

Coordinator Beijing +15 Africa Taskforce

Togo dunstanette@yahoo.com

228 9042626 228 2228484

93. Kafui DAbri ADJAMAGBO-JOHNSON

Coordinatrice Sous-Régional de WiLDAF

WILDAF Togo

wildaf@cafe.tg 228) 917 52 45/ 261 26 79 /250 50 28

94. Boko Afi Directrice Ministere Promotion de la Femme

Togo micolboko@yahoo.fr

228 903 0779

95. Faiza Benhadiol

EXPERT Centre of Arab Women Tunisia Fbeuhaolid@cawtar.org

216 25 480808

96. Deborah Kaddu Serwadda

Executive Director Icon Women and Young People’s Leadership

Uganda dk.serwadda@bushnet.net debbieug6@yahoo.com

+256 772 468126

97. Jane Ocaya Irama

Eastern African Sub-regional Support Initiative for the Advancement of Women (EASSI)

Uganda jane.irama@eassi.org, eassi@eassi.org

256 414 285163

98. Helen Kezie-Mwoha

Programme Manager ISIS-WICCE Uganda Program@isis.or.ug hnwoha@yahoo.com

99. Matrine Chuulu Regional Coordinator Women and Law in Southern Africa

Zambia wlsazam@zamnet.zm

260-211-290512 Cell : 260 977 774617 Fax : 260-211-290512

100 Netsai Mushonga

Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe netsaimushonga@yahoo.com

091 22 24 235

Page 29 of 29

E) Africa Taskforce Members For Beijing +15 NGO Review Process

Africa Regional Coordinators – Chigedze Chinyepi cchinyepi@yahoo.com (Botswana), Dr. Nosa Aladesula nosaaladesula@yahoo.co.uk (Nigeria), Dunstanette Macauley dunstanette@yahoo.com (Togo)

SUB -REGION

TASK FORCE MEMBER COUNTRIES

Ms Homa Mungapen, Mauritius homajoun@gmail.com Tel: 230 2103531 Mobile: 230 7542714

Madagascar, Comoro, Seychelles, Mauritius, Reunion and Mayotte

Ms Pamela Mhlanga, Zimbabwe

pamela@zwrcn.org.zw Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe

a) SADC (Southern Africa) sub-region Botswana - Ms Ida Mokerietane

idatswama@yahoo.com Namibia, Lesotho, Swaziland, South Africa and Botswana

Ms Deborah Kaddu – Serwadda, Uganda debbie@iconug.net, debbieug6@yahoo.com, dk.serwadda@bushnet.net Tel: 256.772 468126

Uganda, Ethiopia, Somalia and Eritrea

b) COMESA (East Africa) sub-region

Ms Norah Matovu,(C/O Femnet)Kenya director@femnet.or.ke, nomir2002@yahoo.com Tel: 254.20 271 2971/2

Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda and Burundi

Ms. Aicha Tamboura, Burkina Faso (for Francophone countries) progmanager@femnet.or.ke, tambouraaicha@yahoo.fr Tel: 254.20 271 2971/2

Cote D’ivoire, Togo, Benin, Niger and Burkina Faso

Ms. Bisi Olateru Olagbegi, Nigeria wildafnig@yahoo.com wocon95@yahoo.com

Nigeria, Mali, Senegal, Gambia and Guinea

c) ECOWAS (West Africa) sub - region,

Ms Adwowa Bame Ghana ajubam@yahoo.com

Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Sierra Leone, Cape Verde and Liberia

Dr Rose-Claire Bitha , Cameroon bithat@yahoo.com

Cameroon, Chad, Gabon, and Central African Republic

d) Central Africa sub- region

Ms Eeza Julie, Congo Email still pending

Angola, Equatorial Guinea, DRC and Congo Brazzaville

Ms Imane Belghiti , Morocco belghitilasryimane@yahoo.fr al_hidn@yahoo.fr Mobile: + 212 60 32 6111

Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania

e) North Africa sub - region

Ms. Iman Mandour, Egypt iman@mandour.org / info@cewla.org Mobile: +20 10 10 22 608

Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia Libya and Sudan