Source: EIN News
Theme: "The Contributions of Maputo Protocol on Women’s Rights in Achieving Gender Equality in Africa: Stocktaking, Opportunities and Accountability"
What: 3rd AU High Level Panel on Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment
Who: African Union Commission’s Women, Gender & Development Directorate & the African Union Leadership Academy
When: 8 to 9 July 2016 from 10:00AM
The HLP will be preceded by a meeting of the Bureau of the Specialized Technical Committee (STC) on Gender and Women Empowerment on 7 July 2016. On 11 and 12 July, 2016, the Gender is my Agenda Campaign
(GIMAC) will convene a civil society summit.
Where: Parliament, Kigali, Republic of Rwanda.
Objectives: The main objective of the 3rd AU HLP on GEWE, is to critically assess the state of implementation of the Maputo Protocol, with a view to generating ideas and identifying strategies to achieve greater execution of commitments by Member States, as well as to review how the mandates of various AU Organs can leverage the establishment and implementation of accountability and monitoring mechanisms to protect women’s rights in line with the Maputo Protocol.
The specific objectives of the 3rd AU HLP on GEWE are to:
· Collaborate with AU Policy Organs and relevant Civil Society Organisations in identifying the challenges and opportunities to recognize and protect women’s human rights despite the adoption and ratification of regional instruments such as the Maputo Protocol;
· Take stock of the current status of women’s human rights in Africa, in terms of progress accomplished with respect to their social, economic, political and cultural rights;
· Share and exchange best practices & success stories on the implementation of the Maputo Protocol by Member States; and
· Secure concrete commitment from Member States to achieve universal ratification of the Maputo Protocol by 2020.
Expected Outcomes:
· A comprehensive, publishable knowledge products (e.g. analytical report) with clear recommendations for the AUC, AU and its Organs, RECS, Member States, Civil Society Organisations, Development Partners and the Private Sector on accelerating the ratification, domestication and implementation of the Maputo Protocol, will be considered by the panel to be submitted for adoption by the 27th AU Summit in Kigali.
Participants:
· African Union Ministers responsible for Gender Equality and Women’s Affairs;
· African Union Commission and African Union Organs with a human rights mandate, such as the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights, the African Court on Human and People’s Rights
· National gender machineries such as Commissions on Gender Equality and Human Rights Commissions dealing with gender equality;
· Civil Society Organisations working on gender equality and women’s empowerment issues, including, among others, trade unions, youth organisations. people with disabilities, particularly disabled women, female traditional leaders, academics, especially female scholars;
· Regional Economic Communities and other regional mechanisms;
· United Nations agencies
· Private sector.
Background: The African Union High Level Panel on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (AU HLP on GEWE) was instituted in June 2014, by Executive Council Decision EX.CL/Dec.823 (XXV) at its 25th Ordinary Session based on provisions of Commitment 1 of the 2009 AU Gender Policy and the Declaration of the 5th Ordinary Session of AU Ministers of Gender and Women’s Affairs in 2013.
The inaugural HLP was held in September 2013 under the theme "The Post 2015 Agenda for Women within the Context of Economic Empowerment". The second edition of the HLP was organized in June 2015, under the theme "Financial Inclusion of Women in Agribusiness’’ and followed 2 critical key priorities areas of the AU theme of that year i.e. Economic empowerment of Women & Agriculture.
This 3rd HLP will be aligned with the 2016 AU theme of the "African Year of Human Rights with a particular focus on the Rights of Women’’, under the theme "The Contributions of Maputo Protocol on Women’s Rights in Achieving Gender Equality in Africa: Stocktaking, Opportunities and Accountability". It will take place from 08 – 09 July 2016 on the margins of the 27th AU Summit, Parliament, Kigali, Rwanda.
Journalists are invited to cover the 3rd AU High Level Panel on Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment on Friday 8 and Saturday 9 July 2016, in Kigali, Rwanda.