The African Development Bank (AfDB) Group has pledged its continued support for women empowerment in the continent. The President of the AfDB, Donald Kaberuka, made the pledge in a video message to the 2nd African Women Economic Summit holding in Lagos, Nigeria.
Source: PeaceWomen
War is an international business based on profits and the proliferation of weapons. These are the words of my colleague, Annie Matundu-Mbambi, President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) section of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF). Her work challenges not only the consequences of war but also the root causes and drivers of conflict: specifically, the economic incentives of militarization, profit, and the arms trade. Focusing on comprehensive conflict prevention is the transformative dimension and potential of the United Nations’ Women, Peace and Security agenda (WPS) and Security Council Resolution 1325 (SCR 1325), and the basis within the WPS Agenda to challenge the proliferation of weapons and profits of war. To date, the interpretation of the WPS agenda by the international community, particularly member states, has focused on the first two pillars of the Agenda: Protection, and to a lesser extent, Participation. However, there has been a collective failure to address the third pillar – Prevention—and what I call the two silent “Ps” of this pillar: Proliferation and Profit.
THE NEED to have a violence-free election in December 2012 in Ghana is of utmost importance to Ghanaians, institutions and developing partners at large.
At the London Summit on Family Planning, IPPF - the world's foremost sexual and reproductive health and rights organization - has made an unprecedented commitment to treble the number of women's and girls' lives saved each year by 2020.
President Yoweri Museveni has challenged leaders especially those from developing countries to re dedicate themselves to the social- economic transformation of their people and to addressing their reproductive health needs.
South African Home Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has won a vote to become the first female head of the African Union Commission, ITVNews reported the commission's delegates as saying.
Source: Pambazuka
Accomplished female leader Betty Mould Iddrisu shares her top 10 lessons about leadership on the continent and the difficulties women have to overcome to reach - and stay - on top.
There is a harsh reality about women’s leadership in Africa. I have dreamt it and lived it. Gradually, women are penetrating historical barriers that have up till very recently been closed to us, barriers that limited women’s attainment of the highest levels of power and leadership in important sectors of society.Daring to aspire or reaching heights that very few women have attained can be remarkably fulfilling, but also so revealing - with mixed experiences, unique perspectives and at times come with inexplicable disappointments. I have the laurels and scars to show for my leadership journey. And through it all, here are a few things I have come to know for sure:
1. TOO FEW AT THE TOP AT NATIONAL AND REGIONAL LEVELS - MULTITUDES AT FAMILY AND LOWER LEVELS
Even at an all time best record of two female presidents, a woman prime minister and women occupying 19.7 per cent of parliaments across the continent, everyone would agree that these numbers of women in higher levels of politics - symptomatic of female representation in other sectors of society - are woefully low by any standards of fairness, equity or democratic principles of participation. No question, there have been significant moments and achievements to be proud of - the African countries of Rwanda, South Africa and Mozambique are among countries with the highest percentage of women in parliaments, however we are nowhere near where we need to be. And the higher-up I have climbed in my leadership journey, the more apparent this harsh reality has appeared. We must always applaud the valuable contributions of women at the lower and mediums levels, but we need to be at that high-table to partake, contribute and share in the power of shaping our national and regional destinies. We may be making significant progress, but I know for sure the status quo is neither fair nor acceptable.
2. DIFFICULT ROAD TO CLIMB AND EVEN MORE DIFFICULT TO STAY AT THE TOP WHEN YOU ‘ARRIVE’
African women suffer systemic prejudices in making their way to the top. Firstly, we are not taken seriously because men believe a woman is intrinsically less competent than their male counterpart. The incidence of sexual harassment both at the tertiary level and in the workplace are very well documented, impeding women’s progress overall. Additionally, the duties of motherhood can be crushing - if not managed carefully. Most men believe that women should take the primary responsibility for the care of the family so late working hours, weekend seminars, overseas and business trips which contribute to any workers upward mobility are very difficult for younger working wives and mothers. Arrival at the top tier is rare and when you are there you are usually faced with hostility and disbelief in your competency as a female. A woman at the top works so much harder than her male counterparts to prove her competency and yet is still faced with ingrained prejudice and hostility to her playing the role of a boss or leader in a largely male dominated working environment.
3. WITHOUT SUPPORT YOU CANNOT MAKE IT
Politics - corporate or party - is cruel and generally unforgiving. Nowhere is this more evident than for women in Africa. Since a woman’s role is generally thought of as to be supportive to her husband and family the hard knocks and politics of insults which generally characterize public leadership are not palatable to a politicians family and such women are thought of as bringing ‘shame and disgrace’ to their families. Women leaders and politicians need the support of their sisters, mothers, grandmothers, aunts, classmates and cannot thrive without their active and vocal support. Women are generally thought of not to be supportive of each other and experience of many women leaders shows this to be a harsh reality. It takes a lot of inner strength and thick skin.
4. TOO MANY BARRIERS TO BREAK THROUGH DESPITE PROGRESS IN SEVERAL CRITICAL AREAS
Despite the remarkable progress, despite the many breakthroughs, and despite the increasing awareness and acceptance of women’s leadership in Africa, there still remains far too many obstacles impeding a woman’s leadership and her upward mobility. Traditional African society is still hedged by a myriad of barriers designed to maintain women’s subordinate status in society. Inimical and cruel customary practices towards women, disproportionate access to education resulting in the girl child not being enabled to go and actually stay in school and endemic poverty affecting the rural peasant woman are all barriers which contribute towards keeping women out of active leadership roles on the continent. Most of the legal barriers towards women’s progress have been overcome or reversed across the continent especially over the past 30 years. The challenge then comes with shedding outmoded perceptions of women’s role in society and this can only come with time and a ‘can do’ attitude. Forward, we are moving, but I know for sure there are still many barriers to break through.
5. TRADITIONS NEED NOT HOLD US BACK - THEY CAN BE CATALYTIC
Traditions are not supposed to be stagnant - they can be used as tools of change. This change is usually spearheaded by the women themselves. Some aspects of African tradition attempt to keep women silent, subordinate and second-class citizens, but many others uphold the dignity and sacred respect for womanhood. While conscious of the many harmful aspects of our traditions, I have always viewed and utilized the empowering dimensions of culture and tradition as a catalyst for positive change - to empower, to legitimize and to advance the African woman’s role in leadership. Culture can be used to hold us back, but we can also shape cultures in ways that are liberating. Much of African tradition, however, that may have been rooted in glorious cultures and histories, have been used by men to ambush women from realizing their full leadership potential, but I know for sure we can also find strength and opportunities in the values and dynamism of many of our cultures.
6. EDUCATION, THOUGH DESIRABLE, IS NOT EVERYTHING
Higher level education is a desirable but not a necessary pre-requisite to successful female leadership on the continent. Education commands an automatic certainty of status in society because it enables a woman to have a certain cachet. However, whilst I cannot emphasize enough its importance to every woman leader, I also know that formal education cannot provide all the tools you need to survive and succeed as a woman in higher-level leadership, but, more importantly, the lack of it does not disqualify a woman from excelling.
7. NO SUBSTITUTE FOR HARD-WORK, INNER-COURAGE AND DETERMINATION
Since there is an ingrained skepticism towards women’s ability to succeed in Africa, it means, simply put, that women leaders must work doubly hard. The path to success is littered with obstacles and it takes huge doses of courage and determination to stay the course. I know for sure that, with or without peculiar challenges, hard work remains a non-negotiable imperative for leadership success. And with the gender-specific challenges of prejudice and skepticism directed at women leaders, the African woman leader has no choice but to work hard with a determined spirit. No matter how qualified or charming, and no matter how motivated or spiritual, a woman leader is Africa needs to work harder then her male counterparts to be counted at all.
8. NETWORKING IS CRUCIAL
Complaints abound across the continent that women leaders do not assist in improving the status of their womenfolk in society. But only a woman, who has been at the top and has tried her very best to make a difference, would truly comprehend the extreme difficulties of being the only one of your kind up there. Women leaders need to and must continue to forge networks and alliances with the grassroots and civil society in order to be responsive to the needs of women at the grassroots and leadership. It is so lonely at the top of that ladder, but I know for sure that broader and stronger networks of grassroots, professional and civil society allies provide powerful forces you can surely count on.
9. NO MATTER HOW COMPETENT, EXPERIENCED AND POWERFUL, THERE ARE PECULIAR CHALLENGES THAT CONFRONT YOU
You are always viewed and judged as a ‘woman leader’ and not just as a ‘leader’. You are an African, a citizen and a leader, your ‘womanhood’ remains a pre-defined measure of society’s worldview of your leadership. Consequently, the challenges of being a woman leader are multiplied because you are an African woman; but the harsh realities of female leadership in Africa are myriad - factors such as the extremely low representation of women in politics and leadership at all levels, negative and cruel cultural and traditional practices, the subordinate status of women, lack of education and poverty levels are all challenges to be overcome in leadership.
10. YES, AFRICAN WOMEN CAN
If there is one thing I have come to know and believe beyond any count, it is the ability of women to lead - in any sector and any field or at any level. We may continue to excel - just as some men excel. We may continue to stumble along the way just as so many men stumble. We may even fail once in a while, just as men have historically failed. But I know for sure that we are capable, we have the right to and we can indeed lead this continent. YES WE CAN!
"We urge the government of Mali to mobilize the country to recover occupied national territory and to combat fundamentalism and lack of respect for the rule of law". We, members of the Senegalese Feminist Forum, would like to express our full support for the Malian people and especially to the women who are woefully underrepresented in these critical moments of the country's political life.
In “Standing Up, Speaking Out”, a new UNAIDS report launched on 12 July in Cairo, Egypt, 140 women living with HIV from 10 countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) express the realities that shape the hopes and grievances of their lives. The voices in the report belong to members of MENA-Rosa, the first regional group dedicated to women affected by HIV.
A Sudanese court in Khartoum state sentenced a 23 year old women to death by stoning for adultery, reported a human rights group, the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS).
The Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS), and the New Partnership for Africa Development (NEPAD) have signed an agreement worth one million Euros (about N235m) for the empowerment of Africa’s rural women entrepreneurs.
Source: Infection Control Today
In an article published today in the July issue of Health Affairs, two leading physicians and researchers at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) argue that eliminating HIV infection from mother to child in some countries that are worst affected by the HIV epidemic will require improvements to maternal and child health services. The success of the ambitious global initiative to decrease infant HIV infections by 90 percent is critically dependent on easy access to routine maternal and child health services.
Source: CNN
The number of women dying of pregnancy and childbirth-related complications has been cut nearly in half over the past two decades, reflecting important and hard-won gains in improving access to family planning and maternal health across the world.
Source: 7th Space Interactive
Limpopo Health and Social Development MEC Dr Norman Mabasa has urged women to undergo tests in order to curb illnesses that threaten their reproductive health.
Source: VOA
Health authorities say 70,000 children are born HIV-positive in Nigeria every year, and one-fourth of them don't live past their first birthday. While some officials say they want to make Nigeria one of Africa's first nations to give birth to a generation of HIV-free babies, activists say poverty, stigma and a lack of government support make that goal lofty, if not impossible.
Source: AlertNet
African leaders should increase funding for contraceptive services if they want to reduce poverty and hunger, the prime ministers of Ethiopia and Rwanda said ahead of an international summit on family planning.
Source: Xperedon
Dates set for Nobel Prize 2012 announcements but what about an African midwife as a future winner?
The date is now released for the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize announcement...
Meanwhile, a humanitarian charity is stepping up its campaign for an African midwife to be honoured in the future...
Source: AllAfrica
The Summit on Family Planning drew policy makers, donors and health professionals to London on 11 July to discuss how to provide access to contraceptives to more of the world's poorest women who want them. The goal going forward is to enable an additional 120 million women in poor countries to use modern family methods. Organizers say this will save the lives of 200,000 women who will otherwise die from pregnancy or childbirth; prevent 110 million unwanted pregnancies; result in 50 million fewer abortions; and save the lives of three million babies.
Source: allAfrica
The Nigeria Labour Congress will convene a national peace summit to address the country's security challenges come August, NLC president, Abulwahed Omar, has said.
"I am not sure, we have not taken a date," the NLC president told delegates at the National Women Conference of the NLC at the women development Center in Abuja today, "but definitely may be its is not going to go outside August. We are going to convene this very important peace summit. And we do believe that we are going to make the difference. Comrades, if you remember, with all that was said and done until labour now convened a similar summit and some workshops for the Niger Delta issue before we started having lasting solution."
Source: Institute for Security Studies
The United Nations Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) is underway at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 2-27 July 2012 to negotiate what is seen as the most important initiative ever regarding conventional arms regulation within the United Nations (UN).