AU Member States Hold Capacity Building Workshop on Harmonization of AU Gender Policy and Report on Its Implementation to the Commission
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, October 28, 2011/African Press Organization (APO)/ — A Capacity Building Workshop on the Harmonization of the African Union (AU) Gender Policy and Its Implementation Reports from Member States opened on Friday, 28th October 2011, in the Headquarters of the AU Commission (AUC), in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The two day Workshop, being held from 28 to 29 October 2011, was organized by AUC’s Women, Gender & Development Directorate (WGDD).
The Workshop was held in the context of the Solemn Declaration of Gender Equity in Africa adopted by Member States in July, 2004. The objectives of the Workshop was within twofold agendas, first objective is aimed at giving capacity building for those Member States that have not yet submitted their Report on the progress of the implementation of the Solemn Declaration of Gender Equity in their respective States. The second objective of the Workshop was to harmonize the AU Gender Policy with national and regional Gender Policies.
In her opening statement, the Director of WGDD, Mrs. Litha Musyimi-Ogana, reiterated the AU’s commitment towards ensuring Gender Equality and Women Empowerment. Mrs. Musyimi-Ogana stated the importance of some instruments formulated by the Commission, such as the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, Solemn Declaration of Gender Equity in Africa, AU’s Gender Policy, Declaration of the 2010 – 2020 Decade as the Women’s African Decade and the creation of alternative financing for the African Women’s Fund.
In the course of the two days, the participants are expected to produce a Report on the Harmonization of the AU Gender Policy as well as a work plan following the Report. The ultimate objective of the workshop is to increase the number of Member States that report on implementation of the Solemn Declaration and institute a more harmonized AU Gender Policy for the Member States.
SOURCE
African Union Commission (AUC)
