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Empowerment of Women in Central Africa
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Information note (February 2005): Regional Consultation on Empowering Women in the Great Lakes Region, Addis Ababa

Empowerment of Women in Central AfricaThe purpose of the consultation is to bring together policy- and decision-makers, academics and other specialists on women and gender issues, and representatives of women’s NGOs from the Great Lakes Region to discuss priorities and needs in the social and human sciences and to agree on the main lines of a plan of action for gender equality and development.

During the 32nd General Conference, UNESCO was called upon to strengthen its actions in favor of women and children living in conflict zones. Further to this request and in pursuance of the objectives of facilitating social transformations based on the universal values of justice, freedom and human dignity, the Social and Human Sciences sector (SHS) initiated a programme of action to promote the human rights and status of women living in the Great Lakes region in Africa.

Building on work carried out by UNESCO in previous years as well as on the recently developed SHS strategy for the promotion of women’s empowerment, the Gender Equality and Development Section (GED) is pursuing policy-oriented research, consultations, networking, and capacity building. A central objective is to assist in women’s participation in post-conflict resolution, democratization, and governance, as called for in the Dar-es-Salaam Declaration on Peace, Security, Democracy and Development in the Great Lakes Region, First Summit of Heads of State and Government, 20 November 2004.

The consultation will cover a range of issues facing women in the Great Lakes region, including: the impact of conflict on women and violence against women; women’s roles in post-conflict reconstruction; cultural resources for women’s empowerment; the contributions of women policy- and decision-makers to women’s empowerment; strengths and weaknesses of institutional mechanisms; resources needed to build capacity; priorities and needs in the DRC, with a view to enhancing women’s roles in reconstruction and governance.

This project is guided by the spirit of international declarations and conventions on women’s rights, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, and Security Council Resolution 1325.

In March 2000, the UN Security Council, in its Proclamation on International Women’s Day, recognized that gender equality is an integral component of peace, and in October convened a special session to consider the situation of women in armed conflict. On 31 October it passed Resolution 1325, calling on governments – and the Security Council itself – to include women in negotiations and settlements with respect to conflict-resolution and peace-building.

United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 reaffirms the important role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts, and the need to implement fully international humanitarian and human rights law that protects the rights of women and girls during and after conflicts. A set of questions will guide the discussions during the three day consultation:

1. How have women been involved in post-conflict reconstruction and governance in Rwanda and Burundi? What lessons may be relevant to the DRC?
2. Culture is often described as a source of women’s oppression and gender inequality, but it is also a site of identity and affinity. How may cultural resources be deployed to advance women’s human rights? Have women activists drawn on culture to make the case for women’s empowerment?
3. In what ways have women decision-makers, policy-makers, and legislators contributed to women’s empowerment? How might their roles and influence be strengthened?
4. Are existing institutions and mechanisms adequate to advance women’s participation and rights? If not, what new institutions are needed?
5. To what extent is SCR 1325 being implemented in the DRC? How can women be more actively involved in peace-building, post-conflict reconstruction, and governance?

The consultation is being organized in such a way that authors of commissioned papers, other experts, representatives of women’s organizations, policymakers, and representatives of UN and donor agencies will have opportunities to present papers, exchange views, share information, and make recommendations for an action plan. GED will prepare a detailed report that will be disseminated among the participants, as well as other relevant actors. It is expected that the consultation also will be used as a basis for UNESCO policy papers and participation in meetings and deliberations on gender issues organized by other United Nations agencies. Last but not least, the consultation represents an important element in UNESCO’s activities on post-conflict societies; in the human rights and standard-setting work of the Social and Human Sciences Sector; and in the activities of the Gender Equality and Development section for women’s human rights and leadership.

A report on the consultation is now available.

Consultation Report

Photo: Group Photo of Participants, Regional Consultation, Addis Ababa, 30 May - 1st June 2005.
© UNECA

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Author(s) UNESCO
Publication Date 01-06-2005
Type Text



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