At the 27th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union, held in Kigali, Rwanda, from 17 to 18 July 2016, African Heads of State and Government unanimously adopted the Declaration on ‘The African Year of Human Rights with Particular Focus on the Rights of Women.’
The adoption of the Declaration was inspired by Africa’s continued quest for the promotion and protection of human rights, as well as its contribution to the universal principles of governance, democracy, and human rights, and determined to protect and promote women’s human rights, as embodied in the Protocol on the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa and the Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa, which specifically addresses rights that are particular to women in Africa and is rooted in the Constitutive Act of the African Union. The African Heads of State and Government committed themselves to enhancing efforts aimed at entrenching and reinforcing deeper understanding of the culture of human and peoples’ rights, in particular the rights of women, and their promotion and popularisation amongst the African peoples, by declaring the next ten years as “the Human and Peoples’ Rights Decade in Africa” and committing to its Action Plan.
The African Heads of State and Government of the African Union agreed to expedite the ratification, domestication, and implementation of all human and peoples’ rights instruments, in particular the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in African (Maputo Protocol). They also called on the African Union Commission (AUC) to put in place measures and modalities to support Member States in establishing the required capacity and processes for monitoring and reviewing domestication efforts.
The Heads of State and Government also reiterated their commitment to eliminating violence and all forms of discrimination against women, to ensure the protection of the rights of women, as stipulated in the Maputo Protocol and the international declarations and conventions, and to empower women by ensuring their full rights.
During the Summit, H.E Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, presented the African Gender Scorecards, a tool measuring progress and achievements of AU Member States on Gender equality in various categories, ranging from socio-economic and political performance to development, at the national level. Rwanda, Algeria, South Africa, and Tunisia were all awarded honorific prizes in recognition of their outstanding efforts in the promotion of women’s rights and gender equality.
According to AUC Chairperson Dr. Zuma, almost all AU Member States have achieved at least one of the AU gender-related goals, such as the promotion of health, education, employment, and social welfare of women in their countries.
H.E. Mr. Idriss Deby Itno, Chairperson of the African Union (AU) and President of the Republic of Chad, called on African States to their commitment to the principle of gender equality, as enshrined in Article 4 (l) of the Constitutive Act of the African Union: “Our commitment to develop the continent and make it independent must continue. As we go forward, we should learn from one another and accelerate efforts to promote gender equality at all levels. We can all learn from success stories, such as that of Rwanda our host, to build on the progress that we have achieved in addressing issues of major concern to the women of Africa.”
ENDS
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