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Below is the latest quarterly update (April to June 2006) that Equality Now received from SOAWR members who are working on the campaign for ratification, domestication and popularization of the Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa. Also included is information on the status of ratifications, meetings attended by SOAWR members and upcoming events which may be of interest to SOAWR members.
During this quarter the Steering Committee approved one more membership application received from the Centre for Justice Studies and Innovations (CJSI) in Uganda. This brings the total of SOAWR members to 22. Two additional applications from Liberia and Somalia are being reviewed.
Country Level Campaigns
Burkina Faso
Voix de Femmes reported that the Chief of State of Burkina Faso signed the Decree of Promulgation of the law authorizing ratification of the Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa on March 31, 2006. The only step that remains is depositing the instrument of ratification with the African Union. The deposit document has been prepared and was sent to the Secretariat of the Government and was signed by the Chief of State on June 16, 2006. Currently, the document is with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which is responsible for sending it to the African Union Commission through Burkina Faso’s Embassy in Addis Ababa.
Meanwhile, Voix de Femmes continues with activities to raise awareness about the Protocol and they have integrated these activities within the scope of their program regarding women’s rights and violence against women. They hold 2-hour educational sessions three times a month on Thursday afternoons for women who have domestic issues including marriage, divorce and inheritance. Youth and students also benefit from these sessions.
Ethiopia
IAC is planning two workshops, the first in September 2006 for legislators and parliamentarians on the domestication of the Protocol and other legal instruments. IAC anticipates there will be 56 participates from IAC’s 28 member countries. The objective is to train the participants on advocacy for ratification or enforcement in their respective countries of the Protocol and other legal instruments which protect women and children. The second conference is a regional youth forum which will be held during 21-25 November 2006, and will include 56 youths from the 28 IAC countries. The objective is to reinforce youth networks which were established in 2000 to campaign against female genital mutilation, and to train them on communication and validate a youth training manual developed by IAC. A specific session on the Protocol and its application is also on the conference agenda.
The Gambia
In April, the African Center for Democracy and Human Rights Studies (ACDHRS) reported that the Gambia has removed the reservations that it has earlier place on four articles of the Protocol. The African Union Commission has, however, not officially received this revision from the Gambian Government. ACDHRS is following up on this.
The ACDHRS organized and hosted the NGO forum during the 39th Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR). The Forum, which brought about 135 participants and facilitators together, noted that this year is the 25th Anniversary of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. The Forum addressed several themes including new developments in the human rights and democracy situation in Africa. While Africa has seen significant and positive developments in human rights and democracy in this time, improvement is necessary with respect to human rights, good governance, and the rule of law. The Forum commended the participation of civil society organizations working throughout Africa to encourage the African Union to take responsibility for the enhancement and promotion of human rights. It noted the significance of the entry into force of the Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa, congratulated the countries which have ratified it, and urged those who have not yet done so to ratify without delay. Strategies for the ratification and implementation of the Protocol to the African Charter on the Rights of Women in Africa were exchanged as a basis for future collaboration. The NGOs attending the Forum expressed need to collaborate on efforts to advocate for ratification, domestication, and implementation. In a statement read by Hannah Forster on behalf of the NGO’s, attending the Forum, at the opening of the ACHPR, the NGO’s congratulated The Gambia for lifting its reservations to the Protocol. The NGO statement urged States to implement the African Union’s Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa at the national level.
The First Meeting of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights - The office of the African Union Commission Legal Counsel convened a meeting during the African Union Summit for the purpose of swearing in the newly elected judges and to brief them on the African Union Commission’s work especially on its working relations with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. The court has not elected a president yet which was deferred to September 2006 in Addis Ababa.
Guinea Conakry
Though Guinea was among the first countries whose Parliament approved ratification of the Protocol, thanks to the strong mobilization efforts led by CPTAFE and its partners on the ground, to date Guinea has not yet officially deposited its instrument of ratification with the African Union Commission. The delay is attributed to the current political crisis where the President has been ill for several months now.
Convinced that the Protocol must first be fully accepted by the community in general and women in particular, CPTAFE engaged in an immense sensitization campaign. It identified 30 young women, 30 young men, 30 older women and 30 older men throughout the country. These 120 people underwent a full day of training on the Protocol. Upon return to their communities, these trained people undertook a vast education campaign on the Protocol focusing on the following components: origin and genesis, contents, achievement in the field of women’s human rights, regional character, and necessity of personal engagement of women in the fight for their rights. Interactive broadcasts on community radio were organized in four regions of Guinea.
CPTAFE succeeded in including the popularization of the Protocol in all its social projects in Guinea. Parallel to this work in the field, staff and volunteers went door to door to the decision-makers and advocated for the deposit of the instrument of ratification. In the past year, Guinea has changed government three times and the Minster of Foreign Affairs, who is specifically responsible for the Protocol, has changed four times. CPTAFE met with the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Health, Interior and Social Affairs and sensitized them all on the necessity to support the domestication of the Protocol.
On 12 May 2006, Guinean Radio and Television organized a large debate on the subject of the ratification and application of the Protocol in Guinea and Africa. This program, which brought together Guinean specialists from government and civil society, allowed for wide scale dissemination of information to the public on the progress that has been achieved for human rights in general and women’s rights in particular. Following the last meeting of the Board of CPTAFE and their partners held on 29 June 2006, it was proposed that CPTAFE would use theatre, a method of popularization which has had a lot of success in the fight against FGM, to popularize the Protocol in the public domain.
* Please click on the link below to read the full update.
Update on the Campaign on Ratification, Domestication and Popularization of the Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa
By Equality Now, April to June 2006
Introduction
Below is the latest quarterly update (April to June 2006) that Equality Now received from SOAWR members who are working on the campaign for ratification, domestication and popularization of the Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa. Also included is information on the status of ratifications, meetings attended by SOAWR members and upcoming events which may be of interest to SOAWR members.
During this quarter the Steering Committee approved one more membership application received from the Centre for Justice Studies and Innovations (CJSI) in Uganda. This brings the total of SOAWR members to 22. Two additional applications from Liberia and Somalia are being reviewed.
Country Level Campaigns
Burkina Faso
Voix de Femmes reported that the Chief of State of Burkina Faso signed the Decree of Promulgation of the law authorizing ratification of the Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa on March 31, 2006. The only step that remains is depositing the instrument of ratification with the African Union. The deposit document has been prepared and was sent to the Secretariat of the Government and was signed by the Chief of State on June 16, 2006. Currently, the document is with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which is responsible for sending it to the African Union Commission through Burkina Faso’s Embassy in Addis Ababa.
Meanwhile, Voix de Femmes continues with activities to raise awareness about the Protocol and they have integrated these activities within the scope of their program regarding women’s rights and violence against women. They hold 2-hour educational sessions three times a month on Thursday afternoons for women who have domestic issues including marriage, divorce and inheritance. Youth and students also benefit from these sessions.
Ethiopia
IAC is planning two workshops, the first in September 2006 for legislators and parliamentarians on the domestication of the Protocol and other legal instruments. IAC anticipates there will be 56 participates from IAC’s 28 member countries. The objective is to train the participants on advocacy for ratification or enforcement in their respective countries of the Protocol and other legal instruments which protect women and children. The second conference is a regional youth forum which will be held during 21-25 November 2006, and will include 56 youths from the 28 IAC countries. The objective is to reinforce youth networks which were established in 2000 to campaign against female genital mutilation, and to train them on communication and validate a youth training manual developed by IAC. A specific session on the Protocol and its application is also on the conference agenda.
The Gambia
In April, the African Center for Democracy and Human Rights Studies (ACDHRS) reported that the Gambia has removed the reservations that it has earlier place on four articles of the Protocol. The African Union Commission has, however, not officially received this revision from the Gambian Government. ACDHRS is following up on this.
The ACDHRS organized and hosted the NGO forum during the 39th Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR). The Forum, which brought about 135 participants and facilitators together, noted that this year is the 25th Anniversary of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. The Forum addressed several themes including new developments in the human rights and democracy situation in Africa. While Africa has seen significant and positive developments in human rights and democracy in this time, improvement is necessary with respect to human rights, good governance, and the rule of law. The Forum commended the participation of civil society organizations working throughout Africa to encourage the African Union to take responsibility for the enhancement and promotion of human rights. It noted the significance of the entry into force of the Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa, congratulated the countries which have ratified it, and urged those who have not yet done so to ratify without delay. Strategies for the ratification and implementation of the Protocol to the African Charter on the Rights of Women in Africa were exchanged as a basis for future collaboration. The NGOs attending the Forum expressed need to collaborate on efforts to advocate for ratification, domestication, and implementation. In a statement read by Hannah Forster on behalf of the NGO’s, attending the Forum, at the opening of the ACHPR, the NGO’s congratulated The Gambia for lifting its reservations to the Protocol. The NGO statement urged States to implement the African Union’s Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa at the national level.
The First Meeting of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights - The office of the African Union Commission Legal Counsel convened a meeting during the African Union Summit for the purpose of swearing in the newly elected judges and to brief them on the African Union Commission’s work especially on its working relations with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. The court has not elected a president yet which was deferred to September 2006 in Addis Ababa.
Guinea Conakry
Though Guinea was among the first countries whose Parliament approved ratification of the Protocol, thanks to the strong mobilization efforts led by CPTAFE and its partners on the ground, to date Guinea has not yet officially deposited its instrument of ratification with the African Union Commission. The delay is attributed to the current political crisis where the President has been ill for several months now.
Convinced that the Protocol must first be fully accepted by the community in general and women in particular, CPTAFE engaged in an immense sensitization campaign. It identified 30 young women, 30 young men, 30 older women and 30 older men throughout the country. These 120 people underwent a full day of training on the Protocol. Upon return to their communities, these trained people undertook a vast education campaign on the Protocol focusing on the following components: origin and genesis, contents, achievement in the field of women’s human rights, regional character, and necessity of personal engagement of women in the fight for their rights. Interactive broadcasts on community radio were organized in four regions of Guinea.
CPTAFE succeeded in including the popularization of the Protocol in all its social projects in Guinea. Parallel to this work in the field, staff and volunteers went door to door to the decision-makers and advocated for the deposit of the instrument of ratification. In the past year, Guinea has changed government three times and the Minster of Foreign Affairs, who is specifically responsible for the Protocol, has changed four times. CPTAFE met with the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Health, Interior and Social Affairs and sensitized them all on the necessity to support the domestication of the Protocol.
On 12 May 2006, Guinean Radio and Television organized a large debate on the subject of the ratification and application of the Protocol in Guinea and Africa. This program, which brought together Guinean specialists from government and civil society, allowed for wide scale dissemination of information to the public on the progress that has been achieved for human rights in general and women’s rights in particular.
Following the last meeting of the Board of CPTAFE and their partners held on 29 June 2006, it was proposed that CPTAFE would use theatre, a method of popularization which has had a lot of success in the fight against FGM, to popularize the Protocol in the public domain.
Kenya
COVAW, together with the new members of SOAWR in Kenya, FIDA Kenya and Women Direct, has been following up the process for ratification with the Ministry of Gender. Information received from the Ministry of Gender and the Ministry of Foreign affairs indicates that the Ministry of Gender presented a memo to the Cabinet advocating ratification of the Protocol. The Cabinet approved the memo, but apparently the Ministry of Gender had proposed reservations on Article 10 on the right to development and peace, and Article 14 on reproductive and sexual rights. However, the Ministry of Foreign affairs, which is responsible for depositing the instrument with the African Union Commission, referred the whole process back to the Ministry of Gender citing the reservations to be in contradiction with existing government policies.
Though it is indeed very unfortunate that the process of ratification is at a slow pace, there is at least some positive indication that when the process goes through, it will happen without reservations. At the time of publication, it is not clear how far along the process has gone. Nevertheless, recently the Minister for Gender cited the ratification of the Protocol as one of the deliverables of his Ministry. There is goodwill from policy and key decision-makers. Members of SOAWR in Kenya will continue to encourage the Ministry of Gender to accelerate the process and deliver the ratification instrument to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and subsequently to the African Union Commission.
COVAW had an inaugural meeting with the new members of SOAWR in Kenya - FIDA and Women Direct. An output of the meeting was the formulation of joint activities for the popularization of the Protocol and the first joint activity will be held on 6 July 2006, which will be a civil society half-day forum to disseminate information on the Protocol’s provisions. COVAW has produced a publication entitled “A new Era for Women’s Rights in Africa” which is a simplified version of the Protocol. It is hoped that the implementation of these joint strategies will go a long way in popularizing the Protocol in Kenya.
Aside from its participation with COVAW and Women Direct in the group activities, FIDA-Kenya is consulting with the Law Society of Kenya on the possibility of disseminating the Protocol during its annual conference in August to create awareness within the legal fraternity. FIDA Kenya is also preparing a summary sheet, "Highlights on the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa," which it will share at the 6 July 2006 civil society half-day forum.
The Women Direct Service Centre is presently developing an advocacy brochure entitled Ratify the Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa. Appreciating the language diversity in each of the countries in its network and the need for all stakeholders to understand the multi-level advocacy interventions that need to be made, the brochure has been translated into Kiswahili, French, and Amharic and will be disseminated widely throughout its partner countries which include: Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.
During the Women Direct mid-year review meeting held from 29-30 May 2006 in Nairobi, the Women Direct collaborating partners from the six countries held a session on work around the Protocol. In the meeting, partners had an opportunity to:
• Review the work that had been done in their countries surrounding the Protocol by their own and other organizations,
• Determine how they can combine their efforts with other SOAWR coalition members to demand the ratification and domestication of the Protocol.
• Share different strategies and interventions that can be employed in their countries.
• Formalize their engagement as Women Direct partners in the Coalition and
• Develop a petition letter to use for advocacy at national level (addressed to relevant ministries and members of parliament) and regional level.
Mali
The Association des Juristes Maliennes (AJM) held two training sessions in Bamako on the Protocol. In December 2005 the training included 60 lawyers and 60 magistrates, because although the Protocol has been adopted, many lawyers and judges do not know about it or its entry into force. AJM distributed copies of the Protocol to all the participants. In April 2006, AJM held a workshop for members of civil society including traditional communicators, religious leaders, and members of parliament. Currently there is a case being tried in the Court of Bamako using the Protocol as a mechanism to help secure equal distribution of assets between a man and woman after divorce. The case has not yet been decided, but AJM is waiting to see how judges respond to the use of provisions of the Protocol in civil courts. AJM hopes to continue to train lawyers and judges in other regions throughout Mali once they have secured funding.
With regard to the domestication of the provisions of the Protocol into local law, through the workshop and training of parliamentarians AJM has begun urging parliamentarians to vote for a bill of the Family Code whose contents conform to the Protocol.
Namibia
Sister Namibia continues to popularize the Protocol through its monthly publication entitled “Sister Namibia.” Copies are available on request. Write to Sister Namibia: [email][email protected]
Sister Namibia participated in a ten-day training session in Banjul, Gambia, organized by the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, and introduced the Protocol to the participants. The training was designed to enable participants to engage with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights during its 39th Session, as well as with fellow human rights activists at the NGO Forum preceding the Session.
The participants, which included LGBT activists and partners from other human rights organizations from nine African countries, considered the following questions during the training session: How inclusive is the Charter of the rights of sexual minorities in Africa? What role can the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights play in protecting and promoting the equal rights of LGBT people in Africa?
Sister Namibia also introduced the African Charter and the Protocol to the participants of the Second Lesbian Leadership Institute held by the Coalition of African Lesbians in Johannesburg from June 12-16, 2006, which was attended by women representing lesbian or LGBT organizations from 10 African countries.
Niger
On June 3, 2006, Niger’s parliament voted down the ratification of the Protocol. Government spokesman Mohamed Ben Omar told the state daily newspaper, The Sahel: “The rejection of the motion is a serious setback for Niger, but this is a proper application of democratic principles.” The government of Niger approved the Protocol in January, but lawmakers rejected it in June by 42 votes to 31, with four abstentions. Many Members of Parliament expressed concerns about the Protocol on issues of reproductive rights, the freedom for women to choose how many children to have, abortion rights and inheritance rights. Niger is the first African country to refuse to ratify the Protocol in its entirety.
During a launch of SOAWR/AUC book and at a Press Conference held at the African Union Summit meeting in Banjul, SOAWR members expressed regret that members of the National Assembly of Niger rejected the Protocol in its entirety. On behalf of SOAWR, Hawa Ba of Fahamu stated, “The decision sets a dangerous precedent for the countries that are yet to sign or ratify the Protocol and undermines the commitment made by the heads of the states of the AU to guarantee gender equality in all spheres of life.” SOAWR members also approached the Gambian Vice President to assist in bringing this concern to the Head of State of Niger. The Vice President undertook to speak to her counterpart. In addition, SOAWR discussed the matter with the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Women, Commissioner Angela Melo, who said she would plan a mission to Niger after two months when elections in the country would have ended. Oxfam GB also invited an activist from Niger who took part in the advocacy interventions held during the summit and she undertook that her organization would advocate to reverse the current decision and she will team up with Commissioner Melo when she goes there.
Nigeria
Human Rights Law Service (HURILAWS) has done some media advocacy this quarter relating to the Protocol and has submitted a proposal to the African Women’s Development Fund for a sensitization program on the Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa.
In June 2006, HURILAWS received approval for funding from the European Union to carry out a project on women’s inheritance rights in southeast Nigeria, which will also address the need for the Nigerian government to domesticate the Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa.
Women’s Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA) reported that domestication advocacy was delayed because Executive and Legislative activities in Nigeria were stalled from February to May due to ongoing constitutional debates. The implication of this in relation to WRAPA’s project is that there was little focus on or willingness to address any issue, either at Executive and Legislative levels, unless the issue was related to the subject of the constitutional amendment. WRAPA will start the sensitization activities in the first week of July 2006 ensuring continued engagement and linkage at all levels to achieve sustainable impact in the domestication process. WRAPA has secured a commitment for additional financial support from Action Aid International in Nigeria to offset some of the costs of its activities in Kaduna and Lokoja.
Senegal
The Inter-African Network for Women, Media, Gender Equity and Development (FAMEDEV) carried out a presentation on gender and women’s rights and sensitized journalists on the Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa at the Congress of West African Journalists Association (WAJA) on 4-5 May 2006. FAMEDEV is undertaking a gender and rights audit of journalist unions, associations, media NGOs, and schools of journalism in the 16 WAJA member states in collaboration with the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). FAMEDEV also participated in the African Women’s Groups Consultative Meeting in Banjul from 7-8 May 2006. It used the occasion to discuss the Protocol with its network members in Banjul.
Additionally, FAMEDEV has hosted visits by young American and French interns interested in developments in Africa and women’s rights issues. FAMEDEV gives them orientation in these issues as well as exposes them to work done by SOAWR towards the ratification and the implementation of the Protocol.
Uganda
Akina Mama wa Afrika continued with its popularization campaign on the Protocol. It plans to focus its campaign on four districts in Uganda and is currently in the process of developing a CD-ROM containing a simplified version of the Protocol which it plans to use as a communication and education tool for the campaign in these four districts.
United Kingdom
Fahamu has continued to support the Solidarity for African Women’s Rights Campaign (SOAWR) through the production of electronic and print materials related to the campaign and the continuation of an SMS alerts service that distributes information about the Protocol to a subscriber list of over 1000 people.
A major area of work over the last quarter has been the completion and publishing of the book, Breathing Life into the African Union Protocol on Women’s Rights in Africa. This book has been published in both English and French and is available for purchase at
http:// www.africanbookscollective.com/index.html
Fahamu’s electronic newsletter, Pambazuka News (www.pambazuka.org), has continued to distribute commentary and analysis related to the Protocol and women's rights. This has taken the form of special issues or the inclusion of articles in the usual weekly newsletter.
Two SMS alerts have been sent in the last quarter:
1. “Protocol on African Women's Rts: Gambia ratifies with no reservations. To stop SMS alerts reply with 'stop'. More information on women's rts @ - 2006-05-08
2. “Seychelles ratifies women's rts protocol. 18 African countries now ratified. Views on Zuma trial? Send Messages 2 this number 4 posting at http://www.bjlausummit2006.gm/press/releases/soawr.htm
Public Forum, 24 June 2006
The Public Forum was hosted by the African Center for Democracy and Human Rights Studies, a member of SOAWR, during the latest African Union Summit. The theme of the Forum was The Effect of cultural and traditional practices in the implementation of instruments promoting women’s rights. There was a discussion on eradication of harmful traditional practices as a strategy to achieve one of the Millennium Development Goals. The Forum also addressed issues of HIV and AIDS. The Forum saw the participation of dozens of Gambian rural women, mobilized and brought by the Gambian Committee on Traditional Practices Harmful to Women and Children (GAMCOTRAP) to participate in the forum, who spoke of the challenges that they faced with regard to culture and tradition. They were however hopeful that the removal of reservations to the Protocol by the Gambia would herald a new era and that the Protocol would be translated into national law as soon as possible to enable them to claim the rights espoused in the Protocol. Presentations were made by personalities from the health and civil society sector with vast experience in addressing these issues. SOAWR shared its strategies for advocacy for ratification, domestication and implementation of the Protocol.
Symposium and Book Launch, 25 June 2006
SOAWR members organized a day long Symposium which included a panel discussion entitled- Does the Protocol compliment the tenets of religion? An evangelical pastor gave a Christian perspective to issues of women’s rights noting that there is nowhere in the Bible where the subjugation of women by men is sanctioned. He noted, citing examples, that the Bible uplifts the status of women instead. The relevance of the Protocol for rural women was revisited. The Symposium ended with a report on the emerging strategies towards the ratification, domestication and implementation of the Protocol.
The SOAWR book, “Breathing Life into the African Union Protocol on Women’s Rights in Africa” was launched by the Vice President of the Republic of the Gambia that evening after the Symposium. During the launch, SOAWR congratulated the Gambia for removing the reservations that it had previously placed on the Protocol. The launch was moderated by the Director of the AUC’s Women, Gender and Development Directorate, Ms Winnie Byanyima, who spoke of her recent fact finding mission to Darfur. She acknowledged the good partnership between the Gender Directorate and SOAWR and urged SOAWR to continue with its endeavors. In her speech, the vice president committed to take a lead role in support of SOAWR’s campaign and said will start engaging her peers on the topic during the summit and post- summit with a view to accelerating the ratification and domestication of the Protocol. In response to a request from SOAWR, she also undertook to speak with her counterpart from Niger in an effort to influence Niger’s decision to reject the Protocol. The African Union Chairman was represented by Commissioner Djinnit Said, Commissioner for Peace and Security, who reaffirmed his firm belief in the rights of women and gender equality. Copies of the book will be sent to SOAWR members soon.
Courtesy call on the Vice President of the Republic of the Gambia, 26 June 2006
Members of SOAWR paid a courtesy call on the Vice President in her office. SOAWR reiterated its requests to the Vice President of the previous day and presented the Vice President with a green card in recognition of the removal of the reservations, while also requesting her to ensure that the African Union Commission is officially informed about the removal of the Gambia’s reservations. She undertook to follow-up on that.
Press Conference, 27 June 2006
The activities of SOAWR concluded with a press conference, which was well attended by the media. The BBC and the Pan African News Agency then interviewed members of SOAWR. The SOAWR events were covered by the local and international media and were aired on prime time by Gambia Radio and Television Service (GRTS). The press statement released by SOAWR is attached.
Status of Ratifications
The following is the status of signatures and ratification with two additional ratifications by Sychelles and Zambia and one signatory (The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic). Total signatories are now 41 and there are 19 ratifications – 3 more signatories and 8 more ratifications than a year ago. The Protocol entered into force on 25 November 2005.
Status of signatures and ratification At June 2005 At June 2006
Total signatures 38 41
Total ratifications 11 19
RED-CARDED COUNTRIES (9)
01) Angola
02) Botswana
03) Cameroon
04) Central Africa Republic
05) Egypt 06) Eritrea
07) Sao Tome & Principe
08) Sudan
09) Tunisia
YELLOW-CARDED COUNTRIES (26)
01) Algeria
02) Burkina Faso
03) Burundi
04) Chad
05) Congo
06) Cote d’Ivoire
07) Democratic Rep. of Congo
08) Equatorial Guinea
09) Ethiopia
10) Gabon
11) Ghana
12) Guinea
13) Guinea-Bissau
14) Kenya 15) Liberia
16) Madagascar
17) Mauritius
18) Niger
19) Seychelles
20) Somalia
21) Sierra Leone
22) Swaziland
23) Tanzania
24) Uganda
25) Zimbabwe
26) Sahrawi Arab Democratic
Republic
GREEN-CARDED COUNTRIES (19)
01) Benin
02) Cape Verde
03) The Comoros
04) Djibouti
05) The Gambia
06) Lesotho
07) Libya
08) Malawi
09) Mali
10) Mauritania 11) Mozambique
12) Namibia
13) Nigeria
14) Rwanda
15) Senegal
16) South Africa
17) Togo
18) Seychelles
19) Zambia
Meetings
Below are some of the meetings that SOAWR members attended.
• Africa Women’s Round Table on HIV and AIDS, 6 -7 April 2006 – Action Aid International, in partnership with three other organizations, organized the African Women’s Regional Consultation on Women’s Rights and HIV/AIDS in Africa, in Johannesburg, South Africa. The meeting, attended by members of at least 40 women’s rights NGOs including several SOAWR members, concluded that African women are profoundly concerned and aggrieved that it has taken so long for governments to fully appreciate the centrality of African women’s rights and voices in dealing with HIV/AIDS, which is one of the greatest threats to our collective existence as a people and the continent. The group acknowledged that there is a need for renewed urgent actions, at all levels and in all sectors, to promote and protect the human rights of African women and girls especially those living with HIV and AIDS. There is a critical need to move from rhetoric to action if Africa is to see a major change in the spread of the HIV and AIDS pandemic and its increasing and alarming feminisation. The group urged all African heads of state and government to take full responsibility for the commitments they have made to women’s human rights as signatories to various national, continental and global women’s and girls’ human rights and HIV and AIDS agreements. The meeting urged African government heads to carry out initiatives on prevention strategies, treatment tailored to the needs of women and girls, reducing the burden of care on women, and committing resources to public health care and the protection and promotion of the rights of women and girls.
• Campaigning in Africa: Experiences and New Frontiers – Organized by Oxfam GB on 19-22 April in Nairobi, 26 participants involved in women’s rights, national and international trade reform, and policy research came together to share experiences and lessons on campaigning in Africa. The workshop took place within an external environment of global commitments to Africa, shifting global power relations and an assertive state and non-state continental agenda. The workshop provided an opportunity for these campaigners, media officers and policy analysts to share experiences, theories and strategies for influencing public policy, engaging the media and establishing coalitions. Some of the suggested strategies included avoiding developing campaigns in a vacuum; working to involve those organizations working on the issue at the many levels; starting with a clear goal and making sure it is shared by all collaborating partners; to be clear, planned and strategic in engaging with the media; to look for commonalities and ways of working together; to involve those who will be affected by the campaign; and link popular mobilization to engagement with the government and other key targets. The campaign around the Protocol was one of the successful models shared and discussed at the meeting.
• OXFAM/SOAWR Workshop, 22 -24 May 2006 – Oxfam GB convened a workshop entitled Accelerating the Ratification of the AU Protocol in Africa in Pretoria during 22-24 May in collaboration with SOAWR bringing together its partners from 10 countries (Angola, Burkina Faso, DRC, Ethiopia, Liberia, Ghana, Niger, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania and Zambia) with a view to accelerate the ratification of the Protocol in these countries and also expand the number of coalition members. The meeting discussed the relationship between the Protocol, CEDAW and the African Court, the content of the Protocol and its meaning to the women of Africa, the Gambia experience regarding the reservations, the Kenyan experience and the political play that has kept the ratification process in limbo. The participants developed action plans along regional lines based on a matrix presented by Eve Odete of Oxfam. The matrix contained the objectives, strategies, activities, targets and allies. There was a public debate with lively discussion of work in ending gender-based violence, and engaging the regional court systems to bring issues of gender-based violence to the fore. SOAWR was showcased under the theme of coalition building. Ms. Ndashe from the Women’s Legal Centre proposed that litigation can facilitate the domestication of the Protocol when legislature remains slack in domestication. ACDHRS of The Gambia spoke about its work in encouraging domestication which included:
➢ Sending a delegation to key ministries,
➢ Organising a series of workshops, firstly to introduce the Protocol and secondly to compare the provisions of the Protocol in relation to the national constitution
➢ Identifying key stakeholders, sharing their experiences and outlining their roles in relation to the Protocol, this included the traditional leaders.
➢ Parliamentarians were identified as key sector - to this end consultations were held with parliamentarians
➢ It was important to harness support at the high level, in this case in the form of the Vice President
➢ Be aware that some of the provisions of the Protocol can be viewed as contentious at the national level
➢ The NGOs also engaged parliamentarians in a workshop to discuss national legislation which would have to be reviewed to enable domestication of the Protocol
➢ Important to understand the stance of various key stakeholders and be able to address their concerns in order to transform them into advocates
➢ Identify effective key informants - so that the issues are better understood - e.g.- human rights, traditional practices, religious practice; women’s health.
• AU Pre Summit Women’s Forum 22nd – 23rd June 2006 The Forum was organized by the AU Women Gender and Development Directorate in collaboration with the African Center for Democracy and Human Rights Studies (ACDHRS) and ISIS Women International Cross Cultural Exchange (ISIS-WICCE). Participants to the Forum were drawn from organizations across Africa working in the areas of conflict and peace building. The theme of the Forum was Promoting Gender–Responsive Governance in Countries Emerging From Conflict. The Forum discussed the impact of conflicts on the lives of women and what this translated to in terms of governance and the development of the continent. The Forum discussed the impact of conflicts on the lives of women and what this translated to in terms of governance and the development of the continent. The Forum discussed ways of strengthening women’s participation in peace processes based on the Darfur experience and building gender responsive governance in post-conflict countries, including gender concerns in political and electoral processes. The Forum underscored the relevance of the implementation of Article 10 of the Protocol in this regard. The Forum adopted a resolution to be presented to the Heads of States and Governments under the broad themes of gender parity principles, the Protocol on the Rights of Women, Human Security and Monitoring and Evaluation. In the resolution, the Women’s Forum called on all States to ensure the universal ratification and implementation of the Protocol without further delay.
Upcoming Events
• Nairobi + 21 Conference – On July 28, 2006, the Nairobi +21 Conference will take place at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre in Nairobi, Kenya. The Conference, being a joint initiative of several organizations including SOAWR member FEMNET , will mark the 21st anniversary of the 3rd UN Women’s Conference, which was hosted by the Government of Kenya and held in Nairobi in 1985. The Conference will celebrate the various victories that have been won since then, and will reflect on the challenges that remain, with the focus on creating inter-generational linkages. Over 1,000 participants are expected to attend, with presentations by women leaders from Africa, Europe, Asia and Latin America. This will be an opportunity for SOAWR members to push in forward their agenda for popular support for the Protocol and urging its application.
• World Social Forum 2007 will be hosted in Nairobi, Kenya during 20-25 January. Aside from the main forum there will be a Feminist Dialogue that will precede the WSF, in which FEMNET and Akina Mama Wa Afrika (both SOAWR members) are part of the organizing committee. SOAWR plans to organize events during the WSF.
New Publications
• Breathing Life into the African Union Protocol on Women's Rights in Africa: Edited by Roselynn Musa, Faiza Mohamed, and Firoze Manji. This book is the fruit of the labors of SOAWR and is published with the full endorsement and support of the African Union Commission’s Women, Gender and Development Directorate. The Protocol, which grew out of a recognition that the African Union’s Charter does not adequately address issues that affect women, is arguably one of Africa’s most ground-breaking and progressive rights instruments for gender equality. The papers in this book are the product of a conference jointly convened by the African Union Women, Gender, and Development Directorate and SOAWR that was held in Addis Ababa in September 2005. The primary aim of the conference was to shift the focus from the ratification of the Protocol to ensuring the meaningful implementation of its provisions. Some examples of topics covered are: the campaign for ratification, a report of the Addis Ababa meeting, SADC and the Protocol, NEPAD and women’s rights, HIV/AIDS: a challenge to implementation; and challenge of harmonizing the Protocol with national laws. One should be able to order copies online at http:// www.africanbookscollective.com/index.html
• Gender, Development, and Advocacy: by Oxfam, December 2005. Advocacy for gender equality occurs at all levels of society - from grassroots women demanding community-level change, to coalition-building to promote change to international trade laws. Articles in this collection chart the experience and successes of gender equality advocates from contexts including Pakistan, Australia, and southern Africa. The publication also includes a section on “The African Women's Protocol: a new dimension for women's rights in Africa.” (http://www.oxfam.org.uk/what_we_do/resources/downloads/gda_6.pdf). The full publication can be accessed at: http://publications.oxfam.org.uk/oxfam/add_info_026.asp
Equality Now Africa Regional Office
June 2006
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