Africa: Towards a parliamentary strategy for African women's rights and gender equality

While it is a recognised universal fact that eliminating gender inequality and achieving women’s empowerment are paramount to achieving the Millennium Development Goals, progress with implementation of the MDGs is the slowest in those areas that depend most heavily on improving the status of women and girls. The Association of European Parliamentarians with Africa (AWEPA) held a seminar titled 'Uniting parliamentary efforts to end violence against women in Africa' to discuss the important role parliaments can and do play in ending violence against women in Africa. Besides being an opportunity to learn, meet and develop new projects, this seminar also served as a base for a parliamentary resolution and two parliamentary guidelines on FGM/C and UNSC Resolutions 1325.