Commission économique pour l'Afrique
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Economic Commission for Africa Commission économique pour l'Afrique |
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THE SIXTH AFRICAN REGIONAL CONFERENCE ON WOMEN ADDIS ABABA, 22-27 NOVEMBER 1999 |
The month of November 1999 will mark five years since the adoption of the African Platform for Action for the Advancement of Women. On this occasion, the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) through its African Centre for Women (ACW) will host the Sixth African Regional Conference on Women in Addis Ababa from 22 to 27 November, 1999, in keeping with its mandate from the General Assembly and African governments to monitor the implementation of regional and global conventions for the advancement of women in Africa.
Conference Objectives
The official objectives of the Sixth African Regional Conference on Women are:
1. To evaluate the implementation of the Dakar and Beijing Platforms for Action, from:
- National Progress Reports: ECA has requested African governments, through the ministries in charge of gender and development issues, to submit their national reports on the status of implementation of the Platforms for Action. The national reports are based on the targets set in national plans of action developed after Dakar. ECA will synthesize all the National Reports submitted into one regional report.
- Thematic Evaluation Reports: These are detailed evaluations of the implementation of the proposed strategies for each of the twelve critical areas of concern stated in the Dakar/Beijing Platform for Action (PFA). The evaluations will assess commitment to gender equality issues in the critical area of concern, the availability of gender-disaggregated data and its use in policy-making processes, sector policy statements and the implications for budget allocations to gender issues within the sector, as well as the institutional capacity of the sector for the implementation of the PFA. In all these assessments, the reports will identify cases of good practices.
2. To formulate a plan of action for the next five years.
3. To develop modalities for Africa’s participation at the Global Review (Beijing + 5) scheduled to take place in the year 2000 in New York on the occasion of the Special Session of the UN General Assembly .
The Conference will also seek:
- To contribute to the enhancement of dialogue between governments and the civil society.
- To contribute to the sensitisation of all actors working on the twelve critical areas of the Platform for Action, on their roles and responsibilities, as well as on the ‘gender’ approach to development.
- To contribute to strengthening partnerships and South-South exchange of experiences.
The Preparatory Process
A Technical Preparatory Committee composed of members of the Committee on Women and Development (African Ministers of Gender), NGOs and UN agencies is working to follow up and support preparations for the Conference.
To date, the Committee has taken decisions on the Conference format, profile of participants, mobilisation of resources, and modalities for participation.
Profile of Participants and Registration
There will be 4 categories of participants, namely: members of national delegations; representatives from regional and sub-regional non governmental organisations (NGOs) and inter-governmental organisations (IGOs); representatives from UN and bilateral agencies; and, special guests. National delegations will be composed of 9 government representatives, 2 parliamentarians, 2 media representatives, 3 representatives from thematic NGOs, 3 representatives from women associations and 1 representative of the youth. A national focal point designated by the Ministry in charge of gender or women affairs, will co-ordinate the participation of the respective national delegations.
The registration fees have been set at US$50 per participant.
Work Programme
The first day of the Conference is set aside for plenary presentations of progress reports on the implementation of the Platform for Action, by representatives from African governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and United Nations Agencies. The thematic evaluations will be discussed in twelve workshops during the second and third days of the Conference. Reports on the outcomes of the workshops will be presented on the fourth day. The Plan of action for the next five years, and modalities for Africa’s participation at the Global Review (Beijing + 5) will be presented on the fifth day. The Conference closes on Saturday November 27, 1999. Exhibitions and caucuses will take the form of parallel activities running through the second and third days of the Conference.
Expected outcomes
Firstly, it is expected that a Plan of Action for the next five years will be adopted, which would provide appropriate adjustment strategies and re-direct efforts towards greater achievement of the targets set out in the Platform for Action . Secondly, it is hoped that a Declaration of commitment by all actors to the implementation of the Platform for Action will be adopted. Thirdly, it is anticipated that modalities will be elaborated for Africa’s effective participation in the June 2000 Global Review (Beijing +5).