The Dakar Commitment
adopted at the 7th Consultation of Women ‘s NGOs
(Full pdf document)
We, Civil Society Organizations from all over Africa, comprising
: the African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes
(ACCORD), Africa Leadership Forum (ALF), Femme Africa Solidarité
(FAS) Foundation for Community Development (FCD), FEMNET, WILDAF,
ACDHRS, WAWA, MARWOPNET, ATM, EBWA, Akina Mama Wa Africa, AWA,
FAWE, Equality Now, ABANTU, AAWORD, NPI, SSWC, ANSEDI, Pan African
Movement, CAFOB;
Building upon the important
work and achievements accomplished by African women’s networks
under the initiative of the African Women Committee for Peace
and Development (AWCPD) and Femmes Africa Solidarité (FAS)
during previous consultative meetings in Durban in June 2002,
in Dakar in April 2003, in Maputo in June 200, in Addis Ababa
in June 2004, in Abuja in January 2005 and in Tripoli, in July
2005, in partnership with the AU and ECA, supported by UNDP, UNFPA,
UNICEF, UNHCR, UNIFEM, OSIWA and other partners.
Meeting at the 7th Consultative
meeting on Gender Mainstreaming in the African Union (AU) in Dakar,
Senegal, prior to the 1st AU Conference of Ministers responsible
for Women and Gender that will take place from the 12th to the
16th of October 2005, in order to strengthen our contribution
in the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the Solemn
Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa (SDGEA).
Recall the commitment of the
African Heads of State to gender equality as a major goal of the
AU as enshrined in Article 4 (1) of the Constitutive Act of the
African Union, in particular the decision to implement and uphold
the principle of gender parity both at regional and national level,
as well as the Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa.
Applaud the initiative taken
by the ministers responsible for Women and Gender Equality in
Africa, under the leadership of Ms. Aida Mbodj, the Senegalese
Minister of Women, Development and Social Affairs to take ownership
of the SDGEA by participating at this historic conference organised
by the Gender Directorate of the African Union with the full support
of His Excellency Maitre Abdoulaye Wade, President of the Republic
of Senegal;
Congratulate all States that
have ratified the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and
Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa namely:
Cape Verde; Comoros; Djibouti; Gambia; Lesotho; Libya; Malawi;
Mali; Namibia; Nigeria; Rwanda; Senegal; South Africa;
Reiterate our commitment to:
• Take collective responsibility to accelerate
the advocacy campaign for the implementation of SDGEA;
• Undertake to prepare alternative reports, both at national
and regional levels, in order to enrich the state reports as provided
for by the SDGEA and to increase accountability in the process;
• Broaden networking activities, by involving more women
groups at local and national level;
• Continue strengthening the various partnerships with the
AU Directorate, AU Commission, ECOSOCC, the Pan African Parliament,
The Economic Commission for Africa, the NEPAD, the Regional Economic
Communities (RECs) and all international partners on the implementation
of the SDGEA.
• Develop and strengthen the capacity of regional and thematic
focal points to carry out the advocacy campaign in their constituencies,
as well as document, monitor and evaluate the implementation of
the SDGEA;
• Mobilise financial and human resources to support CSO
processes in the implementation of the SDGEA;
• Continue to convene an annual Pre-Summit Consultative
Meeting on Mainstreaming Gender in the AU, in July, ahead of the
Assembly of the Heads of States and Government;
• Promote women leadership in Africa, at all levels of governance
and decision-making.
Recommend to Member States:(Full pdf document)
