African Ministers of Women and Gender Affairs hold their 5th Ordinary Meeting in Addis Ababa

Addis Ababa, 14th May 2013: Under the theme of the 50th Anniversary of the AU “Pan Africanism and African Renaissance”, the Fifth Ordinary Meeting of AU Ministers of Gender and Women’s Affairs held today Tuesday, 14th May 2013, at the headquarters of the AU Commission (AUC), in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

In her address to the Meeting, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, AUC Chairperson, emphasised on the role of women on the continent and said "this celebration should give us a unique opportunity to reflect on what we women did since the establishment of the OAU/AU 50 years back and our targets for the coming 50 years".

The Chairperson said "we have contributed a lot to our continent and made progress, and women always played a prominent role at all times and in the fight against slavery and colonialism as well". There is an urgent need to give very special attention to increasing the participation of women in decision-making in all areas of life, she added. (See the complete speech of the Chairperson on the AU website: www.au.int)

Minister of Women, Children and Youth Affairs of the Federal Democratic of Ethiopia Ms. Zenebu Tadesse, highlighted in her remarks the importance to review the achievements and weaknesses in the empowerment of women at all levels." African woman must lead the African Renaissance and shape the vision of the African Union for the next 50 Years", she emphasized. (See the complete remarks of the Minister on the AU website: www.au.int)

Organized by AUC Women, Gender, and Development Directorate (WGDD), the Ministers meeting will, among other things, consider and adopt the Report of the Meeting of Experts, which was held from 8-9 May 2013. They will also reflect on Pan- Africanism and African Renaissance as the theme of the OAU/AU 50th Anniversary and contribute as well as influence and shape the vision of the AU-wide strategic plan and the Union's 2013 development agenda.
They will also discuss Commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People's Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, scheduled for July 11. Equally, they will consider the report of an Annual High Level Panel on Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment to create space for women scholars, researches, academia, and gender experts to deliberate on emerging issues.
The Women’s Affairs Ministers are also expected to approve projects for the African Women's Decade (AWD) 2013 theme, through a collaboration with the UN Women at country level in strengthening the AWD National Coordinating Committees.
The meeting was attended by the Vice President of the Gambia, Dr. Isatou Njie-Saidy and a number of Ministers responsible for gender and Women’s affairs from AU Member States, representatives of WGDD, representatives of civil society organizations (CSOs), and other invited guests.
The Ministerial meeting will end today Tuesday.
For further information, please visit AU website: www.au.int