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Opening remarks to the Opening session of Retreat of the Executive Council by HE Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union Commission
Bahir Dar, 24-26 January 2014
Your Excellency, Dr. Tedros, Foreign Minister of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia and Chairperson of the Executive Council
Your Excellencies Foreign Ministers and Members of the Executive Council
Dr. Carlos Lopez, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
Honorable President of the Amhara National Region State
Excellencies, Chairperson and Members of the PRC and Officials from the Capitals
Deputy Chairperson of the AU Commission, HE Erastus Mwencha and fellow Commissioners,
AU Commission staff
Ladies and Gentlemen

We sincerely thank our host country, the Honourable Minister for bringing outside of Addis Ababa, to this beautiful part of Ethiopia. Our appreciation to the authorities, the Honourable Mayor and his team, for welcoming us to Bahir Dar and the Amhara national region state and for the hospitality extended to us.
Bahir Dar is a living testimony that the growth and development recorded by Ethiopia over the last few years are not only restricted to the capital, but touches all corners of the country. Indeed the country as a whole is moving towards the target set in its National Development plan of reaching middle-income status by 2025. We congratulate the people of this city and region for these efforts, which can serve as an example for many regions of our continent.
Excellencies
Retreats such as these, especially at the level of the Executive Council, have been used to discuss issues pertinent to our continent that are complex and required in-depth and innovative reflection.
Having just emerged from the collective reflections on Pan Africanism and African Renaissance that grounded our Golden Jubilee celebrations, as we look ahead towards the next fifty years, we again have the opportunity to revisit some of the debates, in a more relaxed and convivial atmosphere.
Excellencies, retreats take place under different conditions from formal meetings. It must, therefore, provide space for all of us to step out of our comfort zones, and to think and indeed dream about our continent.
We are gathered in a retreat of the Executive Council to reflect on a critical matter before the Union and our people – about the future we want, the Agenda 2063. This retreat comes after a year of robust consultations with civil society on the future they want.
As Foreign Ministers of our countries and indeed as citizens of this great continent, we may well share some of the aspirations articulated by civil society.
At the same time, the Executive Council is an important collective body of opinion within the Union, which in its composition and outlook embodies the aspirations of Pan Africanism and the African Renaissance, coupled with a bird’s eye view of Africa’s place in the world.
The decision of the Chairperson of the Executive Council to have this retreat is therefore well-timed: to enable this august body to add its collective contribution towards the Africa we want and the milestones we must set towards this end.
In conclusion, I hope our contributions will be free- flowing, frank, inspirational, daring, challenging and provocative. The contributions are not national or official positions as such, but must be contributions that will inspire us towards the Africa we want, that is integrate, peaceful and prosperous.
I wish the retreat fruitful deliberations and interesting outcomes.

Statement for H.E. Tumusiime Rhoda Peace
GIMAC Pre-Summit Consultative Meeting on Mainstreaming Gender
in the African Union
Panel-Session I: Empowering Women in Agriculture and Food Security
Thursday, 23 January 2014; from 11:05 am to 12:45 am
African Union Commission
Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Namibia
Excellences,
Distinguished Participants,
Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Panel Chair, Ms. Thokozile Ruzvidzo, I would like thank you for inviting me to lead off the discussion about Empowering Women in Agriculture and Food Security. The African Union appreciates this gesture and the great work you continue to do across the African continent. We value partnering with Gender is my Agenda Campaign (GIMAC).

I was happy to listen into the introductions of the participants that display a rich experience.

A. INTRODUCTION
The space of the intersection of empowering women in agriculture and food security is a higher priority today, than ever before. Previously, these issues have been addressed separately at country, regional and continental levels. While this has delivered varied results, what is clear is that when the reality of the need for higher growth rates and broad-based economic growth across Africa are aligned, targeting mechanisms to mainstream women and youth are what will take us beyond the tipping point where we are today. Research points to this strategy. What is exciting is that we are at the point of acting on the research results. The basket of levers – target points – that we are focused on simultaneously or at the same time, to deliver the transformation from inclusiveness are:
1. Improving access to production inputs;
2. Reducing post-harvest losses;
3. Strategic crops;
4. Market information;
5. Access to finance;
6. Applied science education, entrepreneurship and innovation; as well as,
7. Accountability.

In the upcoming days, the African Union will launch 2014, declared in 2012 as the AU Year of Agriculture and Food Security. The launch will be calling on us all not only to reflect on successes registered and challenges encountered over the 10 years of the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Program (CAADP), but also to identify and apply concrete ways in which we will bring to bear, the full capacity of Africa’s women – and men, girl and boy children -- to actively build resilient households, dynamic communities, and robust economies, that foster innovations and sustained growth throughout our continent, in the context of Pan Africanism and African Renaissance. This has been the Theme of the 2013 year when we commemorated the 50th Anniversary of the founding of the OAU/AU.

I recall that at the High Level Forum of the initiative to Empower Women in Agriculture, held in November 2013, in Addis Ababa at the Africa Union Commission, the need for measurement tools to track the impact of agricultural interventions on women’s empowerment; and, the need to add education of women in science, maths and business fields related to agriculture, were highlighted. These topics focus on the importance of accountability and ‘how’ the collective efforts of African governments, private sector and civil society – together, will achieve transformation in agriculture and related industrialisation in Africa, for the prosperity of its citizens and the stability of its nations.

Acknowledging the progress that has been made, even in the recent past, is good. However, our push with focusing on Agriculture and Food Security this year, is to mainstream factors that have previously been overlooked – including rural women, rural youth, the linkage between food, nutrition and health, innovation that meshes practices such as using all the components of plants or animals for different roles in the household or community, and investment along agriculture based value-chains. Developing sustained and inclusive agriculture systems for food, nutrition and renewable energy, that also reflect the innovation opportunities of greater use of domestically produced grains, livestock and fisheries, to more rapidly adapt to the threats from climate change, is instrumental.

B. AUC and MORE EFFECTIVE MAINSTREAMING OF GENDER
At the Africa Union, we are identifying ways to more effectively mainstream gender across the institution because it is appreciated in each department that empowering women, is instrumental to achieving Africa’s food security. This ensures that the role and contribution of women – rural, peri-urban, and urban -- is integral to policy design and advocacy. We will support at the country and regional levels, more evidence-based agriculture planning and engage Ministers of Finance, Science and Technology, Trade and Industry, and Infrastructure and Energy – with a focus on moving from mass access to consistent connection, for more predictable, consistent, functioning of markets -- implementing an approach that brings resources to raise the platform of agriculture which, research has shown, is dominated by women as production factors but the benefits of income in amount and control, eludes them. This must change and together we can effect this change.

C. FARM PRODUCTION and PRODUCTIVITY
Continuing to focus on increasing production and productivity, at the farm level, is a must. However, it is the added focus on strategic crops and increasing consistent availability of inputs – with inputs produced in Africa as a priority, and implementing warehouse receipting systems and commodity exchanges, that is integral to Africa including empowering women in the economic transformation agenda. Reducing post-harvest losses, child stunting, and loss of human life and livestock, by focusing on grain storage and investing in areas like the Partnership for Aflatoxin Control in Africa (PACA) is high on Africa’s food security agenda. Constraints to this noble objective have been a stumbling block to increasing intra-Africa trade and expanding internal markets with harmonized policies. Empowering women with grain handling technologies – physical and processes – immediately addresses the scourge of losses after women farmers have invested in purchased inputs, toiled, and sweat to achieve greater volumes of output through productivity improvements.

D. ACCESS TO FINANCE
Over time, addressing the issue of women and access to finance for agriculture has pivoted on microfinance and agriculture targeted guarantees to commercial banks. To strengthen Africa’s commercial banking industry, nations have increased the capital requirements for banks. That said, women and access to finance is a persistent challenge. Why does this matter?....because we know from research, that the household and community benefit greatest from the way women invest resources – be it time, money or networks. Group savings organizations are effective in catalyzing investments that build resilience. Although there has been renewed focus on marketing cooperative organizations, there is need to renew the focus on strengthening savings and credit cooperative organizations (SACCOs), where typically, women are more than 40% of the membership. As with many agriculture, food, and technology institutions, women are missing in leadership and governance – management and boards – of SACCOs. This is a challenge we have to address head-on, and, yes, we can!

E. LAND and OWNERSHIP BY WOMEN
The AU and UNECA have been collaborating on addressing land issues through the Land Policy Initiative -- a joint programme of the tripartite consortium consisting of the African Union Commission (AUC), the African Development Bank (AfDB) and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. A priority pressing issue regarding land on our continent, which very much concerns women as a stakeholder group, is the trend of large-scale land based initiatives. Empowering women through direct land ownership and control – as an individual, or in groups, is instrumental is building bridges into formal national and regional economies. An assessment has been undertaken, and Guiding Principles will be shared in the near future. This is more imperative in this Year of Agriculture and Food Security.

F. EDUCATION, INNOVATION and ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Raising the profile on education policy is critical. The much talked about “youth bulge” means that a sharp focus on including applied science in accrediting requirements of education institutions, is pivotal to building a knowledge and innovation, talent pipeline. African economies stand much to gain from focusing on including women in innovation development processes and putting extra focus on educating the girl child. Empowered with education, women’s input and leadership in building innovation and entrepreneurship in food processing, energy-saving or new, environmentally-friendly ways of generating energy, for example, will be second nature. School-based agriculture, livestock and fisheries, should form the basis of the applied science curriculum. Why?...because youth with integral knowledge of agriculture can contribute their energy to not only innovating, but also to develop start-up enterprises as entrepreneurs. Including a requirement of facilities for teen girls as they transition to womanhood, in the conditions of eligibility for accreditation, is pivotal to breaking the continued evidence of higher school dropout rates for girls, than for boys of the same cohort. Although progress continues on girl-child school attendance as indicated by annual data, focusing on girl absence especially during harvesting periods, is critical to having more girl children graduating within their cohort and progress to greater successes in 4-year and technical, tertiary education institutions.

G. EXAMPLE regarding PILOTS and SCALING-UP
I will close on the note about pilots and scaling-up, which gets to a critical dimension of the ‘how’ of filling in the common space of empowering women and food security. As we focus on continuing to build robust African economies by strengthening agriculture and agribusiness through inclusiveness of women and youth, there is a tremendous wealth of knowledge available from numerous pilot projects. At this stage, I encourage identifying the portfolio of pilot project, which can be the basis for a project of scale. Achieving scale in a continental approach can be framed by implementing similar projects at country level, in several Regional Economic Communities (RECs), at the same time. In this regard, the African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) Program, stands out. Based on pilot with donor funding, the lessons learnt from the pilot – such as omitting an upper age limit for AWARD Program Fellows, so that the eligibility of top-notch candidates is not constrained by their having invested time away from career advancement for family building -- were included in designing the multi-country program that was launched in 2008, and this initial AWARD Program successfully attracted private sector partners. Expanded to a second five year phase in 2012 with the support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), and the Agropolis Foundation, the AWARD Program is pushing the institution innovation program further. Country ownership, which has already been inaugurated by Nigeria, is a key next step, in mainstreaming education and strengthening of the talent pipeline of women in policy leadership, in Africa.

H. AUC COMMITTED TO AFRICA’s GROWTH and INCLUDING WOMEN IN BENEFITING FROM THE GROWTH
To be clear, the evidence is overwhelming, that focusing on rural women in agriculture and agribusiness, is insurance for African economies to continue to be global leaders, and economic growth to move forward, at the pace that is needed to realize a food and nutrition secure Africa, by 2025. As we reflect on our discussions, deliberations and actions, I encourage you to keep in mind that we at the Africa Union, are committed to Africa’s robust, integrated growth and benefits of that growth, being inclusive of Africa’s women.

I would thank you for your kind attention.

Remarks by H.E. Ambassador Kongit Sinegiorgis
Permanent Representative of Ethiopia to the African Union and UNECA and Chairperson of the Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC) at the 27th ordinary session of the Permanent Representatives Committee of the African Union

21 January 2014
Addis Ababa

Excellency Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union Commission,
Excellency Mr. Erastus Mwencha, Deputy Chairperson of the Commission,
Excellencies Permanent Representatives and Commissioners,
Distinguished delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

As always, let me start by welcoming those who have joined us from the capitals to the 27th ordinary session of the Permanent Representative’s Committee of the African Union. We have covered a lot of ground during our marathon meeting last week but a lot still remains to be done in the coming two days to finalize our preparations for the upcoming ordinary sessions of the Executive Council and the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union. I hope with your usual cooperation, we will be able to finalize our work as expeditiously as possible.

Excellencies and Colleagues,
As we begin our session by reflecting on the state of our Union based on the annual report of the Commission for the year 2013, we are satisfied with the progress made in the advancement of the peace, integration and development agenda of our continent as clearly reflected in the report of the Commission. The celebration of the Golden Jubilee of the OAU/AU, the development of our own narrative to tell the African story from our perspective and raise the profile of our Union, the adoption of the strategic plan of the Commission for the years 2014-2017, the crafting of an AU wide strategic framework for the next 50 years through a wide consultative process, the strengthening of Africa's partnership with the rest of the world, the implementation of the key priorities and programmes of the African Union as well as the promotion of peace and security and democratic governance are indeed some of the major activities carried out last year.

Nevertheless, we are all cognizant of the challenges we still face in a number of areas. Particularly, we have a long way to go in terms of implementing the myriad of decisions adopted by the policy organs of our Union. Hence, there is a critical need to enhance our performance so as to achieve the fundamental objectives of our Union. In this regard, I am pleased to note the commitment of H.E. Chairperson Zuma and her team to accelerate the institutional effectiveness of the Commission and take decisive measures to address this matter as a key priority in 2014.

Most importantly, I believe we should thoroughly examine some of the challenges that both member States and the Commission are facing with a view to finding appropriate remedies to help us improve the implementation capacity of our organization. I am particularly of the view that we should seriously think about reducing the number of decisions adopted by the Policy Organs so as to give adequate time for implementation. Otherwise, adopting so many decisions and not getting them implemented will have no meaning to our people and render our organization weak and ineffective.

We should also deliberate on ways and means of enhancing the institutional capacity of our Commission. How can we ensure professionalism and discipline in the Commission? How can we reduce wastage of human, financial and material resources and ensure efficiency and effectiveness? How can we promote better coordination between and among the various departments within the Commission?

I wish to note the commitment made by the Commission under the leadership of H.E. Dr. Zuma “to lead by example, in ensuring that … the organizational values and culture, profile and role of the AUC is improved and enhanced”. Therefore, I believe the PRC should assist the Chairperson and her team as they strive to find answers to all the issues I referred above as a key priority this year.

Excellencies and Colleagues,

On the other hand, I believe the PRC should also reflect on its own shortcomings and exert more efforts to improve its working methods. We have, of course, made notable progress this year in terms of our time management. But we need to take the work of our sub-committees seriously. We have often faced problem of quorum in conducting the meetings of the Sub-Committees. More often than not, we find it difficult to get the report of sub-committees on time for our deliberations.

We all know that the relation between the PRC and the Commission has been fraught with acrimony and mistrust. We need to enhance trust between these two important organs of our Union and improve their working relations. This is indeed very critical in order for us to fully rededicate our concerted efforts towards the implementation of decisions adopted by the policy organs and achieve the desired outcomes.
I hope all these issues will be seriously addressed during the retreat between the PRC and the AUC. I am sure we all agree that we cannot afford to postpone the retreat anymore. After the end of this Summit, we should find the time to hold the retreat as a matter of priority and brainstorm on all the issues that preoccupy each and every one of us with a view to finding amicable solutions and strengthening the work of our organization.

Excellencies and Colleagues,
Finally, I hope we will embark on the New Year with a spirit of cooperation and solidarity to advance the objectives of our Union and fulfill the aspirations of our people. With those few remarks, I wish all of us a fruitful deliberation. I count on your usual cooperation in steering our meeting to a successful conclusion.
I thank you