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Opening Remarks by Prof. Jean-Pierre Ezin, Commissioner for Human Resources, Science and Technology at the Workshop on Establishment of a Continental Accreditation Agency for Higher Education in Africa, 10 – 11 April 2013, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Statement by H. E. Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma
Chairperson of the African Union Commission
 
Your Excellency, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and Chairperson of the Executive Council;
Your Excellencies, Ministers from Member States;
Executive Secretary of the ECA;
Heads of AU and UN Organs;
Excellencies Members of the Permanent Representatives Committee;
Excellencies from other Diplomatic missions
Distinguished Guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a great honor for me to address Your Excellencies at the 14th Extraordinary Session of the Executive Council, which is convened to deliberate on crucial issues ahead of the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the establishment of our pan-African Organization – the OAU and now AU. I would like to thank you all for finding time to attend this Session. I will restrict my remarks to the issues on the agenda today.

The first matter before this session of the Executive Council is the 3rd African Union Commission Strategic Plan (2014-2017).

The AU Summit of July 2012 decided that we must develop an AU-wide plan, in order to provide greater coherence in the actions and initiatives of the AU organs, Member states, RECs and other key continental stakeholders.

This plan is being developed as Agenda 2063, requiring widespread consultations and alignment of Member states, RECs and other continental strategies, to meet the vision of an integrated, people-centred and prosperous Africa at peace with itself. This will be presented to the January 2014 Summit for consideration. The logical thing would have to been to wait for this overarching framework, before starting with the AUC Strategic Plan,

The policy organs decided against extending the AUC 2nd Strategic Plan (2009-2012) for another year, and the Commission therefore proceeded with the development of AUC 3rd Strategic Plan for 2014-2017, which will adjusted once the AU-wide framework is adopted.

I want to take the opportunity to thank the Sub Committee on Programmes and Events, and the PRC as a whole for detailed work done on the Strategic Plan. The outcomes of the work between the Commission and the PRC will be presented to you today.

The 3rd Strategic Plan takes an outcomes-based approach, focusing on the impact that we need to make in each of the five pillars and priority areas of our work. We recommend that this session of the Executive Council also enriches and adopts this framework.

At the same time, we recognize that we must strengthen the indicators and improve on the mainstreaming of gender and youth in the Draft Plan. The Commission working with the PRC will ensure that this is adequately addressed in the final Strategic Plan to be proposed for adoption at the 23rd Ordinary Executive Council meeting.

Excellencies. Distinguished Guests,

You will recall that the 22nd Ordinary Session of the Executive Council in January 2013, requested the Commission to complete work on the draft Budget for 2014. Much progress has been recorded on this.

Significantly, the draft Budget is based on the draft Strategic Plan 2014-2017 and in conformity with the Decisions of the Executive Council to integrate Operational budget and Programmes into one single budget (EX.CL Dec.278 (IX) adopted in Banjul, in June 2006.

We will present a progress report to the Extra-Ordinary Council. Since the draft Budget for 2014 can only be finalized once we agree on the approach to the Strategic Plan, the full budget will be tabled for adoption at the 23rd Executive Council in May.

Excellencies, Distinguished Guests,

The celebration of the Golden Jubilee of the founding of the OAU and AU offers the continent a rare opportunity to reflect on the last five decades, on our prospects, futures and the challenges confronting Africa.

In line with Assembly decision Assembly/AU/Dec.422 (XIX), the Commission is working in close collaboration with the Ethiopian Government, Member States, the Regional Economic Communities as well as other AU Organs to organize various activities that are people-centred and memorable.

The Commission and the PRC have been preparing the approach to the anniversary and the activities, as contained in the 50th Anniversary Project document that will also serve before you today.

Whilst we will have the main Anniversary Summit on 25 May 2013 in Addis Ababa, hosted by the Ethiopian government and people, we expect that the anniversary will be a year-long and continent-wide event.

We therefore urge Member states and RECs, Civil society and the Diaspora to use the Project document as a guideline, adding their own innovations and initiatives so that we use these events to reflect, asses and lay the foundations for the future.

During lunch today, we will present the 50th Anniversary torch to the host country, Ethiopia, symbolically kicking off the preparations for the celebrations. We will also hand over anniversary torches to each Member state, which you should light at an event in your country during the coming months as a sign of our continent-wide celebrations.

Excellencies, Distinguished Guests

The Summit in July 2012 adopted the theme for 2013 as Pan Africanism and the African Renaissance. It is also the theme for our 50th commemorations.

Pan Africanism and African renaissance reflect the long history of African civilizations as the cradle of humankind, and is at the heart of the formation and existence of the OAU and now the AU.

The approach to Pan Africanism over the centuries took different forms, but shared a common notion of a united, politically and economically integrated continent with its own institutions.

It is our view that the Discussion Paper should help stimulate a rich and productive debate on the importance of Pan Africanism and African Renaissance ­ past, present and future. It must help to inform and mobilize the African citizenry, all sectors of society, young and old, men, women and the Diaspora behind our vision of an integrated, prosperous and peaceful continent.

Our 50th Commemoration activities must enable us to develop and grow our own narrative: the stories of pre-colonial history of great civilizations, our struggles against slavery and colonialism, our struggles for self-determination and self-reliance and our process of nation-formation, social transformation and state building over the last fifty years.

It must help us to demystify, appropriate and popularize our history, our shared values, our narrative about the state of Africa today, in honor of the generations that went before us and to inspire current and future generations.

The discussions on Pan Africanism and African Renaissance will also enable us to engage in debates on an accelerated Africa-wide Agenda 2063 that would chart actions and strategies for the integration, peace and development of the continent for the next fifty years.

Your Excellencies,

We are of the view, that even though we have the discussion on the Theme paper on the agenda, it would probably be more interesting for Ministers at this Extra-Ordinary Executive Council, to have a free-flowing discussions on their own reflections and experiences of Pan Africanism and African Renaissance, instead of being confined to what is already in the paper.

These reflections, along with the inputs from the Regional PRC consultations and other consultations with different sectors before May, will help with the continual enrichment and expansion of the discussion paper.

So a free-flowing discussions, because we want your own ideas to enrich the paper.

Excellencies, this is an opportune moment to thank your Heads of State and Government, who responded to the Summit decision to submit their contribution for the Jubilee book. However, we have not received all the expected statements and we wish to remind Your Excellencies that the absolute deadline is the end of this week. We wouldn’t like to publish a book that is not completed where some Heads of State and Government are not included, at the same time we will not miss the opportunity of this historic event to publish the book.

Excellencies, Distinguished Guests

Over the last two decades we have seen the potential for Africa’s renaissance. Our fortunes are changing for the better, with improvements in the political governance, the peace and security situation and economic performance and development. Many African countries are experiencing unprecedented economic growth, with a booming natural resource sector and growing internal markets, in the face of uncertainty triggered by the global financial and economic crisis, soaring debt and recession in other parts of the world.

However, this trajectory cannot be sustained unless we have a skills revolution, a green and agricultural revolution, an industrial and trade revolution, and unless we connect our countries through road and rail, air and sea and information technology. In our recent Retreat with the Regional Economic Communities, we agreed on a process of prioritization, action and joint work in these areas, and we will report at the next Ordinary Session.

Peace and security issues, though not on the agenda today, continue to be of major concern to our Union. Your last session took place against the background of sustained efforts to address the crisis in Mali. Since then, progress has been made. The challenge now is to consolidate these gains, and to continue to pursue holistic approaches to the challenges in Mali and the Sahel.

We must in this process address the root causes of the conflicts, including the utilization of the country’s resources to the benefit of all its peoples, the issues of governance and political inclusion. This will help to create conditions that will make it possible to complete the current transition and ensuring lasting and sustainable development and peace. We call on the AU member states to continue to stand by Mali in a spirit of true African solidarity.

We are also pleased to note the progress made in a number of other situations. The relations between Sudan and South Sudan have improved over the past months. I commend the leadership of both countries for their commitment and spirit of responsibility. We acknowledge the continued facilitation role of the AU High-Level Panel and the Chairperson of IGAD.

While the remaining challenges are daunting, Somalia nonetheless remains on the path of progress as well. Also worth mentioning is the signing of the Framework Agreement for Peace, Security and Stability in the Great Lakes Region.

One of the disturbing developments since your last session relates to the situation in the Central African Republic, with the seizure of power by the armed group Seleka. This is a direct challenge to the leaders of the region, who facilitated the conclusion of the Libreville Agreements. It is also a challenge to our Union and the numerous instruments adopted over the years to ban unconstitutional change of Government. The AU will spare no efforts towards ensuring the rejection of the unconstitutional change of government and therefor the need to return to constitutional order. In so doing, we will continue to work with the Economic Community of Central African States. I seize this opportunity to call on the international community to lend full support to the African-led efforts.

Our ability to effectively address the peace and security issues depends on the existence of a functional African Peace and Security Architecture. The offensive launched by the Malian armed groups in early January of this year was illustrative of the challenges that continue to face us in this respect. This is why the Commission has, during the period under review, paid sustained attention to the operationalization of the Rapid Deployment Capability of the African Standby Force. At the end of this month, we will be convening a meeting of the Ministers of Defense of Member States to look at ways as means of speedily operationalizing this important component of the ASF. The recommendations that will emerge from the meeting will be submitted to the forthcoming Summit of our Union.

I also wish to take this opportunity to congratulate the people of Kenya for their peaceful and highly participative elections, President-elect Uhuru Kenyatta for the confidence the people expressed in him, and our appreciation to His Excellency Odinga for accepting the final verdict of Kenya’s Judiciary.

Your Excellencies

The celebration of the 50th Anniversary provides us with an opportunity for a new paradigm; an opportunity to strengthen our belief in our capacity to become prosperous and peaceful, and to take our rightful place in the international arena.

This meeting today is a manifestation of our collective aspiration and commitment to forge together and advance the course of Africa. Our destiny is in our hands.

On behalf of the Commission, we undertake to play our role and do our utmost to facilitate your work at this meeting and accompany you on this pathway to Africa's destiny.

Je vous souhaite une bonne session

Asante sana

Muito obrigado

Shukran

I thank you for your kind attention

Statement By H.E. Dr. Maxwell M. Mkwezalamba
Commissioner For Economic Affairs
African Union

At The
Closing Of The Experts’ Meeting Of The Sixth Joint Annual Meetings Of The Au Conference Of Ministers Of Economy And Finance And The Eca Conference Of African Ministers Of Finance, Planning And Economic Development

24 March 2013
Abidjan, Côte D’ivoire

Excellence M. Abdallah Hamdok, Secrétaire exécutive adjoint de la Commission économique pour l’Afrique,

Professeur Lambert Bamba, Président du Bureau du Comité des Experts,

Honorables Représentants des Communautés Economiques régionales, des organisations régionales et africaines, des banques centrales africaines et des institutions internationales,

Honorables délégués, Mesdames et Messieurs,

1. Je voudrais, au terme de cette Sixième Conférence des Ministres de l’Economie et des Finances de l’Union Africaine et de la Conférence des Ministres africains des Finances, de la Planification et du Développement économique de la Commission économique pour l’Afrique, vous adresser mes chaleureuses félicitations pour la qualité du travail accompli et la pertinence des propositions faites pour, enfin, permettre à l’Afrique de réussir son programme d’industrialisation.

2. Comme vous le savez, le faible niveau d’industrialisation du continent constitue un des principaux obstacles au développement économique et social du continent africain. Il était par conséquent temps, je dirais même indispensable, de revisiter notre programme d’industrialisation. Les échanges et résolutions prises à l’issue de cette conférence s’inscrivent dans cette dynamique.

Honorable Ladies and Gentlemen,

1. The meeting of the Committee of Experts had interesting and important issues to deliberate on, as usual. In particular, I wish to point out the discussion on the Millennium Development Goals and the post-2015 development agenda, which is an on-going global debate at the moment. Evidence shows that Africa is not in a position to attain all the MDGs by 2015. The 2013 Africa MDGs Report that was presented to the meeting of the Committee of Experts, like previous Reports, shows that Africa has made limited progress in attaining some very crucial targets , including child and maternal health, and provision of safe drinking water and sanitation facilities.

2. It is in recognition of the likelihood that Africa will not attain all the MDGs by the target date of 2015 that consultations have been undertaken with African stakeholders to identify Africa’s priorities for the post-2015 development agenda. The outcome document from the consultations was shared with the Committee of Experts and a draft African common position on the post-2015 development agenda will be presented to Ministers for approval before submission for adoption by the AU Summit in May 2013.

3. The African common position should serve as a reference document for the African voice in the crafting of a post-2015 development agenda. This position will feed into the global process that is currently underway through a High Level Panel on the post-2015 development agenda that was set up by the United Nations Secretary General. It is, therefore, imperative for us to ensure that the consultations that were undertaken in Africa are reflected in the global outcome document of the High Level Panel through an African common position. I wish also to agree with the meeting that we define goals, targets and indicators for the post 2015 development agenda that reflect Africa’s priorities.

4. The debate on the theme of the Conference was intense and the Committee came up with some concrete recommendations that, if implemented, will lead to the accelerated industrialization of Africa. It is gratifying to note that the Committee of Experts acknowledged the Accelerated Industrial Development of Africa Action Plan as central to the industrial development of African countries. I am convinced that implementation of the Action Plan will ensure coordination of industrial policies and help accelerate implementation of our regional and continental priorities.

5. Some key issues were raised that were deemed pertinent for industrialization and value addition. One was the need for countries to promote technological innovation through research and development. Another was the need for adequate resources to finance the industrialization process, and that requires massive resources mobilization. The issue of financing leads me to highlight the importance of finalizing the issue of Alternative Sources of financing the African Union as soon as possible.

6. Other issues that have been on the agenda for several years which require finalization are the establishment of a Pan-African Stock Exchange and the African Monetary Fund. The Commission wishes to call upon to Member States to provide their comments at their earliest opportunity.

7. I would also urge the member states to sign and ratify the African Charter on Statistics. As of today, 27 countries have signed whereas only 8 have ratified the Charter. I would also like to call upon Member States to allocate adequate resources to National Statistics Offices for the production of quality statistics in the framework of the Strategy for the Harmonization of Statistics in Africa (ShaSA).

Honorables délégués, Mesdames et Messieurs,

8. Pour terminer mon propos, je voudrais remercier les équipes de la Commission de l’Union Africaine, de la CEA et du Comité National d’organisation pour les efforts appréciables consentis dans l’organisation de cette conférence. Mes remerciements vont également aux interprètes pour l’excellent travail abattu, et tous les délégués pour leurs remarques et contributions constructives.

9. Enfin, je voudrais vous adresser à vous, Monsieur Président du Bureau du Comité des Experts, mes sincères félicitations pour avoir dirigé avec efficacité nos débats. Vous méritez notre reconnaissance et tout notre soutien.

10. As I am attending my last meeting in my capacity as Commissioner for Economic Affairs, I wish to call for your support – invite you to support my successor, Dr. Anthony Masuping of Lesotho.

11. Honorables délégués, Mesdames et Messieurs, je vous remercie de votre attention.

Remarks of H.E. Rhoda Peace Tumusiime,
Commissioner of Rural Economy and Agriculture, African Union Commission

on the occasion of Meeting the President of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)

Addis, March, 15, 2013

Excellency, Ms. Jane Karuku, President of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)

Members of Staff of the AGRA, AUC-DREA and other members

Ladies and Gentlemen

Let me start by thanking Your Excellency, Mme Jane Karuku for honouring my invitation and I wish to welcome you to Addis Ababa and, in particular, to the African Union Commission.

Let me start by stating that the Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture which I head is much bigger than the size you see here, and it covers over ten sectors, subdivided into two strategic areas of intervention which are: Agriculture and Food Security, and Environment and Natural Resources Management. In addition to the Headquarter-based Office, my department has 6 specialised technical offices under it, which are IBAR in Nairobi dealing with livestock, PATTEC in Addis Ababa handling tse-tse and trypanosomiasis, PANVAC in Debre Zeit, Ethiopia, in charge of veterinary vaccines IAPSC in Yaounde on phytosanitary matters, SAFGRAD in Ouagadougou coordinating dryland research and development and Fouta Djallon in Conakry on integrated highland development. As you may note, we spread across the continent.

I value this moment as it falls within the framework of the productive partnership between the African Union Commission and the Alliance for a Green Revolution.

Within the field of agriculture, the AUC-DREA and the AGRA have been collaborating in multiple engagements and we have initiatives where we have been quite close in supporting AU Member States to implement the decisions of the AU Policy Organs up to the highest level, especially in the context of the overarching framework provided by the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) with a view to ensuring increased agricultural production, productivity, food and nutrition security. They include extension services, input delivery, output market development and functioning, and farmer organization and capacity building.

I wish, at this juncture, to commend AGRA for the continued partnership with AUC and for the work in advancing agricultural development at country-level across the continent. Working together in these and many other areas, we have registered significant achievements for our continent and especially at the Member States’ level. And what we have noted is that the more we deliver, the more is demanded of us. Hence the need for our continued improvement of our work in mutual reinforcement and complementarity to bring forth the desired results and impacts especially at implementation level and bringing on board real players, The Women.

I, therefore, wish to call for closer collaboration between AGRA and AUC-DREA in furtherance of the shared goal of increased agricultural production, productivity, food and nutrition security on the continent. We need to step up these especially now as we vision and dream for a better continent, and as we mark 10 years of the existence of the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), in addition to other related processes we are engaged in.

I hope you also know that the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government decided in July last year to declare 2014 The AU Year of Agriculture and Food Security. We will need to work more closely to ensure that the year brings to fruition some of the ongoing pertinent initiatives in the context of CAADP. We will consider some of these during the CAADP Partnership Platform Meeting scheduled for Addis Ababa on 25-27 March 2013 and we hope that AGRA will participate fully during this meeting that will focus on preparations for 2014 AU Year of Agriculture and Food Security as we look at where we want to go from here given the interrelated nature of agriculture with environment, climate change, water and other key sectors.

Looking more critically at agriculture, I need not over-emphasize the importance of this sector for our continent, our nations and our communities, from food and nutrition to jobs and incomes. If Africa took agriculture more seriously, we would be respected and Africa would participate more effectively in global development. Other continents have successfully used agriculture as a premise for development, why not Africa?

I must, nonetheless, say that in partnership, we all share the joy of seeing 30 countries having signed CAADP Compacts that encapsulate multi-stakeholder consensus and partner buy-in on the key drivers of agricultural production, productivity, food and nutrition security. We have also seen Regional Compacts starting with the one of ECOWAS and the upcoming one of COMESA, and others in the pipeline.

We are also happy to see that more and more of these countries have gone further to draw up credible investment plans and also to put in their own resources and more investments in agriculture as they also mobilize bilateral and multilateral public and private support. We see more commitment by AU Member States at bilateral and multilateral levels and we need to take advantage of this state of affairs and plan together and implement as we are targeting the same constituency. We have seen good responses from partners particularly countries prepared investment plans. It is important and imperative that the AGRA buys into the investment plans agreed to by countries with all partners. I do appreciate the much work done by the AGRA.

We would like to see AGRA involved more in the process of putting together investment plans. Wherever you have been you have added value. We want countries to take advantage of how AGRA does business. As we mark 10 years since CAADP was adopted in 2003, we as AUC, AfDB, UNECA, NPCA, RECs and other Pan African institutions including AGRA, are called upon to step up our efforts in sustaining the momentum so that our people see concrete results on the ground in terms of food, nutrition, jobs and incomes. There is talk of Millennium Development Goals but for us it is about African dignity and without food we can’t have dignity. As we celebrate this year the 50th Anniversary of the founding of the OAU, predecessor to AU, we will focus on the vision of a food and nutrition as we consider the Theme of the Golden Jubilee: Pan Africanism and African Renaissance. There are many activities involved apart from agriculture and we have not forget our other areas of intervention

I am sure you have heard, time and again, that we have many declarations and decisions on strategic commodities, on value chain development, on fertilizer use, on irrigation, on agricultural research and technology, on sanitary and phytosanitary issues, on post-harvest loss reduction, GMOs and so on. It is our collective efforts that we will support AU Member States to translate these into reality: food, water, sanitation, and environmental sustainability. It doesn’t help when we get decisions and not have them implemented.

I would like to draw your attention to the African Fertiliser Financing Mechanism. You are implementing input delivery. We cannot increase productivity unless we have inputs and particularly fertilizers. It is important for AGRA to support the AFFM to take root. As you are aware, it arose out of the decision of Heads of State and Government at the Abuja Summit of 2006. A review was done and it was noted that unless African agriculture accesses fertilizers we cannot make it. The figure was 8 kg per ha and now it has increased to 11 kg per ha probably because of the collective efforts including those of AGRA – but the AU Abuja Summit decision called for 50 kg per ha. We need to actualize the AFFM. We can discuss this matter much further. At the CAADP PP we plan to call a meeting with other players on the fertilizer use, production, accessibility and marketing.

As part of our partnership building, we have been engaging the G8 among others especially since 2009 in L’Aquila, then also in 2012 in Camp David and currently with the next Presidency, the UK which has indicated that agriculture and food security will remain high on agenda. We shall be sharing our perspectives so that we all speak with one voice. I am sure AGRA also engages a number of partners in favour of African Agriculture. We hope you will continue to play your due role and let’s continue to be open to one another and work as a team. We serve the same constituency: African citizens, communities and nations. The partners who support us and those who support you are all our partners. If African Agriculture does well it is to our credit.

We all appreciate that our collaboration is more in the strategic area of intervention of agriculture and food security but my Department, as I indicated, also deals with sustainable environment and natural resources management. In this connection and with respect to climate change, I would like to say that this is a subject that speaks for itself owing to the frequency and intensity of its impacts in terms of erratic weather patterns punctuated by floods, droughts and other natural disasters. Again, in this area as well, our institutions will have to work closely and productively in supporting our continent and its Member States in building resilience through among others climate smart agriculture and turning them away from emergencies such as those witnessed in the Horn of Africa and the Sahel. Also related to this is that recently we put in place a programme called the African Risk Capacity, an initiative championed by the African Union Commission and specifically the Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture in collaboration with and with support from partners particularly the World Food Programme (WFP). The initiative aims at building the capacity of AU Member States to manage disaster risk and emergency response more effectively by providing timely resources through a Member States-owned mutual insurance company.

In a nutshell, these are some of the areas that I wanted to highlight by way of introduction of my Department as they relate to our partnership with AGRA and we welcome your views on how we can take them forward together in the most efficient and effective way as our Member States need and deserve our services to deliver urgent and concrete actions, results and impacts in all the areas I mentioned. I trust that our partnership can as in the past meet the expectations of our Member States.

The African Union Commission will continue to play its core roles of policy harmonization, partnership building, resource mobilization and advocacy for African causes. This we will do with support of other Pan African institutions, stakeholders and partners including AGRA in the four pillars of peace and security, regional integration, capacity building and shared values. We are right now in the process of developing the new AU Strategic Plan 2014-2017, not just AUC Strategic Plan but Africa-wide Strategic Plan, that will redefine our priorities and at the same time we are working out the vision for the next 50 years. We will appreciate the input of partner institutions like AGRA particularly in your areas of specialisation.

I look forward to our fruitful discussions. Let me now invite you to make your remarks.

Thank you for your attention.

CELEBRATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2013
STATEMENT BY H.E. DR. NKOSAZANA C. DLAMINI ZUMA, CHAIRPERSON OF THE AFRICAN UNION COMMISSION

On behalf of the African Union Commission, I congratulate all the women of the world and of the Continent in particular for our day on the occasion of the commemoration of the International Women’s Day, which extols the vital role women have played, and continue to play, in virtually all spheres of life, particularly in the enhancement of economic security for their families, communities and countries.

On this occasion, we take stock and review past progress, as well as, barriers that have continued to militate against women empowerment in Africa. It offers an opportunity to elevate women’s emancipation and gender equality, as well as, pay tribute to women that have devoted their lives to the struggle for the cause of women, and are still mobilized for this noble cause.

The African Union (AU) remains resolute in promoting gender equality, women’s rights and women’s empowerment, in a rapidly globalizing and dynamic world. We are also taking great strides to redress gender imbalance, and promote women’s rights.

We must all join hands to prosecute crimes against women. Now is the time to dedicate ourselves to the plight of women in conflict situations, where sexual violence has often become a tool of war aimed at humiliating the enemy by destroying their dignity. The welfare of all victims of sexual violence in conflict must be at the forefront of our activities. We all must unite to end violence against women, and canvass that all women and girls have a fundamental human right to live free of violence.

We need much greater commitment and action to empower women and girls in the process of eradicating hunger, poverty and promoting development. Furthermore, there is need to give special attention to increasing the participation of women in decision-making in all areas of life, as a means of improving the quality of decision-making and in getting people-centred decisions including in the protection of the environment and wild life for future generation. This is critical as President Samora Machel of Mozambique said:

The emancipation of women is not an act of charity, or the result of humanitarian or compassionate attitude. The liberation of women is a fundamental necessity of the revolution, the guarantee of its continuity and the precondition of its victory.

The struggle is daunting but not insurmountable! The end is close and we must not deviate from the ideals of promoting women’s emanciaption in a justice and equitable world!

Finally, let me wish you all a memorable International Women’s Day and assure you of the Commission’s preparedness to continue to partner with Women, allies and friends, in the promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma (Dr.)
Chairperson