5th Specialised Technical Committee on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE)

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November 23, 2020 to November 27, 2020

5th Specialised Technical Committee on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment

“Scaling up actions on commitments to equality and women’s rights.”

About the Specialised Technical Committee on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment.

The Specialised Technical Committee on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) is a Ministerial gathering mandated to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment in Africa. The STC leads, among other things, the formulation of decisions, policies and African Common Positions; advocacy for the ratification, implementation and domestication of the African Union legal and policy instruments; advocacy at national, continental and global levels; fund raising in support of the African Union’s gender agenda; advocacy for the protection, promotion and respect of women’s human rights; and promotion of sharing and learning of best practices among Member States. The STC held once a year unless an Extraordinary session is convened. The Bureau of the STC is elected every two years on a rotational basis. At the 5th STC, the election of the third Bureau is scheduled in accordance with Rule 16 (2) of its Rules of Procedure. The members of the current and outgoing Bureau are: I. Chairperson : Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Central Africa II. 1st Chairperson : Burkina Faso, West Africa III. 2nd Chairperson : Ethiopia, East Africa IV. 3rd Chairperson : Mauritania, North Africa V. Rapporteur : Angola, Southern Africa

Thematic focus of the 5TH STC on GEWE.

The African Union Commission Women, Gender and Development Directorate (WGDD) is convening the 5th Specialised Technical Committee on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (STC on GEWE), which will be held on the 27 November, 2020. The Ministerial meeting will be preceded by a technical Experts’ meeting on the 23 and 24 November, 2020. The 5th STC convenes at the time when Africa and the world are celebrating key gender equality milestones, among others, the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action; the 20th anniversary of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325; and the end of the first African Women’s Decade 2010-2020 on Grassroots Approach to Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment. Equally noteworthy is the fact that this STC is taking place against the backdrop of an unprecedented global COVID-19 Pandemic, which has impacted negatively on the advancement of gender equality, women’s empowerment and women’s rights in Africa. Over the past few months, as African governments implemented measures to control the pandemic such as lockdowns, border closures and movement restrictions, deeply concerning reports were received of how women are affected, including in the increase in Violence Against Women and Girls; the collapse of the informal daily wage economy which is predominated by women; the closure of small and medium enterprises and loss of means of sustenance for women; school closures; and an increase in teenage pregnancy, among others. Concerned by the impact of COVID-19 on gender equality and women’s empowerment, the recently-passed 2nd African Union (AU) Mid-Year Coordination Summit adopted a decision calling for the “development and implementation of AU Guidelines on Gender-Responsive Responses as a framework to integrate gender equality and women’s agency in decision-making processes in Africa’s COVID-19 responses and Post COVID-19 recovery plans”. This STC, as the primary policy-making platform on GEWE will therefore lead in the implementation of this decision. The STC will prioritize statutory matters as well as urgent and important AU Gender Agenda issues that require Ministerial consideration, adoption and decisions. The following statutory matters will be considered:

2019 Reports of the Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa (SDGEA)
AU Strategy on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment
Final Review Report of the African Women’s Decade on Grassroots Approaches to Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment: 2010-2020
Fund for African Women
Strategy and Action Plan on the African Women’s Decade on Financial and Economic Inclusion for African Women: 2020-2030
All for Maputo Protocol Project
Gender Parity Project
COVID 19 and Gender Equality.

Objectives of the 5th STC on GEWE.

The primary objectives are to:

i. Elect the 3rd STC Bureau.

ii. Consider and deliberate on topical reports.

iii. Adopt decisions.

iv. Receive updates and briefings on key gender issues.

Participation at the 5th STC on GEWE.

The meeting will be attended by the AU Ministers in charge of Gender and Women’s Affairs and their Experts. Other participants including among others, RECS, AU Organs and Specialized Agencies as well as Partners may be invited as Observers. In light of the COVID-19 restrictions, the meeting will be delivered virtually. Participants will be granted access to the meeting after registration.

The Opening session of the Ministerial STC will be broadcast live on Livestream- https://livestream.com/accounts/2466140/events/9418463

Resource and Reference materials.