MEDIA ADVISORY / 30th AU SUMMIT

High-Level Working Lunch on Gender and Development Initiative for Africa (GADIA)

INVITATION TO REPRESENTATIVES OF THE MEDIA

When: Sunday, 28 January 2018

Time: 13h:00 – 15h:00

Where: Multipurpose Hall, African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia,

What: The Chairperson of the AU for 2017, H.E. Prof. Alpha Conde, President of Guinea, appointed H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of Ghana, as the African Union’s Champion for Gender and Development Issues. As part of his vision for this important role, the President of Ghana launched the Gender and Development Initiative for Africa (GADIA).GADIA is an unprecedented flagship programme and implementation framework for the President’s AU Gender and Development Championship.
GADIA is built on the pillars of enhancing women’s economic empowerment through the private sector and increasing women’s political participation. Through these two interlinked thematic areas, GADIA will address the myriad of issues that disproportionately affect women’s representation, participation and leadership in business and politics. These include various critical factors that hinder the holistic development of women and girls including comprehensive and accessible education; the elimination of harmful practices such as female genital mutilation (FGM); adequate access to targeted Social Protection programmes for the most vulnerable women and girls; and the creation of an enabling environment that facilitates their empowerment, growth and leadership across all industries and sectors of society.
In pursuit of concrete initiatives aimed at developing the necessary environment needed to support sustainable progress in reducing gender inequalities through His Gender and Development Championship, the President will hold High-Level Working Lunch on GADIA with all Heads of States as a significant side-event at the upcoming 30th AU Summit in January 2018.
Who: The High-Level GADIA Working Lunch will be organized by the Office of the Presidential Advisor for Gender and Development (OPAGAD) at the Office of the President in Accra, the AU Gender Directorate and the AU Secretary General’s Office with the important collaboration of Ghana’s Permanent Mission in Addis Ababa and key partners such as UNFPA.
Objective: The GADIA High-Level Working Lunch will mobilize the necessary support and commitment among Heads of State to secure positive impacts on gender and development at the most senior levels of government in Africa. The specific objectives of the event include:
• Sharing experiences on successful country programs and key strategies to be implemented in line with the pillars of H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s Gender and Development Initiative for Africa (GADIA) (enhancing women’s economic empowerment and increasing women’s political participation);
• Providing a platform for African Heads of State to report on their nation’s progress and/or strategies towards meeting the gender related targets under Agenda 2063;
• Discussions on key challenges affecting the full ratification of continental instruments such as the Maputo Protocol and the implementation of the Addis Ababa Declaration on Population and Development;
• Providing an opportunity for African Heads of State and Government to raise the profile and importance of issues related to gender equality and women’s empowerment in Africa.

Journalists are invited to cover the High-Level Working Lunch on Gender and Development Initiative for Africa (GADIA) on Sunday, 28 January 2018 at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Media inquiries should be directed to:

Mrs. Esther Azaa Tankou| Head of Information Division | African Union Commission | Tel: +251 (0) 911361185 | E-mail: yamboue@africa-union.org |

Mrs. Rahel Akalewold / Directorate of Information and Communication / E-mail: RahelA@africa-union.org

For further information:
Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: dic@africa-union.org I Web Site: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia

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