At the Third Ordinary Session of the African Union (AU) Assembly of Heads of State and Government in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in July 2004, the Heads of State and Government adopted the Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa (SDGEA) . The Declaration is an important African instrument for promoting gender equality and women's empowerment as it strengthens African ownership of the gender equality agenda and keeps the issues alive at the highest political level in Africa. Through the Solemn Declaration, Heads of State and Government commit themselves to report annually on progress towards gender equality. In addition, the Chairperson of the AU Commission is expected to submit an annual report to the Assembly on progress made in the implementation of the Solemn Declaration as well as on the state of gender equality and gender mainstreaming at the national and regional levels.
To assist Member States in its reporting responsibly, the Ministers Responsible for Women's Affairs and Gender, at their First AU Conference held in Dakar, Senegal in October 2005 adopted two documents, namely the Implementation Framework for the Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa (SDGEA) and the Guidelines for Monitoring and Reporting on the SDGEA.
To date only seven Member States have submitted their reports, namely: Algeria, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Namibia, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia. The reports are hereby attached for the information and comments of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs). The comments will be incorporated into the synthesis being prepared for consideration by the Assembly of Heads of States and Government at their January 2007 Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. CSO comments to these reports could be sent to the address below before 30 October 2006:
Ms. Yetunde Teriba
Women, Gender and Development Directorate
African Union Commission
P.O. Box 3243 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Tel (251-11) 551 77 00 ext 220 Direct (251-11) 5521 10 92/525863
Fax (251-11) 551 78 44
E-mail: dgender@africa-union.org , teribay@africa-union.org
