7 November 2014: Participants at an African civil society forum discussed the Beijing Platform for Action’s 12 critical areas of concern, noting achievements in economic, political and social aspects, but recognizing that progress has been slow, and noting fatigue among those leading the women’s movement. The forum was organized by UN Women, the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the African Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMENT) and IPAS, as part of the Beijing 20-year review process (Beijing+20).

The forum took place on 21-22 October 2014, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Dinah Musindarwezo, FEMNET Director, said gender equality persists around the world, and described the review process as a “key opportunity to voice women’s priorities in emphasizing the demands made 20 years ago.”

Thokozile Ruzvidzo, UNECA, said nearly all African Member States have prepared comprehensive national reviews on implementation of the Beijing Declaration, demonstrating African governments’ commitment to promoting women’s empowerment in the post-2015 development agenda.

Several African governments have enacted legal and policy instruments to address gender inequalities, such as the African Union’s (AU) gender policy, the Maputo Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa and constitutional amendments to address gender inequalities in criminal and family law, according to UN Women.

Participants recognized the role of African civil society organizations in efforts to accelerate commitments and engagement on gender equality and women’s empowerment.

The civil society forum will contribute to the Ninth Regional Conference on Beijing+20, on 17-19 November 2014. UN Women is working with the UN Regional Commissions to organize reviews in each region. The resulting recommendations will contribute to the global review of the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action at the 59th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW 59). [UN Women Press Release] [Beijing+20 Review Process]