December 2013: The UN Economic Commission for Africa’s (UNECA) Committee of Women in Development (CWD) agreed that Africa’s common position (ACP) on the post-2015 development agenda should include a stand-alone pillar on gender equality and women’s empowerment, and should mainstream gender in other indicators and targets.
At a conference organized by the African Union (AU) and UNECA, from 12-14 November 2013, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the CWD discussed a guiding paper, ‘Africa in the post-2015 era: Achieving Gender Equality for the Continent’s Transformative Development,’ and research work and tools developed by the African Centre for Gender (ACG) to support Member States’ efforts to achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment.
On the post-2015 agenda, the CWD recommends, inter alia: the post-Millennium Development Goal (MDG) Agenda consider Africa’s specific concerns; and development of gender targets and indicators, including on identifying root causes of gender disparities.
The CWD also issued recommendations to the ACG, including that they: lead stakeholders in formulating an African women’s agenda; submit a position paper on gender equality and women’s empowerment to the team developing the ACP; develop and disseminate guiding principles on mainstreaming gender, including on climate change, to the ACP, the AU Commission (AUC) and UNECA; and facilitate and support Member States in harmonizing gender dimensions and in converging reviews and regional processes, including the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) and the post-2015 agenda.
The CWD also recommends, inter alia: UNECA and AUC ensure civil society participation in consultations on gender and the ACP; partnerships; sustainable gender responsive financing; and a media strategy to inform Member States on post-2015 agenda discussions.
On Beijing+15, the CWD recommends, inter alia, more work on climate change, food security and gender equality financing. On gender and climate change, the CWD recommends, inter alia: emphasizing proactive responses to climate change in policy recommendations; linking work on climate change to women’s access to clean energy, national micro-economic policy and internal displacement and migration; and building capacity on disaster risk management, awareness raising and evidence-based activism. [UNECA Press Release] [Meeting Concept Note] [IISD RS Sources]