FEMNET's programmes and projects. What's new?

• Position: Programmes & Projects - African Women's Development and Communication Network

African Union

FEMNET has been involved in lobbying for the integration of gender concerns in the African Union. FEMNET was nominated the campaign manager of the first female candidate for the post of OAU Secretary-General. Although she did not manage to get the position, lobbying by women's NGO's around this candidacy raised fundamental questions about gender within the OAU/African Union (AU).

Concrete measures to mainstream gender in qualitative as well as quantitative terms within the OAU itself need to be elaborated and implemented. An opportunity now exists through the Constitutive Act of the protocols to be developed under African Union African women must organised themselves on how to engender these protocols. FEMNET is currently engaging in dialogue with other regional partners on how to engender the African Union.

Engendering the Poverty Reduction Strategy in Africa

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank in December, 1999 introduced the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) to poor and highly indebted countries. The PRSP is led by the respective national governments, developed by the direct input of national and local institutions, and produced by a broad-based, comprehensive participatory process.

In order to gain insights on how to build women's capacity in influencing resource allocation at national level in Africa, FEMNET has been closely engaged with the PRSP process in Kenya through the Gender Thematic Group (GTG) and the Civil Society Consultative Working Group (CSO-CWG). A PRSP effort for women in Africa is critical. African women, who experience higher poverty levels than men, are generally desperately poor.

From FEMNET's experience in the process, women were poorly positioned to influence the process. There is need to analyse the PRSP process comprehensively in Africa and use the lessons learnt to strengthen women's capacity to influence macroeconomic planning. Additionally research should be conducted to examine poverty prevalence among women within the context of macroeconomic frameworks. This will provide a strategic tool in addressing women's economic empowerment from national budgeting.

Optional Protocol on Women's Human Rights to the African Commission on Human and People's Rights

The Special Rapporteur on Women's Human Rights, in Africa is now Angela Melo from Mozambique. The work of the Special Rapporteur on the optional protocol on report on gender in Africa offers another window of opportunity...