Ping Seeks Gender Balance Among African Ambassadors
25 Jan 2009
25 Jan 2009
African Union's Commission chief Jean Ping has urged African leaders to appoint more women as representatives to join the Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC) that brings together some 53 ambassadors.
Ping also directed members of his cabinet to include at least a female candidate for appointment whenever there is a senior position to be filled at the AU Commission, saying he must be given a chance to promote the ideals of gender balance.
"We should encourage states to promote women ambassadors. We only have three amb assadors to the AU. The member states must also select candidates taking into account the gender perspectives," Ping told a pre-Summit meeting on gender on Saturday.
He said the AU was ready to work with "broad-based" women rights networks to encourage African countries to ratify the AU treaty on Human and People's Rights.
African women, drawn from 31 different civil society organisations, have gathered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for the regular pre-Summit meeting of the African Union, to discuss progress the organisation has made in improving women rights issues and gender parity.
The women, meeting under the arm of the Solidarity for African Women's Rights (SOAWR), chided most African leaders for failing to act on the plight of women.
African leaders agreed to ratify the treaty aimed at improving the welfare of wo men by eliminating all kinds of harmful practices that prevent them from enjoyin g equal rights with men and eliminating all kinds of discrimination based on gender.
But this pledge, the women leaders said, had remained unfulfilled, going by the number of countries that had ratified the protocol.
Ping said the protocol placed the responsibility on African countries to put in place actions to accelerate the enjoyment of the women's rights. The treaty has been ratified by some 27 African states, although its implementat ion remains wanting.
"We are not just happy at the ratification of this treaty. We need this agreement to have real impact on women's issues. These include female circumcision and forced early marriages," said Caroline Muriithi, a Programme officer for UK-based Equality Now.
The African Women's Development and Communication Network (FEMNET), which coordinated the meeting, also urged the AU to push African states to implement the treaty.
"This is an important instrument. African women must seize the moment to make its voice heard. The AU must push the states that have not ratified the gender protocol to do so," said FEMNET Chairperson Mama Koite.
Addis Ababa - 25/01/2009
Pana
Ping also directed members of his cabinet to include at least a female candidate for appointment whenever there is a senior position to be filled at the AU Commission, saying he must be given a chance to promote the ideals of gender balance.
"We should encourage states to promote women ambassadors. We only have three amb assadors to the AU. The member states must also select candidates taking into account the gender perspectives," Ping told a pre-Summit meeting on gender on Saturday.
He said the AU was ready to work with "broad-based" women rights networks to encourage African countries to ratify the AU treaty on Human and People's Rights.
African women, drawn from 31 different civil society organisations, have gathered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for the regular pre-Summit meeting of the African Union, to discuss progress the organisation has made in improving women rights issues and gender parity.
The women, meeting under the arm of the Solidarity for African Women's Rights (SOAWR), chided most African leaders for failing to act on the plight of women.
African leaders agreed to ratify the treaty aimed at improving the welfare of wo men by eliminating all kinds of harmful practices that prevent them from enjoyin g equal rights with men and eliminating all kinds of discrimination based on gender.
But this pledge, the women leaders said, had remained unfulfilled, going by the number of countries that had ratified the protocol.
Ping said the protocol placed the responsibility on African countries to put in place actions to accelerate the enjoyment of the women's rights. The treaty has been ratified by some 27 African states, although its implementat ion remains wanting.
"We are not just happy at the ratification of this treaty. We need this agreement to have real impact on women's issues. These include female circumcision and forced early marriages," said Caroline Muriithi, a Programme officer for UK-based Equality Now.
The African Women's Development and Communication Network (FEMNET), which coordinated the meeting, also urged the AU to push African states to implement the treaty.
"This is an important instrument. African women must seize the moment to make its voice heard. The AU must push the states that have not ratified the gender protocol to do so," said FEMNET Chairperson Mama Koite.
Addis Ababa - 25/01/2009
Pana
Source: http://www.afriquejet.com/
