Africa-Press – Botswana. Having set the stage for accelerated gender equality reforms as the chair of the Special Technical Committee on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, the Ministry of Youth and Gender Affairs welcomed delegates from the African Union to map out the continent’s women empowerment agenda together.
Botswana last week officially welcomed delegates from the African Union at Woodlane Hotel in Gaborone as the chair of the African Union Special Technical Committee (STC) on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE).
In her welcome address, the Minister of Youth and Gender Affairs, Lesego Chombo, expressed gratitude for the delegates’ ongoing commitment since Botswana assumed the chairship of the STC in November 2023.
“We cannot wait any longer for women to fully enjoy their human rights,” Chombo asserted. “We have to ensure commitment and acceleration of implementation of the Gender Agenda across the continent and at all levels of our societies.”
Critical focus areas
Minister Chombo emphasised the significance of Africa’s inclusion in the Political Declaration at the 69th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) and called for continued engagement in revitalising the CSW as a tool for accountability in women’s rights.
During the three-day engagement that concluded on Sunday, the delegations led deliberations on critical focus areas to advance gender equality. Chombo outlined four priority objectives under Botswana’s STC chairmanship to deepen understanding of the STC Rules of Procedure, namely:
Adopting an Advocacy and Mobilisation Strategy to popularise domestication of the Maputo Protocol;
Accession to the Convention on the Elimination of Violence Against Women (CEVAWG);
Scaling up the Men’s Conference on Positive Masculinity across the continent; and
Adopting a two-year Roadmap to Steer Botswana’s Leadership during its tenure.
“We are fully committed to ensuring the continent creates a conducive environment where women and girls fully enjoy their human rights and meaningfully contribute to their communities,” she said.
With 38 years remaining to realise the African Union’s Agenda 2063, Chombo underscored the need for women’s full inclusion in Africa’s economic landscape, particularly through initiatives like the Free Movement Protocol (FMP) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
“It is inevitable that we cannot realise our Agenda 2063 if women and girls continue to be excluded in the development process,” she stated. “We must intentionally remove barriers and safeguard the rights and aspirations of our women and young people.”
Maputo Protocol
The engagements also spotlighted Botswana’s historic ratification of the Maputo Protocol and the nation’s leadership in advancing women’s rights and political participation across Africa.
The event marked the formal beginning of Botswana’s domestication of the Maputo Protocol and its roadmap towards ratifying the African Union Convention on Ending Violence Against Women and Children.
Chombo’s rousing conclusion captured the urgency of the moment: “Africa needs its women and girls to change the current socio-economic and political landscape,” she intoned. “We cannot wait any longer.”
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