My first task this week was to represent the #UK at a meeting of the African Union’s (#AU) Peace and Security Council #AUPSC on the subject of “Women, Peace and Security”.
The UK has long been a strong supporter of much of the work of the AU, but especially when it comes to peace and security – within this context we see gender issues as being particularly important. We welcome the encouragement we have received from the AU for the global campaign the UK has been leading to end sexual violence in conflict. The Summit on this issue which former Foreign Secretary William Hague hosted in #London in June revealed widespread international support for an end to the impunity which the perpetrators of violence have been enjoying.
Many women are subject to horrific violence in conflict situations as well as in daily life. Conflicts around Africa have witnessed a proliferation of this violence against women. And at the same time women are being economically marginalised. Cultural traditions coupled with poverty have anchored many women at the lower levels of society. The amount of work the average African woman does daily is staggering. But she is also frequently in the back seat when it comes to major family decisions.
#Africa is changing all that. More girls are going to school. The appalling practice of Female Genital Mutilation #FGM is now under widespread challenge. More and more women entrepreneurs are being created each day. Africa needs more jobs in general, but also better quality jobs for women that allow them to realise their full potential. The economic advantage that shift could bring dwarfs the contribution by donors to the continent.
The AU has had a role in this shift. Over the past decade, new instruments have been involved to guarantee the rights of women and girls – the Constitutive Act, the African Charter on People’s and Human Rights and its Protocol and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child have been adopted by Member States to protect the rights of African citizens in general, but with a focus on the situation of women and children.
It is against that background that we collaborate closely with and contribute to the AU’s Gender Peace and Security Program. This will greatly enhance the role women play in peacemaking and peace building. We believe the full inclusion of women in the quest for sustainable peace and security is crucial to its success.
Finally, may I congratulate the AU for adopting “Women’s Empowerment Year and Africa’s Development for the Concretization of Agenda 2063” as the theme for its summit in 2015.