Cote d’Ivoire launches its chapter of the African Women Leaders Network
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Cote d'Ivoire becomes the second country to launch the African Women Leaders Network to galvanize a movement of women leaders to play an important role in Africa's transformation, through the Africa Agenda 2063 and Sustainable Development Goals 2030.
Abidjan, January 26, 2018 - the transformation of Africa through African women leader’s network is now on the move.
On Friday, January 26, 2018, 210 women from various backgrounds; politicians, public sector, private sector, entrepreneurs, women of civil society and women of the media gathered at CRRAE-UEMOA in Plateau to take part in the restitution and launching of the African women leaders’ network.
The purpose of the launch was to enable national ownership of the results of the High-Level Forum on Women Leaders for the Transformation of Africa held in New York from May 31 to June 2, 2017; this forum had resulted in the launch of the " African Women Leaders Network " where women leaders agreed to build and maintain an inclusive network of diverse women and young women in leadership positions in all sectors of society and to invite the next meeting of the Forum in Addis Ababa in February 2018. Côte d’Ivoire gender minister attended the launch in New York as a woman leader.
The launch of the African Women Leaders Network in Cote d'Ivoire was conducted under the leadership of the Minister of Women, Pr Mariatou KONE, in presence of the Resident Representative of UN Women in Côte d'Ivoire, Ms Awa Ndiaye Seck, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany in Côte d'Ivoire, HE Mr. Michael GRAU, and the gender advisor of the President of the Republic. This launch also gathered women and girls in leadership positions in all sectors of society.
In her address, Mrs. Awa Ndiaye Seck, Resident Representative of UN Women in Cote d'Ivoire, presented the importance of the launch, which is the follow up of the recommendations from the women leaders’ forum held in New York. She encouraged women leaders of all socio-professional levels to involve themselves to advance women issues in Cote d'Ivoire. She also thanked the Ambassador of Germany for his commitment to accompany Ivorian women. Moreover, she expressed her gratitude to the Ivoirian Government and Ivorian people for the warm welcome extended to the Executive Director of UN Women during her visit in November 2017, and for the strong commitments made by the President of Cote d'Ivoire to advance GEWE. Furthermore, she reiterated UN Women's commitment to help translate the aspirations of the Africa Agenda 2063 and the Agenda of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals into concrete changes to promote Cote d'Ivoire transformation by focusing on good governance, peace and stability.
The Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany in Cote d'Ivoire, HE. Michael GRAU, welcomed the launch of this network, noting that this network is an opportunity to give Ivorian women the valuable place they deserve. He noted that the promotion of women's rights is an important obligation of their cooperation policy and added that Germany is ready to accompany women and stated that he remains attentive to requests.
The Minister of Women, Promotion of Children and Solidarity, Mrs. Mariatou Koné, in her speech, invited all the women to engage massively to obtain the results that the network has set and asked them to serve as a relay to all women in Cote d'Ivoire for the transformation of Cote d'Ivoire and Africa as a whole. She finished her speech by launching the Ivorian chapter of African women leader’s network, under the joy of women leaders, raising synchronized hands movements to express their adhesion to the network.