Development partners urged to increase support for gender work in Africa

UN Women meets development partners

Date:

Letty Chiwara, UN Women Ethiopia Country Representative makes her presentation. Photo: UN Women/ Patterson Siema
Letty Chiwara, UN Women Ethiopia Country Representative makes her presentation. Photo: UN Women/ Patterson Siema

Development partners have been urged to support the work of UN Women in Africa by putting gender at the center of African programme funding and development initiatives. Strengthened partnerships for gender will enable the continent to realize the SDGs and Africa Union’s Agenda 2063. However, this requires substantive investment in gender equality and women’s empowerment. Participants at the UN Women ESARO donor briefing caucus included governments, private sector, regional economic blocks and UN Agencies Regional representatives. They were extensively briefed on the progress made on the 2018-2020 Africa Strategy and updated on the UN Development system reforms.

During the meeting Dr. Izeduwa Derex-briggs, the UN Women Regional Director affirmed the organizations commitment to the effective implementation of the Africa strategy. The strategy seeks an integrated, inclusive, peaceful and prosperous Africa, where women, girls, boys and men enjoy equal rights and opportunities.

Stakeholders at the meeting agreed to strengthen interlinkages for effective impactful partnerships for resource mobilization and programme delivery. Critical to this partnership will be the generation of gender specific data that will inform gender focused programming on the continent.