UN Women signs partnership agreement with ECCAS to strengthen the gender equality and women's empowerment’s standards and policies in the Central African region
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Photo credit: UN Women/Yulia Panevina
Dakar, Tuesday, 8 February 2022- The UN Women Regional Office for West and Central Africa has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Economic Community of Central Africa (ECCAS) to support the implementation of the Institution's Gender Policy and Action Plan adopted by the ECCAS Heads of State on 30 July 2020.
His Excellency Ambassador Dr. Gilberto Da Piedade Verissimo, President of the ECCAS Commission, on a business visit to Dakar, and Oulimata Sarr, UN Women Regional Director for West and Central Africa proceeded to the signing in the presence of the Commissioner of the Department for Gender Promotion, Human and Social Development of ECCAS, Ms. Yvette Ngandu, at the UN Women Regional Office in Dakar.
"This collaboration will promote the harmonization, coordination and complementarity of policy approaches, strategies and programmes on gender equality and women's empowerment in order to strengthen the internal institutional capacity of the ECCAS Commission to fulfil its commitments on gender equality and women's empowerment in the implementation of Agenda 2063 and the ECCAS Indicative Strategic Plan 2021-2025" said H.E. Dr. Gilberto Da Piedade Verissimo, President of the Commission of the Central African Economic Community.
To strengthen women's empowerment and the promotion of women's entrepreneurship in West Africa, UN Women and ECCAS will collaborate through knowledge sharing, capacity building and joint advocacy. It is in this context that the Conference on the Challenges of Women's Economic Empowerment and Women's Entrepreneurship in Central Africa will be organized this year.
"We are delighted with this partnership, which will allow us to support and strengthen the efforts of countries in the region to combat discrimination, gender inequality, social and economic inequality, particularly in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development," said Oulimata Sarr, UN Women Regional Director for West and Central Africa.
As part of this partnership, UN Women will support ECCAS Member States in the development of national action plans for UN Resolution 1325 and the inclusion of women in peace and security processes. In this context, both parties intend to set up the ECAAC Women Mediators Network. The promotion of women's participation in the political sphere, also provided for in the framework of this partnership, will allow for better involvement of women in electoral processes.
In the area of prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against women, the Memorandum of Understanding also provides for the elaboration of a regional instrument to strengthen the normative framework and combat discrimination in all its forms more effectively.
Press Contact: Ms. Hawa Seydou Diop, Regional Specialist in [ Click to reveal ] /+221773262082
About UN Women:
UN Women is the UN entity dedicated to gender equality and women's empowerment. As the global standard-bearer for women and girls, UN Women was created to accelerate progress in meeting their needs around the world. UN Women supports UN Member States in adopting international standards to achieve gender equality and works with governments and civil society to design the laws, policies, programmes and services needed to ensure the effective implementation of these standards and that women and girls benefit from them, all over the world.