Press Release
For Immediate Release
Addis Ababa, January 24 2014
The Africa Women Want Beyond 2015
Women’s rights organizations from across Africa call for gender equality concerns to be fully integrated into the Common Africa Position being developed on the Post 2015 development agenda. Through a number of consultations that took place across the continent, common priorities that emerged include ensuring:
1. Women and girls have access to, control over and ownership of resources, including land, energy, technology, credit and information
2. Zero Tolerance on all forms of sexual and gender based violence
3. Gender parity in all decision making spaces
4. Universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights, including Family Planning and access to safe abortion within national laws and elimination of all barriers to integrated services
5. Recognize the care economy and unpaid care work
These common priorities were reiterated at a side event dubbed ‘The Africa Women Want Beyond 2015’ that took place at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Addis in the margins of the 22nd AU Summit. The event was attended by over 85 participants from over 12 countries representing diverse geographical, social, organizational and generational backgrounds and included representatives from the African Union Commission, UN Agencies, Missions in Addis Ababa, media and participants from civil society. The side event was organized by FEMNET in conjunction with Agency for Cooperation and Research in Development (ACORD), Akina Mama wa Afrika (AMwA), Ipas Africa Alliance, International Women’s Health Coalition (IWHC), Solidarity for African Women’s Rights (SOAWR), Equality Now and World YWCA.