Economic Commission for Africa
Address/Websites
Menelik II Ave. P.O. Box 3001, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Background
As the regional arm of the United Nations in Africa, the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) is mandated to support the economic and social development of its 53 Member States, foster regional integration, and promote international cooperation for Africa's development. The African Centre for Gender and Development, a Division of ECA, is mandated to orient the policies of the ECA into areas concerning gender equality and to advise the ECA on the implementation of appropriate strategies for the economic and social advancement of women in Africa.Policy framework
ECA’s mandate and policy framework on violence against women derives from the Dakar Platform for Action (1994) and the outcome and way forward-document of the Seventh African Regional Conference on women (2004). Its policy framework is also rooted in the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and its Additional Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa.Areas of Focus
ECA through the African Centre for Gender and Development undertakes policy development and research activities, as well as operational activities and awareness-raising activities in relation to violence against women.Resources
The African Gender and Development Index – African Women’s Progress Scoreboard
ABOUT 4 RESULTS
Jul 2007
ECA supported 12 countries to undertake field studies using the African Gender and Development Index.
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ECA supported 12 countries to undertake field studies using the African Gender and Development Index. The 12 pilot countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Egypt, Ghana, Madagascar, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia and Uganda) have collected qualitative data on domestic violence, harmful practices, rape, sexual harassment and trafficking in women. They assessed the extent to which governments have ratified international conventions, met all reporting requirements, passed national laws, developed plans with specific targets, set institutional mechanisms, allocated sufficient financial and human resources, undertaken research, collaborated with civil society organizations, disseminated information and set monitoring and evaluation mechanisms for each type of violence against women. The project has been extended during 2007 to five countries, Cape Verde, Senegal, the Gambia, Namibia, and Botswana.
Jul 2007
ECA supports inter-governmental processes, including those that result in policy instruments for the advancement of women, and the elimination of violence against women.
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ECA supports inter-governmental processes, including those that result in policy instruments for the advancement of women, and the elimination of violence against women. It supports the work of the Inter-African Committee on Traditional Practices on fight against traditional practices that are harmful to women and girls, including genital mutilation.
Jul 2007
ECA supports Member States, at their request, and undertakes capacity-building activities for non-governmental organizations on women’s human rights.
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ECA supports Member States, at their request, and undertakes capacity-building activities for non-governmental organizations on women’s human rights. ECA supports training workshops on women’s human rights, with a focus also on violence against women, in collaboration with partners from governments, United Nations entities and civil society. Examples include a regional training workshop on women’s human rights in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, in 2003; and a national training workshop on gender mainstreaming in Uganda, in 2004.
Jul 2007
To raise awareness on human rights issues and specifically on violence against women, ECA launched in April 2007, with the collaboration of the UNDP Regional Gender Programme, the African Women’s Rights Observatory (AWRO).
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To raise awareness on human rights issues and specifically on violence against women, ECA launched in April 2007, with the collaboration of the UNDP Regional Gender Programme, the African Women’s Rights Observatory (AWRO). The AWRO is expected to contribute to strengthening of tracking and monitoring protection/violations of women’s rights, including violence against women, in African countries.