African Union urged to do more for Protocol on rights of Women

Protocol on rights of Women - The Working Group on Gender Justice in Africa Tuesday called on the African Union (AU) to encourage member states that are yet to ratify the protocol on the rights of women in Africa to do so. In a statement made available to PANA, the Working Group said the AU should ensure that states which have ratified the protocol domesticate it and ensure its implementation. So far, 32 states have ratified the protocol: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Comoros, Cote d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The group also commended the AU and its leaders for the election of the first female Chairperson of the AU Commission, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. “The emergence of Dr. Dlamini-Zuma exhibited the commitment of the AU to gender equality within the AU, RECs and member states as provided for in the AU Constitutive Act and in the African Union Gender Policy by ensuring that there is equal representation for men and women in decision making, good governance and politics,” it said. Source:Pana