CAIRO: South Africa's Institute for Security Studies has expressed its commitment to gender equality and African women's empowerment. It came after the launch of the African Women's Decade in Nairobi, Kenya, on Friday. According to the declaration, the current decade is hopeful, participants at the conference, to accelerate policy efforts to improve the situation and status of women in Africa. The framework, designed through “various declarations, protocols and conventions on gender equality, women's empowerment and women's participation in conflict prevention, conflict resolution and peace building” was adopted by the African Union. African heads of state and government has already adopted the proposal for an African Women's Decade at their summit in February 2009, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. At their eighth meeting, held in Gambia, African ministers in charge of Gender and Women's Affairs adopted the road map for the African Women's Decade activities. The main objectives of the decade are to create awareness and mobilize continental support and political will, reinvigorate commitments in implementing agreed decisions on gender commitments, mobilize resources in implementing the Decade's goals, as well as energize the African women's movement with a focus on youth and grassroots women leaders. 10 thematic areas have been identified for the next decade and emphasis on each theme will be highlighted annually. These areas include fighting poverty and promoting economic empowerment of women and entrepreneurship; Agriculture and food security; Health, maternal mortality and HIV/AIDS; and Education, science and technology. BM
