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THE ECA CONTINENT-WIDE INITIATIVE FOR GENDER EQUALITY AND WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT (NCWI-GE/WE). Takyiwaa MANUH, Director Social Development Policy Division
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THE ECA CONTINENT-WIDE INITIATIVE FOR GENDER EQUALITY AND WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT (NCWI-GE/WE) Takyiwaa MANUH, Director Social Development Policy Division 7th Joint Annual Meetings of the ECA Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development and AU Conference of Ministers of Economy and Finance March 2014
Outline Introduction Challenges to achieving gender equality in Africa ECA’ s response The New ECA Initiative on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Objectives Value addition Priority areas Implementation modalities Partnerships Next steps
1. Introduction Strong and sustained rates of economic growth in African countries in the last decade; However, growth has failed to contribute to inclusive and sustainable social and human development; African leaders and citizens have therefore called for the structural transformation of Africa; As a result, ECA has refocused its mandate to support more effectively the African structural transformation agenda under the “Africa First ; African women are at the centre of Africa’s structural transformation because of their important economic and social contributions which are yet to be fully acknowledged and valued.
2. Challenges to achieving gender equality in Africa (1/2) Girls’ enrolment of girls in secondary and tertiary education remains low relative to boys; Maternal deaths, although declining, remain high; The vast majority of women employed in low-productivity, low-paying, vulnerable jobs with little security as casual agricultural labour and in unpaid family work, assembly-line work in urban factories, the domestic sectors, both nationally and outside their own countries, and in the informal economy; In many countries, women are less likely to be in paid employment than men, and may earn less than men for doing work of similar value;
2. Challenges to achieving gender equality in Africa (2/2) Large disparities in land and asset ownership between men and women, with women in some countries having no legal rights to own land and property, and to conduct business independently; Women continue to shoulder the heavy burden of unpaid work at home including those related to the care of children, the elderly, and the sick; cooking, and household chores, including fetching water and collecting woodfuels, leaving less time for them to spend on income-generating, learning, and leisure activities; Violence against women remains a serious problem.
3. ECA’s response (1/2) Over the last decade, ECA through the African Centre for Gender has assisted member States in promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment through: Evidence based research; Monitoring the implementation of regional and international commitments; Developing tools to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment; and Providing technical advisory services.
3. ECA’s response (2/2) Key outputs: i) The African Gender and Development Index (AGDI): Statistical tool to assist member States member States in planning, monitoring and evaluating the impact of policies aimed at narrowing the gap between men and women; Comprehensive set of gender-disaggregated data that can be used as a policy and advocacy tool to tackle gender inequality; This has been implemented in more than 30 African countries. ii) The African Women’s Rights Observatory and E-Network, a knowledge platform for sharing knowledge, good practices and networking amongst member States; iii) “Guidebook on Mainstreaming Unpaid Care Work and Household Production in National Accounts, Policies and Budgets” to assist member States to collect, analyse and use gender statistics including time-use data, to value and reflect women’s unpaid care work in national accounts and socio-economic policy frameworks.
4. The New ECA Initiative on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment: Objectives; Value addition; and Priority areas
4.1. Objectives (1/2) Strategic objective: to ensure that the work of ECA has an effect on the lives of every woman and girl, whilst building on the positive interconnections between women’s socio-economic and political development and Africa’s structural transformation.
4.1. Objectives (2/2) Specific objectives: Promote women’s socio-economic and political rights; Ensure that women’s economic contributions are made visible and valued; Foster women’s economic empowerment through the promotion of women’s entrepreneurship within Africa’s commodity-based industrialisation; Ensure appropriate delivery of quality social services, including social protection and social security to women.
4.2. Value addition of the Initiative Aligned with Africa’s structural transformation agenda; Develops inter-linkages between Africa’s structural transformation agenda and women’s empowerment and well-being; Complements efforts of other actors to achieve the needs of member States.
4.3. Priority areas The Initiative will address three interlinked priorities:
4 (a) Women’s economic empowerment (1/3) Aim: To promote women’s economic empowerment by measuring and recognising their contributions to Africa’s economic development and harnessing their entrepreneurial potential. Focus areas: Measuring and valuing women’s economic contribution; and Promoting women’s entrepreneurship, especially in agriculture, and in the mining and the extractive industry.
4 (c) The social sector (1/3) Aim:to enhance women’s socio-economic situation by responding to their social security needs and reducing vulnerabilities. Focus areas: Social protection; and Migration, both internal, regional and international
5. Implementation modalities Data collection and research. Country-specific studies to inform initiatives and programmes. Use of existing tools such as the AGDI for data collection and monitoring of performance relative to commitments made. Develop new tools and approaches to assist member States to craft and implement gender responsive policies and programmes. Knowledge management: use research results to inform policy making and policy dialogue, including the use of knowledge platforms for information sharing. In collaboration with IDEP, provide capacity development and tailored advisory services to member States based on their expressed needs.
6. Partnerships (1/2) Strategic considerations: Need to focus on the needs of member states; Work done by other organisations; Need to avoid duplication of efforts; Need to leverage additional technical competencies and financial resources and enhance synergies in capacity development and delivery of outputs.
7. Next steps Seek the endorsement of the Initiative by the Conference of Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development; Develop work programme to implement the Initiative; Undertake joint programming with AUC/AfDB; Develop resource mobilisation strategy to raise funds to finance the implementation of the programme. Official launch of the Initiative, work programme, and resource mobilisation strategy.
