The Vice President of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) Women’s Caucus, Hon. Victoria Kingstone shared with the PAP Plenary, a report on the three main activities the group has undertaken since November 2022. The report also included recommendations that the Plenary adopted today.
The first matter that was presented for adoption was in relation to the International Women’s Day on 8 March 2023, wherein the Caucus celebrated, along with the rest of the world, under the theme: “For an Inclusive Digital World: Innovation and Technologies or Gender Equality”. Guided by the Women’s Day theme, the Caucus has made several recommendations that seek to address the inequalities that exist in the ICT sector. These include the following:
• To recognise and celebrate the women and girls who are championing transformative technology and digital education;
• To explore and address the impact of the digital gender gap on widening economic and social inequalities;
• To shine a spotlight on the importance of protecting the rights of women and girls in digital spaces and addressing online and ICT-facilitated gender-based violence;
• To encourage the inclusion of women and other marginalised groups in the field of technology to foster more creative solutions and innovations that meet women’s needs and promote gender equality.
Hon. Kingstone moved to present the Caucus’ recommendations on the second matter for adoption by the Plenary. These stem from PAP’s participation in the 67th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) which took place early this year on the 6th to 17th March in New York, USA. The CSW is a global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women.
PAP’s participation gave the delegation an opportunity to raise the African Union organ’s visibility on the work that it does with regards to gender-related issues. Hon. Kingstone presented the recommendations as follows:
• That efforts by PAP member countries and all their stakeholders need to consider the social, political, and economic factors that drive the design, development and use of digital technologies and put women and girls at the center of technological change, innovation and education.
• Design and implement law, policy, administrative and practical measures to address existing structural inequalities in income, education, and employment opportunities, and remove political, economic, legal, cultural, technological and barriers that prevent women and girls from accessing and using the internet and ICTs;
• Actively include women and gender equality experts in policymaking, regulatory and governance processes to ensure fairer and fairer digital and data outcomes.
Lastly and most urgently, the Women’s Caucus presented to the PAP Plenary, a draft resolution on the current war in Sudan and its effects on women and children. The Caucus affirmed the importance of protecting women and girls in Sudan while the war rages on in the country. In their resolutions, The Caucus expressed their deep concern about the current crisis in Sudan which has seen hundreds of deaths and thousands of displaced persons who have been forced to refuge in neighbouring countries.
The Caucus has resolved to: “Condemn, in the strongest terms, all forms of violence against women and calls on all member States to provide financial and logistical support to the country during this difficult time,” Hon. Kingstone said.
Additionally, the Caucus calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities and implementation of de-escalation measures to restore peace and security within the country. “Encourages the two warring factions to engage in dialogue with necessary stakeholders,” the resolutions read.
Furthermore, the Caucus wishes to form and send a join fact-finding mission along with the Permanent Committee on Justice, Human Rights to Sudan, Special Envoy of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission on Gender, Peace, and Security, the African Women Leaders Network (AWLN) and Partners. The Caucus calls upon all Organs of the African Union, the United Nations Security Council as well as the International Community to impress upon the parties involved to establish humanitarian corridors, return to political dialogue and negotiation towards the establishment of an inclusive civilian-led government.
The Caucus went on to congratulate the recent positive developments, including the signing of the Jeddah Agreement on May 12. The agreement represents a significant step towards ending the conflict and restoring peace and stability to Sudan. Importantly, the Caucus wishes to pay tribute to neighbouring countries that have provided refuge to those who have been affected by the war and calls on the international community to provide support to these countries in their efforts to host refugees.
The Women’s Caucus report has been adopted by the PAP.
