The Pan-African Parliament (PAP), in collaboration with the Beijing 30+ Advocacy Group, convened a special sitting in Midrand to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action—a landmark global blueprint for advancing women’s rights and gender equality.
The event brought together parliamentarians, government officials, civil society representatives, youth, and development partners to reflect on Africa’s progress and renew the continent’s collective commitment to gender justice.
Opening the commemoration, H.E. Chief Fortune Charumbira, President of the Pan-African Parliament, reaffirmed the Parliament’s pivotal role in promoting women’s empowerment and inclusive governance across the continent. He emphasized that women, who constitute more than half of Africa’s population, are indispensable to realizing the continent’s full social and economic potential.
While acknowledging notable progress in legislative reforms and women’s representation, President Charumbira highlighted persistent challenges such as gender-based violence, limited access to finance, and underrepresentation in leadership. He urged all Member States to ratify and fully implement continental gender protocols, underscoring the recently adopted Model Law on Gender Equality and Equity as a transformative tool to harmonize national legal frameworks and accelerate women’s empowerment across Africa.
Building on this momentum, H.E. Dr. Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, commended Africa’s leadership in advancing gender equality but cautioned that progress remains uneven. She noted that women occupy less than one-third of parliamentary seats and that only a few African nations are led by women—underscoring the urgent need for stronger accountability and enforcement of gender quotas. Dr. Mohammed called for tangible actions to ensure that laws and policy commitments translate into meaningful, lived equality for all women and girls.
H.E. Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, former Chairperson of the African Union Commission, reflected on Africa’s post-Beijing achievements, citing measurable gains in education, health, and political participation. However, she emphasized that disparities persist in pay equity, property ownership, and decision-making. “We must dismantle systemic barriers and build an Africa where every girl can dream, lead, and achieve,” she urged, reaffirming that gender equality is central to sustainable development and good governance.
H.E. Amb. Gertrude Mongela, the first President of the Pan-African Parliament and Secretary-General of the 1995 Beijing Conference, offered a historical perspective, recalling Africa’s instrumental role in shaping the original Declaration. She reminded delegates that Beijing was not just an event but a transformative movement, urging continued vigilance to ensure that gender equality remains a permanent priority in governance, policy, and society.
Panel discussions explored the intersections of gender, health, and economic justice, emphasizing the need for stronger implementation of maternal health policies. The Beijing 30+ Group warned of regressive movements threatening women’s bodily autonomy and called for steadfast defense of sexual and reproductive health and rights as non-negotiable human rights—a message reinforced by the UNFPA, whose representative affirmed that reproductive health is the cornerstone of sustainable development.
The Final Communiqué of this historic gathering captured Africa’s unified vision and key resolutions to accelerate gender equality and women’s empowerment over the next three decades. It reaffirmed the continent’s commitment to the Maputo Protocol and Agenda 2063, urging AU Member States to fast-track the domestication and implementation of gender equality frameworks, including national gender policies and legislative reforms.
It further emphasized the importance of gender-responsive budgeting, monitoring, and accountability through mechanisms such as the AU Gender Observatory, the PAP Women’s Caucus, and National Gender Machineries. Delegates called for the promotion of women’s economic justice, equitable access to finance and land, elimination of the gender pay gap, and strengthened intergenerational collaboration and youth participation in decision-making.
The Communiqué also reaffirmed that gender-based violence and discrimination must be treated as urgent human rights violations requiring coordinated legislative and policy responses. It urged greater resource mobilization and stronger partnerships among governments, civil society, and the private sector to sustain progress and close the gender gap.
Delegates further noted emerging challenges—such as digital exclusion, climate change, and limited access to technology—and called for inclusive strategies to ensure that women and girls are not left behind in Africa’s digital and green transitions. The session reaffirmed that gender equality is fundamental to Africa’s development, peace, and democratic governance.
The event concluded with powerful closing remarks by Hon. Lucia Dos Passos, Third Vice-President of the Pan-African Parliament in charge of women’s affairs. Speaking on behalf of the PAP Bureau, she expressed gratitude to all delegates and reaffirmed the Parliament’s unwavering commitment to the Beijing spirit. She acknowledged Cabo Verde’s role, alongside Costa Rica, in co-chairing the drafting of the original Beijing Declaration, emphasizing that gender equality is not merely a women’s issue but a human development imperative.
Hon. Dos Passos lamented the omission of sexual and reproductive health rights in the new declaration but vowed that Africa would not retreat:
“We may have lost this battle in the document, but we will not lose it in practice.”
She called for intergenerational unity, stressing that “this fight will only be won with the involvement of the youth,” and urged all Africans to take ownership of Agenda 2063, the continent’s blueprint for transformation.
Celebrating the adoption of the Model Law on Gender Equality, she declared Africa a global pioneer in enshrining women’s rights through continental legislation:
“No other region in the world has such a law. We lead—now we must ensure our Member States domesticate it.”
Hon. Dos Passos concluded with a resounding call to unity and action:
“Let us move forward with one vision and one will—for an Africa where gender equality, peace, and prosperity reign. One Africa, one voice.”
