Remarks by Ms. Sweta C. Saxena at the Sixty Nineth Session of the Commission on the Status of Women

Talking Points

Ms. Sweta C. Saxena

Director, Gender Poverty and Social Policy Division of the Economic Commission for Africa

Sixty Nineth Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW 69) on the review and appraisal of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action

Africa pre-session

Date:Friday, November 1, 2024

Salutations:

Excellencies,

Ms. Angela Nakafeero, Chairperson of the Specialised Technical Committee on Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment

Distinguished senior officials and government officials present here today

Dr. Maxime Huinato, UN Women Regional Director Western and Central Africa UN Assistant Secretary-General and UN Women Deputy Executive Director

Ms. Noni Mafubane, Acting Director Regional Service Center, UNDP

Ms. Prudence Nyagwenya, Director of the Women, Gender and Development Directorate of the African Union

Distinguished experts

Representatives of African regional economic communities, CSOS Present and VIPs in our midst

Representatives of UN Agencies

Colleagues,

Ladies and gentlemen

On behalf of ECA, let me warmly welcome all the delegates to this historic event, we dub as Bejing+30 Review for Africa - a meeting to celebrate our achievements and renew our commitments to the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.

Distinguished participants

Before I go any further, please allow me to acknowledge, applaud and thank the African Union Commission and UN Women and, indeed, the rest of the UN family in providing a formidable partnership in helping to deliver this important regional review on a commitment made 30 years ago in China to ensure gender equality and women's empowerment. The important contributions of our partners and the discussions at this review will feed into the global report at the 69^th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women, which will, in turn, inform the Secretary General's report on gender equality and women's empowerment at the UN General Assembly in September 2025 (marking the 30th Anniversary of Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action).

This is a great occasion for us to pause and reflect - reflect on the trying times we are living in; reflect on how far we have come; and finally, to reflect on the challenges that still exist and persist providing us the opportunity to undertake transformative measures and actions for greater change in the lives of women and girls.

Ladies and gentlemen,

First, let us acknowledge the trying times we are living in, which are compounded multiple times for African Women:

We are living in times of crises, which result in loss in output and, hence, a fall in government revenues. This forces governments to take to austerity that ends up hurting women and girls the most because of their dependence on public spending. For instance, expenditure cuts tend to increase the need for unpaid care work exponentially - which is usually provided by women.

These are also the times of conflicts, volatile food and energy prices, food insecurity, natural disasters - all of which have intensified vulnerability and increased inequalities. For instance, as climate change depletes energy sources and African households have limited access to electricity, the burden of providing for such energy sources increases for women. Women end up spending significant amounts of time collecting biomass for fuel (such as wood, charcoal or agricultural waste) to meet household needs - which in turn reduces the time available for generating income or on care activities. Let's not forget that the high burden of unpaid care work has its opportunity cost - a cost that costs economic, social, educational and leadership advancements for women and girls.

Besides, the indoor pollution and carbon monoxide emissions from certain sources of energy result in serious health issues.

Additionally, absence of some very basic services like street lighting put safety of women and girls at risk.

Despite these challenges, let's reflect and celebrate some of our achievements and applaud our member States for making sincere efforts. Africa has made remarkable progress in increasing women's participation in parliaments, media and public life. The proportion of women in national parliaments have tripled from an average of 8.1 per cent in 1995. Fifteen (15) countries surpassed the 30 per cent target for women's representation in national parliaments in 2023. Women's representation in the media has improved, promoting their inclusion and positive portrayal across various platforms.

Member states have also made strides in operationalizing the Women Peace and Security agenda: Thirty-four (34) member States in Africa have adopted National Action Plans on UNSCR 1325 with twenty-eight (28) of them successfully incorporating it into their policies and strategies. Forty-four (44) countries have adopted the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol)

Lastly, nearly all countries have set up gender focal persons in all government ministries, departments, and agencies to institutionalize the national gender mainstreaming framework.

However, this is not the time to be complacent because we have numerous challenges ahead of us. But I am certain that we can turn those challenges into opportunities. I will mention a few here:

• It is time to implement the laws, legislations, action plans, and policies that are already in place.

• It is time to end discriminatory and harmful gender norms and stereotypes; and our conscious or unconscious biases, which can exist even where gender-equality laws are in place.

• It is time we put our money where our mouth is - we need to put enough resources to make a dent in enhancing gender equality and women's empowerment.

• It is time we bridge the technological and digital divide that exacerbates inequalities and limits women's access to digital tools and services, which is essential for their empowerment in the modern economy.

• Last but not the least, it is time to make our women and girls count. Their presence cannot be felt unless we explicitly measure them! Hence, we need more disaggregated data on specialized topics that matter for the well-being of women and girls - for instance, data on violence against women, data on their time use.

These are a few of the many things that will be deliberated over the next two days. I stand with the African women and look forward to the discussions on how to make the voices of our sisters and daughters heard; their presence felt; and their full potential brought to life.

As I conclude, I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to our host, the Government and people of Ethiopia, for their warm hospitality.

Last but not the least, I would like to thank my team in the Gender, Poverty and Social Policy Division for their commitment towards Goal 5 and for never taking their eyes off of that ball.

Let me also take this opportunity to invite you all to the launch of the 2023 Africa Gender Index Report later today at 6pm at the UN Conference Room 3, followed by a cocktail reception.

Thank you very much. Āme-segi-nalehu. Merci. Shukraan. Dhanyavad. Gracias.

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