7th Session of the CDW reviews Banjul Declaration

On 17 may 2011, the Committee on Women and Development (CWD) of the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), opened in Addis Abeba (Ethiopia) its 7th Session concerning “Narrowing Gaps, Maximizing Opportunities: Beyond Beijing+15”.
The purpose of the meeting is to discuss progress made, the problems encountered and the strategies needed to improve gender equality and women’s development.
The ECA’s Deputy Executive Secretary, Jennifer Kargbo, underlined that an important progress has been achieved with regard to the participation of women in decision-making, especially in Rwanda with 56% women MPs, followed by South Africa and Mozambique.
Kajali Sonko, Chair of the CDW Bureau in Gambia, said that another significant step on the way to gender equality was the launch of the UN newest organization “UN Women” with a view to identify new strategies to provide concrete actions in order to accelerate the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action.