CSW is instrumental in promoting women’s rights, documenting the realities of women’s lives

The Pan African Parliament’s Women Caucus made a presentation to the PAP Plenary on 7 March 2023 in South Africa. The presentation focused on the International Women’s Day (IWD) agenda for March 8, 2023 under the theme: “For an inclusive digital world: Innovation and Technologies for Gender Equality ”.

According to the representative of Women Caucus, the observance of IWD by the United Nations recognizes and celebrates the contribution of women and girls who promote advances in transformative technologies and digital education.

In a presentation made on behalf of the Women Caucus chairperson, Hon. Amina Tidjani Yaya (Mrs), it was stated that the 2023 IWD will explore the impact of the digital gender gap on widening economic and social inequalities. The meeting will also highlight the need to protect the rights of women and girls in digital spaces and to tackle online and ICT-facilitated gender-based violence.

Commenting on the participation of the PAP delegation to the 67th Session Commission on The Status of Women, the Women Caucus Representative stated that the 67th Commission on the Status of the Women (CWS 67) will take place at the UN from 06 to 17 March 2023 at the United Nations headquarters in New York. The CSW is the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women.

The President of the Pan African Parliament, His Excellency, Hon. Chief Charumbira, has granted his approval for a delegation of nine (09) Members of the Pan African Parliament to attend the 67th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women to be held in New York, United States of America, from 12th to 18th March 2023. The Pan African Parliament delegation will be led by H.E Hon. Prof Massouda Laghdaf, 1st Vice President of the Pan African Parliament.

The Pan African Parliament and the African Union Commission (AUC) participate in the annual CSW Sessions in furtherance of Aspiration 7 of Agenda 2063 to influence and ensure the integration of the African Union (AU) position on GEWE in global platforms.

According to Women Caucus Representative, the CSW is instrumental in promoting women’s rights, documenting the realities of women’s lives throughout the world, and shaping global standards on gender equality and the empowerment of women.

It brings together key actors in the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) arena and has continued to be driven by women themselves, either as part of official government delegations, intergovernmental, non-governmental or as part of the global women’s movement.

The CSW 67 will take place at the UN Headquarters in New York, under the following themes:

Priority theme: Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.

And review theme: Challenges and opportunities in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls.

According to Women Caucus Representative, the PAP will also hold a side event which aims to provide a wealth of expert information on this critical topic with a broad range of recommendations for all actors, so as to ensure that women and girls — irrespective of their age, race, disability, geographic location, country of origin or economic background have an equal opportunity to safely and meaningfully access, use, lead, and design technology.

PAP parliamentarians have been urged to engage with stakeholders in discussions that will contribute towards the advancement of women on the continent and pled for the ratification, domestication and implementation of all legal instruments that determines women’s rights and to promote and pass laws which will enable the implementation, alignment and mainstreaming of women’s rights with national development policies and programs in line with innovation and technological change, and digital education.

The PAP side event will be held on the 14 March 2023 at the African Union headquarter in New York under the Theme: The role of African Women Legislators to bridge the gap between the policy framework and the realities of African women in “Innovation and technological change, and digital education for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.”

Meanwhile, Women’s Day will be marked by a high-level ceremony on Wednesday March 8, 2023, from 14h00 to 17h00 and will bring together Members of Parliaments, African Union organs, United Nations organizations and Embassies represented in who will present and discuss the relevant role of women and all stakeholders in improving access to digital tools.