Joint Press Release

Addis Ababa, 19 November 2008 –  The UN Under-Secretary – General and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Mr. Abdoulie Janneh said “Gender equality and women’s empowerment are very essential for achieving sustainable and inclusive development”.

Mr. Abdoulie Janneh was speaking at the opening ceremony of the Sixth African Development Forum (ADF VI) today, Wednesday 19 November 2008, at the Conference Centre of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, while addressing economic actors from different International Organisations, UN agencies, AU Member States and some world dignitaries, amongst others, who converged at the ECA headquarters for the event.

Holding under the theme: “Action on Gender Equality, Women Empowerment and Ending Violence against Women in Africa”, the Sixth African Development Forum (ADF VI) is jointly organized by the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the African Development Bank (ADB) and the African Union Commission (AUC).

According to the ECA Executive Secretary, the theme of this year’s ADF is very relevant and timely in the context of up-scaling efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by the target date. “It will also provide and enable us to lend support to the recently launched multi-year campaign of the UN Secretary- General to intensify action to end violence against women and girls, which will run from 2008-2015 to coincide with the target date of the MDGs”, he emphasised.  

Mr. Janneh also reiterated the ECA continuous efforts to work in close partnership with the African, the African Development Bank and other UN agencies and bilateral partners to enhance the capacity of policy makers as well as stakeholders in member states to use the appropriate tools and methodologies to establish gender responsive policies and programmes. (See complete speech of the UNECA Executive Secretary on the ECA / AU Website: www.uneca.un.org / www.africa-union.org).

Speaking later, the President of the African Development Bank, Mr. Donald Kaberuka, focused on the current financial crises and its impact on the African society in general and on women and children in particular. He said that, over the past 24 months, Africa has gone from crises to crises, including food, energy, economic and financial crises.

According to Mr. Kaberuka the ADB has greatly supported women education and businesses as well as mainstream a gender perspective in all ADB operations. “We have put in place a modern facility to assist countries emerging from conflicts, ensure education of the girl child as well as mother care.” He said.

With regard to the financial crises, the ADB president highlighted that during the last 12 months, the world has been battered by turbulence of unprecedented proportion in the financial market. “This was a man-made crises and the solution can only be man-made” he said, adding that with the political will of member States the financial crises would be resolved.

Taking the floor next, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mr. Jean Ping said the ADF VI provides the opportunity to renew the progress made at national, sub-regional and regional levels to define priority actions and mechanisms needed to accelerate progress, build new strategic alliances and strengthen partnerships to move the equality agenda forward. “I recognise that gender inequality has continued to marginalize our women and girls, thus, exposing them to harmful cultural and traditional practices which are detrimental to their well-being and progress”, Mr. Ping explained.

The Chairperson of the AU Commission pointed out that the African Union has remained committed to redressing gender inequalities in all its ramifications. He said, the AU Heads of States and Government has been at the forefront of championing gender equality and women’s empowerment and has adopted landmark provisions and statues to that effect as reflected in the AU Constitutive Act. This spirit, Mr. Ping said, is clearly reflected in the NEPAD programme and the African Peer Review Mechanism. (See complete speech of AUC Chairperson on the ECA / AU Website:  www.uneca.un.org / www.africa-union.org).

Other keynote speakers at the ADF VI opening ceremony were: the Danish Minister for Development Cooperation, Mrs. Ulla Tornaes and the President of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, H.E Ato Girma Woldegiorgis, who chaired the ceremony.

In her speech, Mrs. Ulla Tornaes told participants that financing of gender equality is crucial in the promotion of women’s equality and the eradication of poverty.  “It is against this backdrop that the Danish Government launched the MDG3 Global Call to Action to generate stronger political and financial support for gender equality and women’s empowerment”, she explained.  Meanwhile, Mrs. Tornaes said the MDG3 Torch was handed over to some distinguished personalities including the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, as torch bearer, during the MDG high level meeting on 25 September 2008, in New York.

President Girma Woldegiorgis on his part said the ADF represents a significant opportunity to focus collective efforts on addressing what he described as “one of the biggest and most crucial challenges of our time: achieving gender equality, women’s empowerment and ending violence against women”. He said development cannot be realised without the full participation of women “who make up at least half of the population of every country”.

President Woldegiorgis lauded the initiatives of the organisers while expressing optimism on the fact that the outcome of the ADF will achieve desirable goals and progress towards the conquest of poverty in the continent.

Several Themes Discussed at ADF Plenary Sessions

Participants at the three-day Sixth African Development Forum (ADF VI) will discuss different gender related issues at the six plenary sessions featuring in the agenda of the Forum.

The first plenary session that immediately followed the opening ceremony, launched the the main theme of the ADF VI. It was co-chaired by H.E. Dr. Mantombazana, Minister in the Presidency of South Africa and Ms. Marie-Angelique Savane, Member of the African Peer Review Panel of Eminent Person.

The session highlighted the major achievements in empowering women as well as the development of effective tools to accelerate progress towards ending violence against women.

The Sixth African Development Forum (ADF VI) ends on Friday 21 November 2008.