Pretoria, Republic of South Africa - We the participants, consisting of founding veterans and members of the Pan-African Women’s Organisation (PAWO) together with women’s organisations represented at the PAWO’s 50th Anniversary, assembled in Pretoria, South Africa, on this day, the 31st of August 2013, to celebrate PAWO established in 1962 in the city of Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania;
Inspired by the African Union’s (AU) 50th Anniversary theme on Pan-Africanism and the African Renaissance, and the spirit of the AU Agenda 2063;
Guided by the vision of the African Union as encapsulated in the Constitutive Act of the AU;
Recognising and appreciating the foundation laid by the forbearers’ contributions, sacrifices and achievements who worked tirelessly in unity for the rights and welfare of women in Africa;
Reaffirming our commitment to the ideals of Pan-Africanism as expressed in the founding documents of PAWO;
Mindful that despite the work that has been done, African women remain seized with challenges in the twenty-first century;
Guided by the pursuit of equal rights for African women in society, politics and in the economy as well as the elimination of all forms of exploitation and abuse of women;
Determined to take full responsibility to build and strengthen PAWO.
Acknowledge:
I. The uniqueness of the African Continent as the cradle of humanity and a centre of civilization that was dehumanised by slavery, land dispossession, colonialism and apartheid and encouraged by its resilience;
II. PAWO as the first continental women’s organization was created on 31 July 1962 in Dar Es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania;
III. PAWO’s contribution to the liberation of the African continent, the elimination of colonialism and apartheid and work towards women’s empowerment and gender equality;
IV. That PAWO continues to advocate for the full recognition and application of the rights of African women to participate in all forms of decision-making at national, regional and international levels.
Remail guided by the following landmark decisions which highlight the African Union’s leadership in women empowerment and gender equality:
I. The enshrining of the principle of gender equality as a major goal of the AU,
II. The location of gender machinery in the Office of the Chairperson of the Commission,
III. The adoption of the Protocol of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (2003),
IV. The Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa (2004)and the AU Gender Policy,
V. The AU Assembly declaration of 2010-2020, as African Women’s Decade and the establishment of the Fund for African Women.
VI. The AU Women’s Stakeholders Consultative Conference Declaration of 15 May 2013 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
And further guided by United Nations instruments, including inter alia:
I. The UN Charter and the Universal Declaration on Human and Peoples’ Rights (1948)
II. Mexico City 1st Women’s Conference (1975)
III. Adoption of CEDAW (1979)
IV. Copenhagen 2nd Women’s Conference (1980)
V. 3rd Namibia International Conference on Women (1985)
VI. 4th Beijing Women’s Conference (1995)
VII. The Millennium Development Goals (2000), and
VIII. UN Resolutions: 1325; 1820; 1888; 1889 and 1960.
Hereby:
I. Celebrate the contribution that PAWO has made towards the liberation of the African continent as well as the reduction of all forms of institutionalised and non-institutionalised discrimination against women and the girl child;
II. Recognise the sacrifices of the founding mothers of PAWO who in 1962 travelled to Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania to champion the struggle for the recognition of women’s full human rights and commend their visionery leadership to build PAWO;
III. Commit to continue working with the AU, RECs, the UN and other multilateral organisations, national governments, as well as the private sector and civil society in addressing obstacles inhibiting the political, economical, and social development of women, and
IV. Commit to pursuing the struggle for the rights of women in all parts of society so as to contribute to a continent that is peaceful, just, fair, equitable and prosperous.
And therefore pledge to intensify our efforts to advance the needs and interests of women in, amongst others:
- the promotion of gender parity, food security, poverty alleviation, and economic development;
- access to health care, education and technology; and
- the continued fight against all forms of gender-based violence; and human trafficking;
- combat the negative effects of climate change.
We also salute the militancy of Sahelian women in their struggle for freedom and independence, and denounce the violations they experience in the occupied territories of the Western Sahara; and
We take this opportunity of the significant celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of PAWO, to reiterate our call to all African women and leaders to redouble their efforts to put an end to the suffering of the Sahelian people and to the last colonised area in Africa, thus bringing peace and stability to the region.
We therefore resolve to:
- strengthen PAWO through mobilizing national support of all progressive women’s organisations;
- encourage young women to join PAWO structures and leadership;
- urge member states to regularise PAWO subscriptions so as to ensure the financial sustainability to PAWO;
- commit to developing national action plans of action for AGENDA 2063;
- encourage Ministers of Gender to work together for a common gender agenda;
- establish a task team consisting of PAWO member countries and all affiliated organisations to develop a recommendation on the prefered status of PAWO within the AU to be tabled at the 2014 AU Summit.
We pledge to articulate the above ideals and goals in our national development plans and in the development of the Continental Agenda 2063, through a people driven process for the realization of our vision for an integrated, people centred, prosperous Africa at peace with itself.
The participants also thanked the Republic of South Africa for hosting the 50th Anniversary Celebration of PAWO so competently and thanked South Africa for her hospitality as the host country for the Head Qarters of PAWO.
The participants also wished former State President Nelson Mandela a speedy recovery.
Enquiries:
Mr Nelson Kgwete
Cell: +27 76 431 3078
