West African Gender Fight Receives UN Boost
February 14th, 2010
Gender equality, respect for women’s rights and the fight against sexual violence in West Africa has received a new weapon in its arsenal with the launch of a United Nations initiative to enhance cooperation among all stakeholders in the region. A Directory of Human Rights and Gender Organisations in West Africa was launched.
The event was organized by United Nations Office for West Africa (UNOWA) in collaboration with the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) in Dakar, Senegal. The directory intends to map out initiatives and to facilitate information sharing in order to encourage networking on the issue.
UNOWA and UNIFEM will continue to facilitate synergy-driven initiatives such as this directory, and the Working Group on Women, Peace and Security that was established in April 2009.
The launch took place within the framework of the Secretary-General’s “Unite to end violence against women,” that was officially launched for the African continent during the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa.
One would hope that such initiatives will continue to fuel the fight to end violence against women especially in a continent like Africa where prejudice against women is very prevalent.
