THE ECA CONTINENT-WIDE INITIATIVE

FOR GENDER EQUALITY AND WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT (NCWI-

GE/WE)Takyiwaa MANUH, Director

Social Development Policy Division

7th Joint Annual Meetings of the ECA Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development and AU

Conference of Ministers of Economy and Finance

March 2014

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OutlineOutline1. Introduction2. Challenges to achieving gender equality in

Africa3. ECA’ s response4. The New ECA Initiative on Gender Equality

and Women’s Empowerment Objectives Value addition Priority areas

5. Implementation modalities6. Partnerships7. Next steps

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1. Introduction1. IntroductionStrong and sustained rates of economic growth in African

countries in the last decade;

However, growth has failed to contribute to inclusive and sustainable social and human development;

African leaders and citizens have therefore called for the structural transformation of Africa;

As a result, ECA has refocused its mandate to support more effectively the African structural transformation agenda under the “Africa First ;

African women are at the centre of Africa’s structural transformation because of their important economic and social contributions which are yet to be fully acknowledged and valued.

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2. 2. Challenges to achieving gender equality in Challenges to achieving gender equality in Africa (1/2)Africa (1/2)Girls’ enrolment of girls in secondary and tertiary

education remains low relative to boys;Maternal deaths, although declining, remain

high;The vast majority of women employed in low-

productivity, low-paying, vulnerable jobs with little security as casual agricultural labour and in unpaid family work, assembly-line work in urban factories, the domestic sectors, both nationally and outside their own countries, and in the informal economy;

In many countries, women are less likely to be in paid employment than men, and may earn less than men for doing work of similar value;

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2. 2. Challenges to achieving gender equality in Challenges to achieving gender equality in Africa (2/2)Africa (2/2)

Large disparities in land and asset ownership between men and women, with women in some countries having no legal rights to own land and property, and to conduct business independently;

Women continue to shoulder the heavy burden of unpaid work at home including those related to the care of children, the elderly, and the sick; cooking, and household chores, including fetching water and collecting woodfuels, leaving less time for them to spend on income-generating, learning, and leisure activities;

Violence against women remains a serious problem.

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3. ECA’s response (1/2)3. ECA’s response (1/2)

Over the last decade, ECA through the African Centre for Gender has assisted member States in promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment through:Evidence based research; Monitoring the implementation of regional and

international commitments;Developing tools to promote gender equality

and women’s empowerment; andProviding technical advisory services.

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3. ECA’s response (2/2)3. ECA’s response (2/2)Key outputs:i) The African Gender and Development Index (AGDI):

Statistical tool to assist member States member States in planning, monitoring and evaluating the impact of policies aimed at narrowing the gap between men and women;Comprehensive set of gender-disaggregated data that can be

used as a policy and advocacy tool to tackle gender inequality;This has been implemented in more than 30 African countries.

ii) The African Women’s Rights Observatory and E-Network, a knowledge platform for sharing knowledge, good practices and networking amongst member States;

iii) “Guidebook on Mainstreaming Unpaid Care Work and Household Production in National Accounts, Policies and Budgets” to assist member States to collect, analyse and use gender statistics including time-use data, to value and reflect women’s unpaid care work in national accounts and socio-economic policy frameworks.

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4. The New ECA Initiative on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment:

1)Objectives;2)Value addition; and3)Priority areas

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4.1. 4.1. Objectives (1/2)Strategic objective: to ensure that

the work of ECA has an effect on the lives of every woman and girl, whilst building on the positive interconnections between women’s socio-economic and political development and Africa’s structural transformation.

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4.1. 4.1. Objectives (2/2)

Specific objectives:Promote women’s socio-economic and

political rights;Ensure that women’s economic

contributions are made visible and valued;Foster women’s economic empowerment

through the promotion of women’s entrepreneurship within Africa’s commodity-based industrialisation;

Ensure appropriate delivery of quality social services, including social protection and social security to women.

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4.2. 4.2. Value addition of the Initiative

Aligned with Africa’s structural transformation agenda;

Develops inter-linkages between Africa’s structural transformation agenda and women’s empowerment and well-being;

Complements efforts of other actors to achieve the needs of member States.

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4.3. Priority areas4.3. Priority areas

The Initiative will address three interlinked priorities:

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4 (a) 4 (a) Women’s economic empowerment (1/3)

Aim: To promote women’s economic empowerment by measuring and recognising their contributions to Africa’s economic development and harnessing their entrepreneurial potential.

Focus areas:

(1) Measuring and valuing women’s economic contribution; and

(2) Promoting women’s entrepreneurship, especially in agriculture, and in the mining and the extractive industry.

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4 (a) 4 (a) Women’s economic empowerment (2/3)

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Focus area 1: Measuring and valuing women’s economic contribution

Key policy issues

1. Women continue to shoulder the heavy burden of unpaid work at home including those related to adult care, care for the sick, childcare, cooking, and household chores, including fetching water and collecting woodfuels;

2. Limited recognition and under valuation of women’s economic contribution, in particular unpaid care work.

Approach

1. Collect accurate statistics on women’s economic contribution, including time-use;

2. Measure and value women’s economic contribution, including the use of satellite accounts of household production;

3. Highlight the importance women’s economic contribution to Africa’s structural transformation.

4 (a) 4 (a) Women’s economic empowerment (3/3)

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Focus area 2: Promoting women’s entrepreneurship

Key policy issues

1. Agriculture and the extractive industries are critical sectors for harnessing Africa’s commodity-based industrialisation;

2. Women are key agents in the two sectors, but their contributions remain invisible and undervalued, compared to men’s.

Approach

1. Examine the governance and operational structures in mining and extractive industries and analyze how they impact on women;

2. Propose relevant legal, policy and institutional frameworks with the aim of building a gender responsive mining environment in line with the Africa Mining Vision;

3. Support women’s role and participation in the agricultural value chain through the application of gender specific legislative, policy and strategic interventions;

4. Assess the financing potential for entrepreneurship and define innovative approaches to financing women’s entrepreneurship.

4 (b) 4 (b) Women’s human rights (1/2)

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Women’s human rights

Aim Document the state of responsiveness of member States to addressing women’s rights issues and to support them for the full protection of women’s socio-economic and political human rights and enhance their rights as full and equal citizens.

Key policy issues

1. Maternal deaths have been decreasing but still far short of the target;

2. Violence against women remains a serious concern;

3. Large disparities in land and asset ownership exist between men and women, with women in some countries having no legal rights to own land and property;

4. Representation and participation of women in decision making at all levels, including at the household, local, national, regional and international levels.

4 (b) 4 (b) Women’s human rights (2/2)

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Women’s human rights

Approach 1. Supporting the AUC and UNFPA initiatives on maternal health, including the Campaign for Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa (CARMMA).

2. Undertaking research and profiling good practices on violence against women to inform policy formulation and implementation.

3. Using the ongoing AUC/ECA Land Policy Initiative to support member States to enact legislation and institute policies aimed at strengthening and protecting women’s access and control over land.

4. Supporting the translation of international, regional and national commitments into legislation and policies to foster women’s representation and participation in decision making at all levels.

5. Undertaking capacity development in partnership with IDEP in the use of a rights approach across sectoral programmes.

6. Monitoring the implementation of global and regional commitments on gender equality.

4 (c) The social sector (1/3)4 (c) The social sector (1/3)

Aim: to enhance women’s socio-economic situation by responding to their social security needs and reducing vulnerabilities.

Focus areas:

(1) Social protection; and

(2) Migration, both internal, regional and international

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4 (c) The social sector (2/3)4 (c) The social sector (2/3)

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Focus area 1: Social protection

Key policy issues

1. Steady economic growth that Africa is experiencing is accompanied by high inequality and lack of social protection;

2. Employment-based social security and social protection schemes leave behind workers in the informal economy, the majority of who are women, and the unemployed;

3. Women are less likely to work than men and earn less than men when they work in similar work.

Approach

1. Support for developing capacity for the collection of gender disaggregated data to inform the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of gender responsive social protection policies/programmes and social security schemes.

2. Development of adequate social security mechanisms for operators in the informal economy.

4 (c) The social sector (3/3)4 (c) The social sector (3/3)

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Focus area 2: Migration

Key policy issues

1. There is an increasing proportion of female internal, regional and international migrant workers (skilled, semi-skilled and uneducated) from different social groups

2. Many female migrant workers face discrimination, violence and exploitation at all stages of migration.

Approach

1. Undertake in-depth empirical and secondary research on internal and international female migrants to document the challenges they face, to inform the development, implementation and monitoring and evaluation of appropriate policy responses.

2. Advocate for policies both nationally and in receiving countries that protect women’s rights.

5. Implementation modalities 5. Implementation modalities 1. Data collection and research.2. Country-specific studies to inform initiatives and

programmes.3. Use of existing tools such as the AGDI for data collection

and monitoring of performance relative to commitments made.

4. Develop new tools and approaches to assist member States to craft and implement gender responsive policies and programmes.

5. Knowledge management: use research results to inform policy making and policy dialogue, including the use of knowledge platforms for information sharing.

6. In collaboration with IDEP, provide capacity development and tailored advisory services to member States based on their expressed needs.

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6. Partnerships 6. Partnerships (1/2) Strategic considerations:

Need to focus on the needs of member states;

Work done by other organisations;

Need to avoid duplication of efforts;

Need to leverage additional technical competencies and financial resources and enhance synergies in capacity development and delivery of outputs.

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6. Partnerships (2/2) 6. Partnerships (2/2)

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Partner Objective

Within ECA Gender mainstreaming in the work of ECA

National gender machineries Advocate for women’s rights and interests and better programming on gender issues

Sectoral ministries Gender mainstreaming in Sectoral policies and programmes

African Union Commission/ AfDB

1. Joint programming2. Joint monitoring of the

implementation of key regional commitments on gender equality

Other UN bodies and agencies through the RCM, especially UNDP, ILO, UNICEF, UNFPA and UN Women

UN system wide coherence, coordination and cooperation to ‘deliver as one’ in support of AU and its NEPAD programme.

National research and academic institutions, non-state actors and the private sector

Forging partnerships and deepening the reach of ECA activities.

Other global, regional and national institutions

7. Next steps 7. Next steps Seek the endorsement of the Initiative by the

Conference of Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development;

Develop work programme to implement the Initiative;

Undertake joint programming with AUC/AfDB;

Develop resource mobilisation strategy to raise funds to finance the implementation of the programme.

Official launch of the Initiative, work programme, and resource mobilisation strategy.

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Thank you for your kind attention!Thank you for your kind attention!

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