NCW at Uganda Partners Forum
The Partners Forum held from June 8-10 brought together representatives from 300 civil society organisations, private sector and professional associations to debate the theme 'Financing Gender Equality for Development and Democracy'. The Partners...
The Partners Forum held from June 8-10 brought together representatives from 300 civil society organisations, private sector and professional associations to debate the theme 'Financing Gender Equality for Development and Democracy'.
The Partners Forum, co-ordinated by the Commonwealth Foundation and the Commonwealth Women's Network Secretariat in Uganda, preceded the Eighth Commonwealth Women's Affairs Ministers Meeting (8WAMM), held from June 11-14.
Both meetings took place at the Speke Resort, Munyonyo, Uganda, and addressed issues arising from the same theme. Coming five years after the Monterrey Consensus was reached and midway to the 2015 deadline for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, it was a timely occasion for civil society and governments to examine where the money is for women's rights.
Doris Bingley, NCW's general secretary and a CSAC member, was one of the delegates to make a presentation, participate in the workshops and facilitate the dialogue with the ministers. According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, an advocacy group that promotes democracy, women's representation in parliaments are only 17 per cent worldwide.
The Commonwealth Plan of Action for Gender Equality 2005-2015 outlines women's participation in key decision-making bodies in the public, private and political spheres, and was endorsed by the Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM) at their meeting in Malta.
The welcome news that there is a recommendation to establish a new, independent United Nations agency for women is a positive signal that the tide is finally turning in our favour.
The Commonwealth Ministers' Kampala Communiqué will be presented for endorsement to the CHOGM in Uganda in November. The Commonwealth chairman-in-Office, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, will hand over the chairmanship to Uganda, after holding it for the two years from CHOGM 2005.
A full report may be viewed in the latest issue on the NCW newsletter, Il-Mara, published on Wednesday. For copies of the communiqué contact the NCW Centre.