The experts meeting on the Draft Model for Accelerating the Implementation of CEDAW and the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa has been held from 8th to 10th July 2008 in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia.

This meeting has been organized by the African Union Women, Gender and Development Directorate and the AU Liaison Office of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) in Addis Abeba.

Read the Statement

From 25th to 27th June 2008 women from the civil society in West Africa met in Lome, Togo to better understand the principles and mechanisms of the Paris Declaration, to adopt a clear position which will be harmonised with the civil society from their countries and Africa’s position.

The sub regional meeting is the first of series of activities that will help the civil society’s women to influence the high level forum to be held in September 2008 in Accra for the evaluation of the Paris Declaration. At the end of the meeting, the participants adopted the following statement.

West African women’s statement on Aid Effectiveness and Gender Equality

Ten UN peacekeeping troops raped a 12-year old young girl during a “peace keeping mission” in Côte d’Ivoire. This testimony is just one among others concerning sexual abuse committed by the UN peacekeeping troops and other humanitarian workers in Côte d’Ivoire.

Inquiries are still going on in order to throw lights on this affair of sexual violence against women and children in this country. We follow the file with our colleagues of WiLDAF-Côte d’Ivoire and we shall report it to you at the right time.

An appeal is thus taken to the International Community in order to take measures against the authors of these acts. It is to remind that testimonies were published by the British NGO Save The Children.

Source : www.tdg.ch/pages/home/tribune_de_geneve/l_actu/monde/detail_monde/(contenu)/231099

The WILDAF / FeDDAF network organizes from 25th to 27th June 2008 at hotel Novela Star in Lome, Togo a Consultative meeting of West African women’s organisations on aid efficiency and gender equality. The meeting will bring together the representatives of women’s organizations coming from 15 West-African countries and Mauritania.

We thereby present you the press release

The 41st edition of CEDAW Committee will be held from 30th June to 18th July 2008. Nigeria will present its report on the realisation of CEDAW objectives (Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women).

Women of the civil society, especially those of WILDAF-Nigeria have also in the same way, presented their shadow report related to the application of the engagements taken by states through regional and international institutions for women’s rights. They also talked about the progress and difficulties they are facing in that vision.

We present you thereby this report and also that of Nigeria

From 25th to 27th of June 2008 in Lome women from civil society in west Africa will meet at Novela Star Hotel to better understand the principles and mechanisms of the Paris Declaration, to adopt a clear position which will be harmonised witch civil society from their country an all Africa’s position and finally to influence the high level forum on the Paris Declaration witch is scheduled in Accra in September 2008. More

Download the background paper and fill the registration form on line

The World Bank made a presentation note on the situation of the HIV/AIDS in the world and in Africa. WiLDAF shares the preoccupation of the World Bank on the issue of the vulnerability of women that is a consequence of the inequalities between the sexes and the feminization of the HIV epidemic.

The WiLDAF is discussing with the partners to initiate projects that will permit to reduce the rate of prevalence of the VIH/SIDA on the population and essentially on women.

To consult the note of presentation of the World Bank

In the implementation of the project: " Good governance and women’s participation in seven West African countries " the national networks WiLDAF/FeDDAFs (Benin, Burkina, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo) elaborated new " Training manual for women’s participation in governance”.

Two (2) types of manuals (in normal version and simplified), have been produced by the national networks while taking into account each country specificity. It is the " training manual for the participation of women in good governance: Planning, programming, budgeting, budget analysis and gender integration process, Human rights of women , Lobbying and negotiation, and building of coalition”

WiLDAF -West Africa in its concern elaborated a manual for the national networks in French and English version on "training manual for women’s participation in governance, advocacy, lobbying, networking, coalition building and negotiation"

These manuals exist in normal version and in simplified version and can be download on our website

Consult the WILDAF WEB site below on the UE3 project “Good Governance and Participation of Women in seven (7) West African countries” at : www.wildaf-ao.org

Click on the Picture at right