Details of FAS’ efforts to monitor and evaluate the implementation of the Solemn declaration

January 2005

Abuja, Nigeria  - 5^th Consultative Meeting

(Fourth Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly)
The 5^th Consultative Meeting was organized by the Africa Leadership Forum (ALF), FAS and the AU Gender Directorate.
- The meeting focused on the strategies that civil society could use to monitor the implementation of the Solemn Declaration.
- The Gender is my Agenda Campaign was discussed during these deliberations as a means of coordinating this monitoring.
- The conclusions and recommendations of the conference were formalized in the Abuja Consensual Agreement.

July 2005

Tripoli, Libya - 6^th Consultative Meeting

- The women's organizations agreed to share the responsibility of monitoring the implementation of the Solemn Declaration and this was formalized in the Tripoli Commitment.
- The Gender is my Agenda Campaign was also launched and FAS was officially given the role of coordinator of the campaign.

October 2005

Dakar, Senegal - 7^th Consultative Meeting

 (First AU Conference of Ministers)
- The framework for monitoring and evaluating the Solemn Declaration was finalized at this meetingt.
- The AU agreed to involve civil society organizations in the monitoring process.

June 2006

Banjul, The Gambia - 8^th Consultative Meeting

(Seventh AU Assmebly)
- The 8^th Consultative Meeting was organized by FAS in partnership with the African Centre For Democracy and Human Rights Studies.
- In ratifying the Solemn Declaration, African heads of state had committed to reporting annually on the progress made in mainstreaming gender into their activities. No such reports had been submitted. The conference was therefore organized to establish guidelines and recommendations for future reporting on the Solemn Declaration and to divide the task of producing shadow reports.
- The Gender is my Agenda Campaign was officially launched in Banjul.
- The Banjul Declaration and the Banjul Resolution were adopted, reaffirming the commitment of women's groups to follow the implementation of the Protocol on Women's Rights in Africa and the Solemn Declaration.

 

January 2007

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia  - 9^th Consultative Meeting

(Eighth African Union Summit)
- The 9th Consultative Meeting was organized by FAS and its civil society partners.
- Shadow reports, compiled by women's networks participating in the Gender is my Agenda Campaign, were presented at the conference.
- The reports were based on the following themes:

• Health
• Education
• Economic empowerment
• Human rights
• Peace and security
• Governance

- The Addis Call for Solemn Implementation was ratified by the conference.
- The Addis Open Letter to the African Union was sent to the heads of government of the AU highlighting the areas where little progress had been achieved.

 

June 2007

Accra, Ghana - 10^th Consultative Meeting

(Ninth African Union Summit) 

- The 10th Consultative Meeting was organized by FAS and its civil society partners.
- The focus of the Pre-Summit Conference was the 'Grand Debate' on the possible creation of an African Union Government.
- The Gender is my Agenda campaign adopted The Accra Inputs, calling for gender mainstreaming and the inclusion of the gender parity principle in the Constitutive Acts of the Union Government.
- The recommendations further called for gender mainstreaming into all the existing bodies and structures of the African Union including the Pan-African Parliament and the Commission on Human and People's Rights.