Publications /
Opinion

Back
Gender equality and the African Union: From Development to Policy Change?
Authors
Naakoshie Mills
May 31, 2019

The author is an alumnus of the 2016 Atlantic Dialogues Emerging Leaders program

People centered development is the crux of the African Union’s (AU) new Agenda 2063 initiative. Its overall goal is a Pan African transformation and development of its member countries, while reframing the continent’s presence on the global stage. Fortunately, women’s equality is one of its aims, addressing discrimination, gender-based violence, and empowerment, to name a few. As developed nations like the United States and France still struggle to elect a female head of state, ten African countries have already done so, demonstrating that women’s leadership and inclusion has a historical precedent for many Africans. In many ways, the Agenda also mirrors the United Nation’s (UN) Sustainable Development Goals, demonstrating African leaders’ determination for progress in the 21st century and beyond. The question remains, what is the impact of furthering women’s representation and leadership in the AU on actual lived experiences of African women?

An ambitious and idealistic agenda for women

With a youthful population of over one billion, at quick glance, the AU’s agenda for women seems idealistic and ambitious. In just ten years, between 2013 and 2023, the AU posits a number of changes, including removing all obstacles to property ownership and business and creating gender parity throughout the organization and Regional Economic Communities. With 54 member states, all at different stages of social development, especially concerning gender equity, it is difficult to envision complete parity and an end to all harmful social and customary practices by 2023. Perhaps the most promising initiative lies with the AU’s hopes of gender mainstreaming and creating an inclusive work environment for women at all levels of power. 

Since the development of Agenda 2063, the AU has led several normative initiatives, aiming to lead its member states to more gender sensitized reforms both at national and regional level. For example, 2010-2020, the body declared it the “African Women’s Decade,” and in 2016 declared the “Year of Human Rights with particular focus on the rights of Women.” In line with the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, the AU has incorporated a Women, Peace, and Security Agenda within its African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA), leading to the appointment of a Special Envoy for Women, Peace, and Security in 2014. In addition to a Special Envoy, there is a Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Women, and the APSA has implemented a Gender, Peace, and Security Programme. The first woman Chairperson of the AU Commission, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma elected in 2012, from 2012-2016, ensured that of the eight AU commissioners, four were women. Newly appointed Chair (2017) Moussa Faki-Mahammat continued this approach, appointing an equal number of men and women in his cabinet.

From representation to policy change?

I would argue that representation and visibility changes perspectives and infuses a culture of inclusivity at the highest levels. Giving women opportunities to lead in an intergovernmental organization like the AU, keeps the conversations somewhat diverse and does throw a wrench in established patriarchal norms and dialogues. It is crucial to ensure diversity of thought amongst decision makers to consistently challenge oppressive and marginalizing discourses related to gender.

At the same time, injecting female bodies does not always translate to gender sensitive approaches to security, economic development, or even global health initiatives. There is a marked difference between women participating in foreign policy versus gender mainstreaming in sustainable development agendas. Gender mainstreaming incorporates perceived implications for women in all development programming to ultimately achieve gender equality. Both proposals, I argue, should be central to the AU’s Agenda 2063. Member countries and Commission leadership alike, must prioritize hiring women in leadership and decision-making roles, while also implementing frameworks and reforms that address women’s political, social, and economic underdevelopment at local, national, and continental levels.

African women are not a monolithic group; they are varied by religion, spirituality, family structure, class, race, language, tribe, etc. Not only must the AU push for diversity among women, there should be conscious efforts to incorporate informal civil society groups in decision-making, as many rural communities do not consistently have access to powerful urban capitals or services (Havik, P. J. (2015). Female Entrepreneurship in West Africa: Trends and Trajectories. Early Modern Women, 10(1), 164-177. doi:10.1353/emw.2015.0017). With the AU leading normative initiatives promoting women’s rights, member states and commissioners can work on accessing rural women who have already built their own resilient systems for economic and political determination. The AU, to design gender and women-centric proposals that work, must strengthen and streamline its dialogue with women in non-traditional governance roles and remote communities.

The International community should applaud the AU as it seeks to replicate global gender norms and justice in its own organ and set a standard for its members. It should be recognized, yet scholars and other actors must continue the pressure on member states to adopt inclusive frameworks that lead to greater freedoms and protections for women. Representation is a strong key for gender mainstreaming, but not the only determinant. For representation to be truly effective, it must be at all levels of governance and be accompanied by actionable and implementable reforms, which expand African women’s rights. Achieving sustainable development in Agenda 2063 is possible, but it hinges on women’s political, economic, and social empowerment; connecting the most vulnerable to adequate services and including them in the governance and leadership process.

RELATED CONTENT

  • November 11, 2023
    L’adoption par le Conseil de sécurité de l’Onu, le 27 octobre 2023, de la résolution 2703 (2023) sur la question du Sahara marocain, est intervenue dans un contexte régional marqué par la persistance de la tension entre le Maroc et l’Algérie et la poursuite par le polisario des violations du cessez-le-feu qui ont enregistré une escalade sans précédent, dans la nuit du 28 au 29 octobre, par le ciblage de la ville de Smara, faisant des victimes. L’adoption de cette nouvelle r ...
  • Authors
    August 29, 2023
    At the August 22-24 BRICS summit in Johannesburg, the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa said they wanted to use more of their national currencies for cross-border payments, which are currently dominated by the U.S. dollar and other global convertible currencies. Like China and the other BRICS, several other countries have also sought to develop alternative external payment mechanisms. Pairs of countries have agreed to settle commercial and financial transactio ...
  • Authors
    August 4, 2023
    Twenty-Four Hours June 23-24, 2023. Over those days, Russia, the sanctioned world power, was not destabilized by the nuclear enemy in Washington, but by one man, who made his wealth serving food to school children and soldiers. A caterer who attempted a revolution. A bald man, who apparently wore wigs during his days off, as the Russian secret police claimed to have discovered when they searched his home in St Petersburg. The photos of the wig-wearing Yevgeny Prigozhin were shown o ...
  • Authors
    Imane Lahrich
    June 12, 2023
    The security landscape in the Sahel region has undergone significant changes in recent years. From the emergence of Russia as an actor in the region to the persistent issue of trafficking, and the challenges of political transitions in countries including Chad and Sudan, the Sahel faces complex and interconnected security challenges. This insight summarizes our biannual Strategic Dialogues, focusing on the new security landscape in the Sahel, its regional developments, and its impli ...
  • May 24, 2023
    La création, par l’ONU, en 2006, du Conseil des droits de l’Homme (CDH) et la mise en place, une année après, de l'Examen périodique universel (EPU), ont constitué une avancée significative dans le processus de promotion de la protection des droits de l'Homme dans le monde. Désormais, et sans aucune distinction, tous les États sont régulièrement assujettis à cet examen qui couvre l’ensemble des droits individuels et collectifs ainsi que les libertés fondamentales consacrés par les I ...
  • April 25, 2023
    بمناسبة اليوم الدولي للتعددية والدبلوماسية من أجل السلام، قررنا تخصيص الحلقة إلى إفريقيا ومبدأ تعددية الاطراف في سياق اوضاع السلم والأمن الهشة في منطقة الساحل وانتشار عدم الاستقرار في البحيرات الافريقية الكبرى، بالإضافة إلى عجز مجلس الأمن التابع للأمم المتحدة عن مواجهة الحرب المستمرة ال...