High-level meeting on gender equality, women’s empowerment opens

Addis Ababa, February 8, 2020 (FBC) –A high-level meeting on gender equality and women’s empowerment in Africa kicked off in Addis Ababa at the Sheraton hotel.

Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Chairperson of the AU Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat, former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Prime Minister Erna Solberg of Norway are in attendance of the meeting.

In his remarks at the opening of the meeting, the Secretary General, pointed out the progress made following the 1995 Beijing World Conference on Women.

Africa’s women have seen considerable advances and their political representation has doubled, though men still hold over 75% of seats in Africa’s parliaments, he said.

Girls’ access to education and healthcare continues to increase and Africa is the only region in the world where more women than men choose to become entrepreneurs.

Yet, he said “progress still falls short of the commitments made in 1995. In Africa, as all over the world, we live in a male dominated world with a male dominated culture.”

“This is essentially a question of power” he said. He further said poverty in Africa, as in the rest of the world, still has a woman’s face.

“For every 100 men aged between 25 and 34 living in extreme poverty in sub-Saharan Africa, there are 127 women.”

The Secretary General added violence against women remains pervasive.