Concept Paper. High level Pan African Seminar. African Training and Research Centre in Administration for Development (CAFRAD)

Transcription

1 African Training and Research Centre in Administration for Development (CAFRAD) African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) Original: English African Strategies for Strengthening Women Leadership in Economic and Social Development: What Tools and Mechanisms should be put in Place to Strengthen the Role of African Women in Sustainable Development Goals? High level Pan African Seminar Concept Paper Tangier (Morocco) April 2016

2 Background and Justification The United Nations (UN) has, since its inception, attached great importance to the contribution of women towards development. This is evidenced by the fact the UN proclaimed 1975 the International Women s Year and the subsequent Decade for Women from January 1, 1976, the ultimate goal of which was the promotion of equal rights and opportunities for women around the world. Three major UN Women s Conferences were convened in Mexico, Copenhagen and Nairobi, respectively in 1975, 1980 and The UN Decade for Women concentrated mainly on women and development. During the Conferences, discussions were focused mainly on the equality of women and their contribution to development and peace and the world plan of action for the implementation of the objectives of the International Women s Year. Even at the continental level, the theme of the 24 th AU Summit, January 2015 was, Year of Women s Empowerment and Development towards Africa s Agenda This summit ended with strong clarion call for women Empowerment in Africa as a step towards achieving the Aspirations of Agenda 2063 on the Africa We Want. The foregoing testify to the efforts made by the UN, the AU and the international community and governments and the non-governmental organizations in recognising women not only as beneficiaries but also as active participants in development process. These have given rise to innovative concepts, policies and strategies which have, in no small measure, assisted in placing women as useful human resources especially from the mid 1970s. The climax came with the Beijing World Conference on Women 1995 on Action for Equality, Development and Peace and the Beijing Plan of Action, significant initiatives have followed leading to a growing awareness that the role of women was not limited to the kitchen as earlier believed. Today, potentials of women as intellectuals, astute policy-makers, planners and contributors to development has been fully recognized. In order to boost these efforts, CAFRAD held its 7 th Annual African Governance Forum, in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, in October 2007, under the theme of Building the Capable State in Africa, where participants from the topmost echelon of governance unanimously agreed that women were capable of strategic contributions toward the effectiveness of State. Prior thereto, in May 2000, the Centre organized a seminar on Women Capacity Development in Decision-Making. It is, therefore, realised that women s participation in decision-making in governance is not only a matter of social status but also a right. Even before this, governments as well as public administration theorists had, in several circumstances, noted the need of female representatives in policy-making and public management in every sphere of socio-economic activities. Agreed that most government authorities the world over, and in Africa in particular, have been responding to the call to integrate women in governmental activities by giving a few women high responsibilities to women, we still make a case that more still has to be done. Africa must do things very differently to take advantage of the current momentum towards This is because, besides the policy environment, African women are also still being constrained by existing socio-cultural norms through which they are perceived as inferior or second class citizens. A more meaningful involvement of women in development can be achieved by a systematic process of empowerment: empowerment through consciousness of the issues and CAFRAD/ACBF Tangier (Morocco), April

3 through equitable percentage of representation in all layers of the decision-making process of government management for better services delivery to the people. It is therefore imperative that, considering the levels which women have attained in our various states, a prominent role must be assigned to them for the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development the essence of which is for Transforming our World. It is against the foregoing backdrop that CAFRAD and its partners are organizing this Conference to strengthen women capacities in decision-making, management of state institutions and affairs at all tiers of public governance. Furthermore, the Conference is intended not only to improve capacities and competence, but also to back up women integration in the socioeconomic and political development process. This equilibrium in participation and decisionmaking will harmonize the management of services and institutions- one of the requirements of good governance and social equilibrium. Conference Objectives This conference will operate as a follow-up to the ones held in 2011, 2014, 2015 and all those held earlier. It will also provide the participants the opportunity to compare notes and upgrade knowledge in certain specific areas of female leadership and governance and allow for the exchange of practical experiences which will expose participants to new trends and best practices in this field. More specifically, the objectives include: 1. To sensitize senior government officials on the best strategies for the increased role of women in top positions in public administration for sustainable development goals (SDGs). 2. To increase the understanding of senior government officials involved in administrative decision and policy-making and training in respect of the major factors, challenges and strategies in the advancement of women in top public management positions. 3. To decide on forward-looking socio-economic strategies enabling governments to step up the role of women in management and decision-making processes at all levels and to an impressive degree. 4. To discuss career development of women in management within the public sector organizations; factors and issues for strengthening women s capacities and competences in leadership, policy development and policy-making. Conference Themes During the conference, the following sub-themes will be addressed: 1. Female leadership in question: economic empowerment, education and the role of women in politics; 2. National strategies for strengthening women's leadership in African public administrations; CAFRAD/ACBF Tangier (Morocco), April

4 3. Administrative, socio-economic and cultural challenges for the recognition of women's leadership in Africa; 4. Prospects of strengthening women's leadership: Relevant tools and mechanisms to strengthen women's leadership in the light of the Sustainable Development Goals; 5. Partnership between agencies and institutions engaged in strengthening women's leadership. Target Group 1) Human Resource Directors in the public and private sectors. 2) Senior Officers of Civil Services who are concerned with the role of women in public administration and governance. 3) Female managers in government organizations, in the private sector and relevant NGOs. 4) Women leaders in administration. Preparation for Participation In order to ensure a participant s active participation in the conference thereby making the exercise a lively one, participants from the various countries are hereby requested to prepare (in writing) their country s reports which they will present in the course of the meeting. The said reports will include information on country s or institutions strategies in place for women s development, their civil service systems, the status of women in their countries and in their civil services, issues of personnel administration, the distribution of women in positions in the various services, the extent of segregation of women at the various levels or in certain organizations, training institutions, government policies concerning parental leave, child care, equal pay and special programmes, tools and mechanisms that are or should be put in place for women s empowerment to prepare them for greater roles towards the attainment of the SDGs 2030 Agenda and the Africa we want Conference Methodology The business of the conference will be transacted in five (5) sessions. During the first four (4) sessions, resource persons will present papers on sub-themes assigned to them, after which the participants will share their views and experiences through comments, discussions, questions and panel discussions. During the plenary sessions, general issues will be discussed and special reports presented. The panel discussions will provide an opportunity for each country to present its experiences, and for subsequent questions, comments and summaries. During the working groups, participants will interact informally, sharing country perspectives and jointly analysing critical issues within each theme. The Conference will be facilitated by experienced resource persons with confirmed skills and thorough knowledge of women issues, both generally and with particular reference to their CAFRAD/ACBF Tangier (Morocco), April

5 contributions towards socio-economic development towards Agenda 2030 and the Africa we Want Expected Results It is expected that the Conference will thoroughly sensitize all managers on the issues of increasing women s participation in socio-economic development which would facilitate women s increased active participation in public management. Participants will also be expected to come out with concrete proposals on the formulation of Strategic Plan of Action for special skill training and capacity-building in leadership, negotiation techniques, finance, conflict resolution, team building, policy development, socio-economic development and innovation/creativity, etc. to women managers to equip them in these areas hitherto lacking. Registration fees: In order to partly offset the cost of organising the conference, participants are expected to pay a token participation fee of 250 (two hundred and fifty Euros) or US$300 (three hundred Dollars): payment to be made during registration, on the first day of the meeting. Venue: Tangier (Morocco) Date: April 2016 Duration: 3 days Languages: English and French (with simultaneous interpretation). For further information relating to the conference, please visit our website, or contact us on: African Training and Research Centre in Administration for Development (CAFRAD), P.O. Box 1796, TANGIER Morocco. Office cellular (212) Tel.: (212) Fax: (212) cafrad@cafrad.org CAFRAD/ACBF Tangier (Morocco), April