Speech by. The Right Honourable Pakalitha B. Mosisili, MP. Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Lesotho

Transcription

1 Speech by The Right Honourable Pakalitha B. Mosisili, MP Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Lesotho At the Opening Session of the Extraordinary Meeting of the African Union Conference of Ministers of Gender and Women s Affairs Manthabiseng Convention Centre Maseru, 18 December 2008

2 His Majesty King Letsie III Honourable President of Senate Honourable Speaker of the National Assembly His Lordship the Chief Justice Honourable Deputy Prime Minister Honourable Ministers Our Special Guests, Honourable AU Ministers of Gender and Women s Affairs Honourable Judges of the High Court Representative of the AU Chairperson and Director of the Women, Gender and Development Directorate Your Excellency, the AU Regional Delegate to SADC Your Excellencies Heads of Diplomatic Mission and of International Organisations Honourable Attorney General Honourable Members of Parliament Government Secretary Senior Officials and Experts Ladies and Gentlemen of the Media Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen, 2

3 It is my singular honour and privilege to welcome you to our beautiful Mountain Kingdom, a country of friendly and peaceloving people; a country that boasts the highest lowest point above sea level, the longest single drop falls, the highest peak in Southern Africa, and the highest diamond mine in the world; and a country whose fresh air and clean flowing waters splash added splendour to its choice as the venue for Africa s most important policy meeting, namely, the Extraordinary Meeting of the African Union Conference of Ministers Responsible for Gender and Women s Affairs. Indeed an extra-ordinary meeting, an extraordinary agenda, in an extra-ordinary country. I have no doubt that the outcomes will be extra-ordinary too. On behalf of all Basotho, and indeed on my own behalf, allow me, Programme Director, to express our deep appreciation to all of you present here for dedicating time from your pressing schedules, especially during the festive season, to attend this meeting. This show how important this gathering is to our respective countries and to the African Union, and how we all are committed to the aims and ideals of the African Union. As a country, we are graciously proud to host this meeting and hope that you will enjoy the modest yet warm hospitality extended 3

4 to you. Your presence here reminds us that the fight for gender equality is far from over. Thus, our decision to host this important gathering echoes our Government s commitment to create a world of equal men and women; a world without poverty; a world without all forms of discrimination against women; and a world that bestows equal space and opportunities to all, in our families, in public and private institutions, and indeed, across all spheres of our lives. Excellencies Distinguished Delegates Ladies and Gentlemen We are grateful to the AU Chairperson who has assumed personal responsibility to promote the goals and principles of gender equality and women s empowerment and steered it at every stage. We extend our appreciation to the AU Women s Gender and Development Directorate and experts who have worked tirelessly to prepare all the necessary information and materials to enable Ministers of Gender and Women s Affairs to steer the making of the African Union Gender Policy. 4

5 As you will recall, the Maputo Summit in July 2003, adopted the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People s Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa. A year later, we adopted the Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa, as well as the Maputo Plan of Action that prioritized women s health, affirming their continued continental leadership in gender equality in the AU Assembly, AU Organs and AU Member States. The world has experienced many a conflict perpetrated by divisions between nations, divisions along political ideologies and persuasions, along racial lines, as well as divisions along tribal lines in some situations. However, in due course we have seen the walls that divided nations and communities collapse and vanish. There is no doubt in my mind therefore, that we will conquer the divide premised on the myth that differences in sexual disposition predispose women to lesser space in opportunities, to lesser capabilities and to lesser human rights. As human beings and as leaders of the African Continent, we shall continue to work together to eradicate gender discrimination, so that the men and women and boys and girls of this continent may enjoy equal rights and opportunities to development. 5

6 Excellencies Distinguished Delegates Ladies and Gentlemen The AU Gender Policy will be guided by the values and principles stipulated in the AU Constitutive Act, as well as the commitments of its Organs, Member States and Regional Economic Communities. These principles include, among others: The promotion of good governance and the rule of law, which guarantee human rights and the rights of women through democratic and transparent institutions; and Adherence to the principle of gender equality between men and women and boys and girls in enjoying their rights, sharing opportunities, benefits and contributions. I agree fully with His Excellency Jean Ping, Chairperson of the African Union, that (and I quote): The Africa Region is committed to socio-economic development which takes into account the diversity in social, cultural and traditional setting and is making efforts to address cultures and practices which militate against enjoyment of freedom and rights by women and girls (end of quote). It is my strong belief that the AU Gender Policy will 6

7 strengthen this commitment. This meeting will no doubt provide an important opportunity to review the significant developments of the recent past on the AU Gender Policy and to chart the way forward on greater investment for men, women, boys and girls of our beloved continent. Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen, Permit me, at this juncture, to highlight our Government s endeavors in addressing gender issues in this country. Lesotho, like many of our countries, is a signatory to international and regional instruments that promote gender equality and women s empowerment. These include the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights, the International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action, the Beijing Platform for Action, the Millennium Development Goals, the SADC Declaration on Gender and Development, and the SADC Protocol on Gender Equality, all of which have created a favorable environment for national initiatives. 7

8 I wish to applaud AU Member States that have Gender Policies in place and are implementing them. My country has made Gender equality central to all our development interventions, with laws and policies providing a platform for good practice and human development and security for all. This vision, which is enshrined in our Constitution and articulated in the Poverty Reduction Strategy and the National Vision 2020, commits Government to a stable democracy, elimination of gender disparities and provision of equal opportunities to all, including people with disabilities. Our National Gender and Development Policy 2003 calls for nondiscrimination of women, men, girls and boys in the following ten priority areas: gender and poverty and economic empowerment; gender and education and training; gender and youth; gender and power, politics and decision making; gender and health; genderbased violence; gender and civil society organizations; gender and the media; gender and the environment; and gender and science and technology. In Lesotho, women make up the majority of the population and also form a significant part of our labour force, in both formal and 8

9 informal sectors. As they are the most educated, they are involved in various tiers of education and make significant input in the economy. These notwithstanding, women continue to bear the brunt of poverty, disease and marginalization. Government has made notable strides to ensure that gender equality is at the centre of national development, with laws and policies providing a platform for good practices in human development and security for all. These include, the Sexual Offences Act, to address the issue of gender-based violence; and the Legal Capacity of Married Persons Act, in essence, the Married Persons Equality Act, to provide for equality between spouses and thus accord men and women sexual autonomy, equal reproductive rights and protection against all instances of offences of a sexual nature. The Legal Capacity of Married Persons Act has removed the minority status of women. Today women can enter into contracts; be directors of companies; stand as sureties; sue or be sued in their own names; have equal guardianship of minor children; acquire and register immovable property in their own names; and access freely, economic resources such as credit. The 9

10 Government is also engaged in the development of Legislation on Domestic Violence with a lot of support from the civil society. Lesotho has one of the highest HIV and AIDS prevalence rates in the region. In this regard, we have established an autonomous body, the National AIDS Commission, to co-ordinate and scale up the country s response to the epidemic. Accordingly, we have introduced the Know Your Status Campaign as a strategy to raise awareness, reduce stigma and provide universal voluntary testing and counselling. Furthermore, we have developed a National Action on Women, Girls and HIV and AIDS with a view to addressing the feminization of the pandemic, reducing vulnerability, and mitigating the impact of HIV and AIDS on women and girls. On the economic front, Government has adopted the Medium Term Expenditure Framework budgeting system which presents an opportunity for gender sensitive macro-economic planning and budgeting. Furthermore, the Bureau of Statistics has launched a gender booklet as a step towards gender disaggregated data analysis. 10

11 Plans are underway to set up a Gender Commission which will provide support for the implementation of the Gender and Development Policy to increase women s rights and gender equality. The Ministry responsible for gender is also in the process of establishing a women s credit scheme whose objective is to stimulate self-employment, by providing capacity-building and credit support for sustainable enterprise creation. Excellencies Distinguished Delegate The above achievements notwithstanding, challenges towards gender equality and empowerment of women persist. There is an urgent need for co-ordination and harmonization of programmes at the national and regional levels. Inadequate funding, lack of other requisite resources, as well as inadequate capacity of implementing institutions remain a serious impediment to our efforts. Programme Director, before I conclude my remarks, allow me to encourage and urge those who are still working on the development of their gender policies to accelerate the process to 11

12 enhance the development of their own countries. But policies, protocols, and declarations, however good and necessary they may be, will NOT get us there! We need bold programmes of action, we need strong political will, not only on the part of leaders but by all stakeholders. Excellencies Distinguished Delegates This is the first African Union Meeting of the Ministers Conference to be held in the Kingdom of Lesotho. Therefore, it is my fervent hope that the outcome of this meeting, the first African Union Gender Policy and its ten-year implementation plan, will contribute to our collective efforts to promote gender equality and deliver our peoples from poverty, from food insecurity, from HIV and AIDS and above all, from all forms of institutions, programmes and practices that perpetrate the denial of equal rights to men and women, and boys and girls on the African continent. 12

13 Excellencies Distinguished Delegates Ladies and Gentlemen I wish to conclude my remarks by reiterating Lesotho s unwavering commitment to international, regional and continental efforts to achieve practical, tangible outcomes for the promotion of gender equality and women s empowerment. Furthermore, Lesotho commends the invaluable work undertaken by the AU and the AU Member States to take forward our commitments to promote gender equality and women s empowerment. We look forward to working together with the AU and Member States to further advance women s human rights on the continent and into the future. Our womenfolk need to be assertive, not only to be equal to men but to be better. I for one agree that women who want to be equal to men have no ambition! I sincerely and respectfully thank you all, and wish you fruitful deliberations. However busy and tight your programme may be, I urge you to insist on a trip into the mountains to see the Lesotho Highlands Water Project. Only then will you begin to understand 13

14 and appreciate why Lesotho is called the Mountain Kingdom. Enjoy your stay in the Kingdom in the Sky! It is now my honour and privilege to declare this AU Extra- Ordinary Meeting of the Conference of Ministers of Gender and Women s Affairs officially opened. Khotso! Pula! Nala! 14