The  Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), starting next week, will undertake a fifteen-year review of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. The Platform identifies twelve critical areas1 of concern considered to be major obstacles to gender equality and women’s empowerment.  It also gives strategic objectives and actions to be taken by governments, the international community, non-governmental organizations and the private sector on implementation.
The CSW Beijing +15 meeting will emphasize the sharing of experiences and good practices to date, and will look at solutions on how to overcome remaining obstacles and new challenges. Governments were asked to provide reports on progress and regional reviews were undertaken in all five United Nation’s regional commissions.
In the ECE countries for example, some of the main challenges that remain are systematic gender-budgeting, unequal pay, social protection (such as pension benefits for unpaid care work) and implementation of existing legislation, in particular regarding violence against women2.
What are the critical areas of concern in your country? How far has implementation of the Platform For Action come in your country? What are the biggest remaining barriers and challenges? What do you think the Beijing +15Â review will show and what could Beijing +25 bring?
11. women and poverty; Â 2. education and training of women; 3. women and health; 4. violence against women; 5. women and armed conflict; 6. women and the economy; 7. women in power and decision-making; 8. institutional mechanisms for the advancement of women; 9. human rights of women; 10. women and the media; 11. women and the environment; 12. the girl child.
2UN-NGLS article: Beijing +15 ECE Regional Review Meeting; challenges remain
Rwanda has made tremendous achievements in line with the promotion of gender equality and empowerment of women, though some challenges still exist.
Achievements
Rwanda developed a National Gender Policy and its implementation strategy that were effective from 2004. The national gender policy is implemented across the development sectors from central to decentralized levels. Two approaches characterize the National Gender Policy: gender mainstreaming and empowerment of women. The strategic plan for the implementation of the National Gender Policy highlights key gaps and policy actions for each sector and suggests milestones for each year. Gender Focal Points and Gender Monitoring Office were put in place as mechanisms to ensure monitoring and to hold actors accountable respectively. The Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion was established as a coordination mechanism for the implementation of the national gender policy.
CEDAW was one of international conventions that inspired the development of Rwanda National Constitution in 2003. legislative and policy-making achievements include the National Constitution, Land Law, Succession Law, Nationality Law, GBV Law, Electoral Law, and Labor Law. Developed policies include Vision 2020, Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS), National Gender Policy, Decentralization policy, Girl’s Education Policy, and Labor Policy.
Initiatives laying the foundation for National Gender Budgeting were launched in 2003 but the actual process of engendering national budget started in 2009 with the sensitization phase targeting the Planning Officers and Budget Officers at the levels of Ministries and Districts has been completed. There will be a national gender budget statement for the 2010-2011 financial year.
The MDGs are used as national framework for development. Both Vision 2020 and EDPRS highlight gender as one of the crosscutting issues along with HIV/AIDS, environment, youth and social inclusion. Important attention is given to MDG3 as so far gender parity has become a reality in primary education (95.8% for girls and 94.7% for boys) and private universities (52.7% for women and 47.3% for men) . Efforts are being made to ensure gender parity in secondary education and public universities through effective implementation of EDPRS.
Rwanda has been contributing both nationally and internationally in addressing conflicts and post conflict situations resulting from armed conflicts. With regards to peace negotiations: women participated in peace building and peace keeping missions. Also, women participated in the International Conference for the Great Lakes Regions (ICGLR) process.
Globalization has positively affected women’s lives by increased involvement in trade. For example, the use of ICT through Telecenters installed by government in all districts and Internet Cafés established in different urban areas has provided both men and women easy access to business related information.
Rwanda has tied strong relationships with its development partners as illustrated by the various partnerships mechanisms to promote gender equality and empowerment of women. Thus, the National Gender Cluster serves as a forum that brings together Government and all stakeholders to exchange on how to further implementation of National gender Policy.
Men and boys have not been left behind by Rwanda Government in its efforts to promote gender equality and to combat HIV/AIDS. HIV voluntary testing includes men, which impacts on women’s health in general and reproductive health in particular has positively marked a great change in sexual behaviours. Another HIV testing involves pregnant women and their husbands.
Rwanda Government has initiated various developmental programs to mitigate impacts of climate change, food and energy crises on gender equality and women’s empowerment. These are demonstrated through programs involving active participation of women, such as the Vision2020 UMURENGE Program (VUP), Crop Intensification Programme (CIP), AGASOZI NDATWA (Best Development Achiever Village), Land Husbandry, Water Harvesting and rainwater blocker terraces, Rural Sector Support Project and Projet d’Appui à l’Elevage Bovin Laitier. Programs on biogas energy, energy saving stoves, tree Planting and radical terraces are important programs that involve both men and women to address effects of climate change.
Challenges
Although significant achievements have been registered in line with promotion of gender equality and empowerment of women, challenges still exist. These include limited sex- disaggregated data across the sectors, development and implementation of accompanying measures for more effective execution of legal measures in place, effective dissemination of policies, strategies and plans for ownership by implementers, establishment of stronger coordination mechanisms to ensure effective synergy among interveners, increasing access of women to bank loans for more active involvement in income generating activities, increasing access to obstetric services especially for rural women, reducing illiteracy rate among women and men, increasing women’s participation in public institutions of higher learning, with more emphasis on science and technology.