Press Releases
Press Release No. 32/1997
Gender and Law Conference produces National Action Plans
Addis Ababa, 29 October 1997: The 3-day conference "Gender and Law: Eastern Africa Speaks" ended on Friday, 25 October in a spirit of hope that concrete, specific national action plans for integrating gender considerations and gender rights into the laws and regulatory systems of most countries of East Africa would be finalized shortly, and that recommended actions would be facilitated and spurred by donor- funded interventions. The conference was largely financed by the Norwegian Government.
ECA and World Bank representatives met with Ministers of Justice, women lawyers, gender focal points from U.N. agencies and civil society representatives from East Africa. The conference, the first in a series of subregional meetings planned for Africa, was organized jointly by the World Bank, Africa Region and the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), to identify legal constraints to the advancement of women in Member States, and the action needed at the national level to promote gender awareness in the legal sector and gender-sensitive legislation.
Dr. K.Y. Amoako, Executive Secretary of ECA in his opening statement stressed that the conference was an enabling process to help countries articulate issues and problems themselves and define strategies and solutions. He said, "We have to acknowledge that women's low status and the discrimination against them which limits the scope of their rights in most of our countries is not an accident. The causes of women's subordination and unequal gender relations are deeply rooted in history, religion, culture, in laws and legal and systems, and in political institutions and social attitudes. The solutions therefore, require a comprehensive approach to address long-term systemic discrimination and oppression".
H.E. Anatole G. Tiendrebeogo, Assistant Secretary-General of the OAU, in his opening remarks to the Conference stressed that "the manifestation of the wholesomeness of the rights of women can only be viewed in the law".
The conference successfully involved donors, especially the World Bank, in the process of dialogue, needs assessment and problem identification in an effort to bring resources to focus on gender-specific perspectives and priorities in selected
countries. It has facilitated contacts between donors and East African member States, as well as fostered awareness and recognition of how legal environments impede or enable the advancement of women. The topics discussed in working groups and in plenary covered the legal framework for economic participation of women in decentralized States; economic inequality and land use and ownership in Eastern Africa; gender and economic inequality in the home; the economic rights of women outside their homes; and violence against women.
Five country reports and draft strategic action plans were prepared, by Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe, respectively, highlighting major areas for advocacy, training, and new and amended legislation and enforcement. Ethiopia focused on the legal system and access to civil, political and property rights and to personal and family rights. The need for amended and new legislation and their serious enforcement was stressed as well as the need for harmonization between modern civil law and customary law. Tanzania urged advocacy for gender rights with
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regard to access to land, ownership and inheritance and property rights. Uganda's priority was the issue of decentralization, and how a decentralized system of
governance impacts on gender-sensitive development. Kenya foused on gender rights in marriage and cohabitation unions and how these affect women's legal and
economic environment. Zimbabwe focused a gender perspective on poverty and the law, in terms of the appropriate legal enabling environment for the economic
empowerment of women.
The general outlines of the action plans have been drafted for these five countries and will be finalized with the assistance of the World Bank. The conference marked the beginning of the process, with East Africa the first subregion targeted. As a result of this conference, which enabled East African countries to speak on these issues, the political will of many policy-makers has been strengthened, to ensure that laws are revised, enacted and enforced. In addition, donor-financed interventions that impact in the legal sphere should be able to achieve better results on the ground, in promoting women's rights under the law in Eastern Africa.
Within East Africa, there is significant focus on the nexus between the law, gender and economic outcomes, but these issues are not fully reflected in the wider policy- making process. Yet, such new policy directions as democratization, decentralization and privatization, have far-reaching gender impact on almost all areas of reform, from land reform and agricultural development, to education, health and private sector development. Major gender-based constraints also exist in the areas of physical, human and financial resources, dispute settlement and authority.
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