This paper analyses the African Union’s (AU) mechanisms to foster gender mainstreaming and women’s political participation and representation in supranational/regional decision-making by evaluating the AU’s capabilities and potential, and reflects on areas of cooperation on these issues between the AU, EU and UN. It does so primarily by examining AU constitutional and policy documents.
The paper addresses the main international legal framework on gender equality and the history of the mechanisms set up by the AU to foster gender mainstreaming. It traces the areas of cooperation between the AU, EU and UN and evaluates these mechanisms. It further shows how the AU’s creation has benefited from the UN and European experience on the development of gender issues. The paper concludes with a brief overview of the challenges and some recommendations, intended as a resource for policymakers seeking to promote gender equality in political participation and representation.
Key Findings:
- To date, 70% of member states have gender policies and yet few of them have been implemented. They all share inadequate tracking and monitoring and evaluation systems, both within the AU and its member states.
- The AU’s commitment to gender equality and women’s empowerment is difficult to translate into concrete policies, programmes and actions due to the scarce capacities and resources of gender mechanisms, the slow process of change at legislative and policy levels, the lack of real political backing, unclear mandates, the confusion of overlapping memberships and the weak binding power of declarations, protocols and policies over member states.
- Leadership by national machineries and adequate data are important elements in gender mainstreaming strategies. Gaps in these areas hinder progress in the implementation of global commitments on gender equality.
Recommendations:
- The AU should promote the establishment of alternative well-resourced justice mechanisms complemented by an independent judiciary and an active legislature, which are easily accessible and employ both formal and informal complaints processes.
- The AU should use both top-down and bottom-up approaches to empower and encourage local authorities to address gender inequality issues. Linkages and partnerships between continental and national mechanisms should facilitate accurate and effective reporting as well as harmonize such reporting. There also need to be consequences for failing to comply with reporting obligations.
- Monitoring, evaluation and performance indicators are urgently required for gender analysis and the implementation of the gender mainstreaming strategy. The AU should continue developing and using appropriate qualitative and quantitative indicators. As an aspect of this, documentation of regional experiences and lessons learnt for the advancement of women is required.
- Closer collaboration and coordination among the AU, UN and EU will enhance efficiency by avoiding duplication of efforts and services. It will also ensure complementary planning and programme delivery that will accelerate the integration of a gender approach, and help to manage competition for scarce resources.
- The mechanisms analysed should be more ‘people-centred’, particularly to ensure the effective participation of women. Legal and policy commitments should always be accompanied by measures to combat societal discrimination and address gender inequalities and women’s empowerment. A twin-track approach on gender mainstreaming and specific policy and programmes is needed.
- The AU should build a closer partnership with the regional economic communities, and with civil society organisations (CSOs). Adequate funding and dialogue mechanisms are required in order to ensure CSO participation.
- The AU and EU partnership should more actively promote women’s political participation since both organisations are in a position to bolster national efforts.
