EAC signs women empowerment pact
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) seeking to enhance advancement of women and implementation of the East African Community (EAC) Gender Policy was signed in Arusha Municipality on Tuesday.
Besides serving as one stop centre for relevant information for stakeholders on women’s rights and gender equality in the region, the pact would act as a clearing house for advocacy messages from its focal points to the EAC.
EAC deputy secretary general (Productive and Social Sectors), Mr Jean Claude Nsengiyumva, signed on behalf of the community, while Ms Marren Akatsa-Bukachi, the executive director of the Eastern Africa Sub-Regional Support Initiative for the Advancement of Women (EASSI) signed on behalf of her organisation.
Speaking after signing the MoU, Mr Nsengiyumva said the agreement was also aimed at creating greater awareness about gender equality in the region through knowledge and information sharing. He welcomed the pact, saying the community was ‘eager to see the contribution of women in the integration journey’.
The EAC embarked upon the second stage of its integration process of the Common Market protocol on July 1, this year, having evolved into a fully-fledged Customs Union last January. The next phase in the integration process is a Monetary Union and ultimately a Political Federation.
EASSI expressed gratitude to EAC for facilitating the process of signing the MoU and praised the regional bloc for the gains made in the integration process so far.
“We are very happy about the Customs Union and the Common Market protocols because they present opportunities for East African women,” said Ms Akatsa-Bukachi. Ms Abatoni Jane Gatete, EASSI Board member remarked that the MoU would enable the two organisations to work together to bring gender more into the priorities of the EAC development agenda.
The MoU provides, in its scope of cooperation, for the strengthening and institutionalisation of the working relationship between the EAC and EASSI.
The working relationship will advance gender equality in the EAC partner states and the development of a policy and regulatory framework on gender to consolidate commitments made to gender equality.
It also provides an option to determine whether to develop a protocol or an Act of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) to achieve the objectives of the MoU.
Source – The Citizen