NAN-H-11
ECOWAS
By Emmanuel Mogbede
Abuja, Oct. 1, 2017 (NAN) The ECOWAS Parliament is to hold its localised meeting of the joint committee on gender, women empowerment, social protection, human rights, child protection and vulnerable groups from Oct. 3 to Oct. 7 in Niamey,the Republic of Niger.
According to a release made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja, the theme of the meeting is: “Harmonisation of Gender Policies within the ECOWAS Region”.
The meeting, which was a follow up to the commission´s first ordinary session held in Abuja in May 2017, was part of its 2016-2020 strategic plan.
It would be recalled that since the July 23, 1993 revised treaty, gender issues have been a major concern to ECOWAS.
Through the provision of article 63 of the treaty on women development, member states undertook to formulate, harmonise, coordinate and establish appropriate policies and mechanisms to enhance women´s economic and cultural conditions.
According to the release, the provision of article 43 of the supplementary protocol on democracy and good governance commit the ECOWAS Executive Secretary to put in place structures within its establishment to ensure effective implementation of common policies and programmes.
This, it said, was especially in relation to the education and promotion of the welfare of women and youths in the region.
It added that the relevant legal framework reflects the full awareness of Heads of States and Government of the role women should play for the harmonious development and consolidation of the regional integration process.
It noted that the commission had in 2015, adopted the supplementary Act on equal rights between women and men for sustainable development.
It said the Act was aimed at harmonising national legislations with international commitments to protect women´s rights in West Africa and existing national policies to serves as a legal reference framework for member states.
The release further said that it was also aimed at strengthening women´s economic empowerment, eliminating discrimination and achieving gender equality and equity.
NAN reports that since its establishment, the ECOWAS Parliament had sought to strengthen the commission´s action to protect and promote gender through the establishment of standing committee on gender and women empowerment.
The parliament´s desire was to get more involved in the definition and implementation of community policies and strategies for the protection and empowerment of women in the region.(NAN)
EEM/IS
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Edited by Ismail Abdulaziz