The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, led by the Ministry of Women, Family and Children (MFFE), in collaboration with the African Union International Centre for Girls and Women's Education in Africa (AU CIEFFA) and ZaZou Plus Group, organised a parallel event in margins of the 69th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) under the theme: “30 years on, women's rights: Assessment and case studies”.
The meeting took place on 13 March 2025 at the Mandela Hall of the AU Permanent Observer Mission to the UN in New York, USA. It was geared towards presenting concrete examples of how much progress had been made in different countries since the inception of the Beijing Declaration. Amongst other things, the event also sought to evaluate priority approaches that have led to notable successes, highlight local initiatives that have led to the full and successful empowerment of women, promote Ivorian models of empowerment supported by the MFFE, and share experiences with countries that have a similar economic and social profile to Côte d'Ivoire.
The President of the National Council for Human Rights for Côte d’Ivoire, Namisata Sangare, set the context in her opening remarks. She noted that the Beijing meeting was the fourth most important meeting for women's rights and the timeliness of the side event provided a platform to assess its outcome in Côte d’Ivoire and beyond. She stated that this side event was an ideal platform for assessing the progress made in Côte d'Ivoire and beyond.
The three panel discussions that followed permitted the speakers and the participants to conduct an in-depth discussion into the assessment of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action thirty years on. Moderated by Dr Fatoumata Traoré Diop, Member of the CESEC, 6th Deputy Mayor of Bouaké and Founding President of the ZaZou Plus Group and Simone Yankey, Ag. Coordinator of the African Union CIEFFA, The dialogues were themed around political, social and environmental empowerment, education for girls and women in Africa through the African Union's #AfricaEducatesHer campaign, and economic and financial empowerment.
Some of the key facts that were highlighted include; the need to strengthen legal frameworks that can ensure a 50/50 parity comprising of a permanent monitoring structure that will lead to the effective empowerment of girls and women, the setting up of mechanisms that leverage youth leadership, the inclusion of all women including those with disability, the push for other AU Member States to launch and implement the Continental Campaign - #AfricaEducatesHer, the investment and expansion of sustainable school feeding program in collaboration with local sourcing to empower local farmers and boost economies, and the necessity to provide finance for women entrepreneurs.
While declaring the meeting closed, the Ivorian Minister of Women, Family and Children, H.E. Nassénéba Touré encouraged women to become more involved in education and social dialogues in order to promote a change of mentality. She stressed the importance of Africa taking ownership of United Nations Resolution 1325 in order to achieve peace, and also underlined the need to adopt, at national and local levels, continental mechanisms such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The Minister also proposed the possible creation of an “African USAID-like” mechanism to drive change and ensure large-scale impact.
Speakers at the meeting included Ms Marguerite Yoli-Bi Koné, Central Commissioner and Expert in Gender and Electoral Governance, Côte d’Ivoire, the Honourable Touré Aboa Nantarie, MP and Special Adviser to the President of the National Assembly of Côte d'Ivoire, Ms Michèle Vianes, President of the association Regards de Femmes, Ms Nadine Bla, Vice-President of the CCI-CI, Dr Brou Georgette, Director of Gender Equity and Equality, MENA-CI, Ms Sophia Ashipala, Head of the Education Division of the Department of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation (ESTI) of the African Union Commission, Ms Fanta Ouattara, 5th Deputy Mayor of Bouaké, Côte d'Ivoire, and other high-level participants.
