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AWLNetwork creating impactful and sustainable eco-system for women

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-As AWLNetwork Third Steering Committee Meeting ends with a Communique

By Mafanta Kromah, mmenginfia@gmail.com

Monrovia – The African Women Leadership Network also known as the AWLNetwork has ended its third strategic steering committee meeting here in the Liberian capital, with six recommendations to be implemented by the network.

This is AWLNetwork’s first meeting to be held in Liberia. It was held for two days, 1st and 2nd of April 2019, under the leadership of Mrs. Ellen Johnson -Sirleaf, Former President of Liberia and Patron of the AWLN.

Speaking during the closing ceremony, Upendo Furaha Peneza, Chair Tanzania youth Parliamentarian Forum and member of the AWLN steering committee, who read the communique said, the objective of the meeting was to consolidate the outcomes of the second AWLN Forum. And it defined a road map for the Network, with concrete steps to deliver agreed upon actions on flagship projects and propose way forward.

The key outcomes of the meeting was the six recommendations in the communique that are aimed at creating an impactful and sustainable eco-system for women across all themes.

The communique recommend increased participation of women in governance; 50/50 “No women no vote” and  to support women Candidates in Political Elections

The second recommendation emphasized on Peace & Security, calling on the Joint AU-UN Solidarity Missions for Peace, Security & Development and also for the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325

She mentioned Finance as the third of the object to be achieved with the implementation of African Women Leadership Fund for Women Entrepreneurs and the investments in micro-enterprises cooperatives and associations led by women.

The Young parliamentarian spoke of Youth as another key area of interest for the network, where they will work to strengthen AWLN Inter-Generational Dialogue, Capacity Building of Young Women and organizing of Annual Youth Retreat.

According to her, Agriculture is one of the major place of interest and the network term to achieved that through the Empowering women in Agriculture program, Addressing Climate Change and
Sustainable and Agriculture: value chain, land access and new technologies and that women will be the beneficiary of.

The last recommendation, which is Social Mobilization, she said will be achieve through the use of existing social mobilization platforms & engagement with social movements such the #HeforShe campaign, Religious/traditional leaders, media engagement, educational tools and new technologies

“AWLN steering committee members extend their deep appreciation to the people and government of Liberia for their warm welcome and hospitality and to Former President and AWLN patron H.E. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf for her guidance support and facilitation of this successful meeting,” she stated.

The African Women Leaders Network  is an initiative of African Women Leaders, supported by the AU and the UN, through the Office of the AU Special Envoy on Women, Peace and Security and the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women UN Women.

The initiative aims at enhancing women’s leadership in the transformation of the continent, in line with AU Agenda 2063 and the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. The initiative receives financial support from the Federal Republic of Germany

The AWLN was launched during the first High-Level Women Leaders Forum for Africa’s Transformation at the UN Headquarters in New York in June 2017 and was established at the second Forum that took place at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa in April 2018.

The AWLN currently counts over three hundred women leaders from various sectors, ranging from political, public, private sectors, grassroots organizations, civil society and youth. Five countries have launched their national chapters, while 11 more have targeted to launch their chapters during this 2019.

However, former president and chief patron, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf thanks members of the committee for choosing Liberia as the venue for this year meeting and challenged them to go back to their country and put the vision into reality.

“For the Liberian chapter, you are particular challenge, because you have to move beyond the stress and fear, you have to move beyond disunity and see how you can pull all the women together around this common goal,” she explained.

She said the network needs to focus on what the economic commission for Africa has been talking about, the free movement of people, the continental free trade area.

“You can have the best of policies, the best of the commitment, these women, when the go across the border what they face is because that information about us trying to find communize views, common procedures  and common regulation just hasn’t reach them.”

She pressed each chapter will have to look at the information of the data with in their country and see how they can find a way to make them their focus areas. “Because unless people can move from place to place, unless we have common external polices that foster trade we are not going to be able to promote the private sector that we know is an important catalyst for the generational job.”

Former President Sirleaf  said is find to want more political representation of women, noting the issue is more than the presidency or the parliament, but the representation of  women in leadership at all level in the society and not just political leadership.

She said the national chapter have to identify training, promoting, informing and communicating those many young women that have the potential, those who can’t self support show them that that they can make a difference in their society at their community level; and they can demonstrate a leadership that enable them to be able to move up into the areas where women are needed.

“So is more than election, is more than political competition and is also the building of institutions. I can say from my own experience, Liberia tried to build institutions, but there are lot of blockage, because you lack the information, knowledge and capacity to put in the right structure and system that ensure that laws, constitutions that have been formality, that the enforcement and implementation of them can be achieved,” the former Liberian leader maintained.

According to former President Sirleaf, institutions are importance because they are the one that uplift any individual personality and also prepare people toward achieving their national goals.

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