Find money to fund gender equality, ministers tell governments

The 8th Commonwealth Women’s Affairs Ministers Meeting (8WAMM) ended on 14 June 2007 with a message to governments to provide adequate resources to finance gender equality for achieving democracy and development objectives, particularly the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

In a communiqué released at the end of their meeting in Uganda, ministers agreed that increased investment in gender equality was a priority to achieve sustained economic growth, democracy, peace, security and development.

They called for an increase in women’s participation, leadership and representation in decision-making bodies, noting that only five of the Commonwealth’s 53 member states had achieved 30 per cent women’s representation in Parliament.

Ministers expressed concern that the MDGs relating to the achievement of gender equality were seriously off-track. These included the goals concerned with improving maternal health and combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases.

The communiqué urged governments to invest in gender equality to achieve social, economic and political development.

Currently, 30 million Commonwealth children are not in primary school, with a majority of these being girls. Ministers also noted that 60 per cent of the HIV/AIDS cases globally were in the Commonwealth and a growing proportion of these were women and girls. They emphasised that the 300,000 maternal deaths per year in Commonwealth countries should be reduced.

“This meeting has ended with a strong message which has international relevance. It was a very useful meeting and addressed critical issues related to financing gender equality. These included tracking the availability of money for gender equality and strengthening the capacity of national women’s machineries to monitor this,” said Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Ransford Smith.

“It also focused on financing gaps in dealing with gender and HIV/AIDS, and in the need for investing in gender equality to promote democracy.”

Syda Bbumba, Uganda’s Minister for Gender, Labour and Social Development and Chair of the meeting, said: “Ministers highlighted the critical importance of providing gender financing and voter education, in particular, for women, in order to achieve inclusive democracy and good governance.

“The increased feminisation of HIV/AIDS requires enhanced and broader access to gender-sensitive sexual and reproductive health services as well as dialogue between men and women, boys and girls.”

The 8WAMM summit also raised other issues which impede socio-economic development in Commonwealth countries, including maternal mortality, girls’ education and violence against women and girls.

Ministers will present their concerns and proposals for gender equality to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kampala in November.

Find full text of Communiqué here

Key Links:

• 8WAMM
• Eighth Commonwealth Women’s Affairs Ministers Meeting - Kampala Communiqué - Kampala, Uganda, 11-14 June 2007