Network of Women Parliamentarians of Central Africa (RFPAC)

Last Updated on Wednesday, 14 December 2011 09:59 Written by Communications Intern Tuesday, 30 August 2011 13:20

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Background

In March 2002, the Network of Women Parliamentarians of Central Africa (RFPAC) was established on the request of women parliamentarians of the region. RFPAC includes women parliamentarians from the following parliaments: Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Republic of Congo. The network statutes integrate key statements and documents such as the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Beijing Action Plan, the UN Resolution 1325 and the Millennium Development Goals.

 

Objective

The Network of Women Parliamentarians of Central Africa aims to contribute to: the political, economic and social promotion of Central African women; the construction of a gender balanced democracy; peace keeping and the promotion of impartial justice, through strengthening and supporting women parliamentarians in their legislative, executive oversight, and constituent’s representation functions; and representing the voice of women in their countries.

 

The network contributes to peace preservation and stability of the Central African region. RFPAC members, representing different Central African countries, come together during regional activities to employ parliamentary diplomacy mechanisms and exchange messages among their countries. Through the RFPAC programme, AWEPA aims to build the capacity of women parliamentarians in the Central African region, and subsequently improve the position of all women in the region. AWEPA facilitates RFPAC meetings, which enable women parliamentarians to exchange experiences and best practices on: supporting women candidates in elections; supporting the economic position of  women; enhancing the capacities of women towards climate change; and promoting women’s access to medical care, among other issues.

Results

• Workshops engaged and empowered women parliamentarians and strengthened their role within their national parliaments;

 • Strengthening of women candidates for all countries in electoral processes through conducting a close follow-up investigation of pre-election processes;

 • Women parliamentarians succeeded in bringing gender topics such as Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) and Resolution 1325 into their parliamentary national agenda in their home countries;

 • A brochure on gender balanced Parliamentary Democracy was drafted by and for the RFPAC;

 • Women parliamentarians drafted an action plan with concrete actions to implement regional and national strategies of accountability towards future generations regarding socioeconomic environmental problems;

 • Women parliamentarians succeeded in incorporating gender aspects in AWEPA International conference resolutions and action plans.

 Example Activity

RFPAC Regional Seminar on Promoting Women’s Participation in Parliamentary Democracy, 21 October 2010, Brussels, Belgium

The RFPAC gathers bi-annually delegations from nine member countries of the Central African region to examine the state of Central African women’s leadership and empowerment in order to determine the main priorities, actions to be undertaken, urgent tools to be set up and all other means to support actions. As a follow-up of the AWEPA Cape Town conference in October 2009, the network addressed the role of women in parliamentary democracy through a discussion of good practices from their countries and from other international experts. This led to the production of a parliamentary brochure they could use later in their own countries. The network discussed the legal and institutional framework of parliamentary equality for the first time and worked on the needed interaction with civil society. The booklet that was started in workgroups will be finalised in the second half of 2011, and is intended for use by all African parliamentarians. •

News

12-Dec-11  Ms. Magda De Meyer and Ms. Julie Standaert Receive 'Peace Women' Award

Donors

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