African Women’s Rights Observatory (AWRO)

African Women’s Rights Observatory (AWRO)

<p>The Beijing Platform for Action, outcome of the "Fourth, recommended the creation of mechanisms for monitoring gender equality and the advancement of women. The African Centre for Gender and Social Development of United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ACGSD/UNECA) in collaboration with "United Regional Gender Programme for Africa (UNDP/RGPA) has launched in 2008 the <b>African Women’s Rights Observatory</b> that gathers data to provide a regional perspective on the status of women’s rights in Africa. This is crucial in promoting and tracking progress and emerging challenges, and for ensuring the implementation of various women’s rights commitments made by African governments.<br />
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<h2 id="w_objectives">Objectives<br /></h2>
<p>The African Women’s Rights Observatory (AWRO) will have an institutional framework that provides up-to-date information on the status of observance of African women’s rights. AWRO tracks the progress of African governments in fulfilling various commitments made to promote and protect women’s rights in Africa.<br /> <br />As a women’s rights observatory, information and data gathered by AWRO focuses on monitoring the implementation and enforcement of regional and international instruments including but not limited to the African Women’s Protocol and "CEDAW as well as resolutions and declarations adopted by various regional and international laws, litigation involving women’s rights, availability lack thereof women’s access to justice as well as measures taken towards promotion and protection of women’s rights at the national, sub-regional as well as regional levels.<br />
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<h2 id="w_role-of-the-observatory">Role of the Observatory<br /></h2>
<ul><li>Serving as a comprehensive source of data on research findings and resources, institutions, emerging information, developments and events on women’s rights in Africa;<br />
</li><li>Promoting awareness, analysis, and use of data at the national level to inform legislative and policy debates, and assist policy makers in making informed decisions and developing targeted policies and programmes in the area of women’s human rights;<br />
</li><li>Tracking progress of African countries in the area of women’s human rights and documenting a regional perspective regarding the status of women in Africa;<br />
</li><li>Providing a database for African researchers and activists and various stakeholders to access country-specific or subregional data regarding "Women’s, "Gender and "Women’s; and<br />
</li><li>Disseminating information related to women’s rights in Africa.<br /><br />
</li></ul>
<h2 id="w_sources">Sources<br /></h2>
<ul><li><a href="http://www1.uneca.org/awro/home_awro.aspx" alt="AWRO webpage">AWRO webpage</a><br />
</li></ul>
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