2.1. Africa Women’s Decade 2010–2020

2. AU INITIATIVES/ CAMPAIGNS 2010–2020

In the decade between 2010 and 2020, the AU embarked on identifying women’s priority concerns as a crosscutting issue through its various departments. A number of gender-specific programmes were designed to respond to the imperative of the AU’s mandate to promote gender equality. This section looks at the continentwide initiatives established in this regard.

2.1. Africa Women’s Decade 2010–2020

The AU launched the AWD225 to reinvigorate commitments contained in various AU decisions and to accelerate the implementation of these and other regional and international commitments relating to gender equality and women’s empowerment.226 The AU Road Map for the AWD specified the need for both a bottom-up and a topdown approach in implementation that would integrate grassroots women.

Ten core themes were identified for the Decade as priority areas to be implemented at national, regional and continental level: 1. Fighting Poverty and Promoting Economic Empowerment of Women and Entrepreneurship 2. Agriculture and Food Security 3. Health, Maternal Mortality and HIV and AIDS 4. Education, Science and Technology 5. Environment, Climate Change and Sustainable Development 6. Peace and Security and Violence Against Women and Girls 7. Governance and Legal Protection 8. Finance and Gender Budgeting 9. Women and Decision-Making 10. Mentoring Youth (Men and Women) to be Champions of Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment

Key to achieving the goals of the AWD was the AU Gender Policy 2009 for Member States, which was succeeded by the AU Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (“the GEWE Strategy”) 2018–2028. These frameworks provided the continental gender policy architecture for all AU Member States and RECs. AU gender strategy implementation is pegged to the remaining duration of the first Ten-Year Implementation Plan of Agenda 2063 and responds to the seven continental aspirations from a gender perspective.