Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE)

The GEWE Strategy is a framework document to strengthen women’s agency in Africa and ensure that women’s voices are amplified and their concerns are fully addressed through, among others, effective implementation of legislation and proper financing of gender equality work. The African Union strategy on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) 2018-2028, launched during the AU Summit in February 2019, is based on an inclusive and multisectoral approach and builds on the lessons learned from the 2009 gender policy. It is transformational in that its outcomes aim to mitigate, if not eliminate, the significant constraints hindering gender equality and women’s empowerment so that women and girls may participate fully in economic activities, political affairs, and social endeavors.

The AU recognizes that gender equality is a fundamental human right and an integral part of regional integration, economic growth, and social development and has developed the AU’s strategy for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) to ensure the inclusion of women in Africa’s development agenda. The African Union strategy on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) 2018-2028, launched during the AU Summit in February 2019, is based on an inclusive and multispectral approach and builds on the lessons learned from the 2009 gender policy.

 It is transformational in that its outcomes aim to mitigate, if not eliminate, the significant constraints hindering gender equality and women’s empowerment so that women and girls may participate fully in economic activities, political affairs, and social endeavors.

The GEWE Strategy is a framework document to strengthen women’s agency in Africa and ensure that women’s voices are amplified and their concerns are fully addressed through, among others, effective implementation of legislation and proper financing of gender equality work. It is a guiding document on the performance of the AU’s GEWE commitments. It will be used to design transformational programs that bring results for African women and girls on the continent and in the diaspora.

GEWE Pillar 1

focuses on maximizing opportunities, outcomes, and e-tech dividends. It recognizes, amongst others, that for women to be economically empowered and to be able to contribute to sustainable development effectively, they must have access to quality education and control over productive resources.

GEWE Pillar 2

It focuses on dignity, security, and resilience and recognizes that the rights of women and girls are often compromised when women are subjected to violence and violations. Which often happen in the context of violence against women and harmful traditional practices such as early child marriage and female genital mutilation.

GEWE Pillar 3

highlights the need for effective laws, policies, and institutions. Whereas Africa has made progress in progressive rules and policies, and institutions to promote and protect women’s rights, there is still a huge deficit when it comes to practical implementation, and gender machinery remains among the weakest public institutions at a time when they are needed the most to push the gender agenda forward

GEWE Pillar 4

focuses on leadership, voice, and visibility. This pillar recognizes that for women to have a voice, they need to be equally represented in all areas of decision-making and participate with impact through removing all forms of barriers. The strategy proposes to integrate gender in the rewriting of the African narrative.