In the presence of the Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders in Africa ... Maat holds its symposium on "the role of women in achieving sustainable development"

Hajar Moncef: African women are a role model in facing challenges.

Lumbo: African civil society should form a coalition to protect women human rights defenders in Africa.

Which swordPrevailing values and customs influence the contribution of women to the sustainable development process ...

Easter NambucaThe proportion of women in the Egyptian parliament is an inspirational one for all African countries

Maat Foundation for Peace, Development and Human Rights held a symposium entitled "The Role of Women in Achieving Sustainable Development", in the presence of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders in the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights; Professor “Remi Lombo”, on the sidelines of the work of the 64th regular session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, which is holding its work in Sharm El-Sheikh during the period from April 24 and continues until May 14, 2019.

 The symposium discussed the impact of the sustainable development goals on the lives of African women, and the challenges they face to achieve these goals. The symposium also presented a group of successful women models in Africa. A video was shown on the influential role of women in achieving the sustainable development goals. He participated in it alongside the Special Rapporteur; Hajar Moncef, Director of the African Affairs Unit at the Maat Foundation, Aya Al-Saif, Executive Director of the United Cities Agency for North-South Cooperation, and Easter Nambuka, Executive Director of the Sitting International Forum, Uganda.

During the symposium, the Special Rapporteur thanked President El-Sisi for his meeting with him and the committee, which dealt with improving the conditions of Egyptian women, the conditions of women human rights defenders, and presented some successful examples of African women and their role in the development and promotion of human rights at the national, regional and international levels. The Special Rapporteur also recommended the organizations participating in the symposium; They are the Maat Foundation for Peace and Development (Egypt), the United Cities Agency for North-South Cooperation (international), the Gals International Forum (Uganda), the Regional Council for Development and International Cooperation (Uganda), and the Partners Foundation for Transparency (Egypt). The need to adopt the establishment of a coalition to protect defenders On human rights in Africa.

Moncef pointed out that gender equality is not only a human right, but a development approach stipulated in the fifth goal of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, and it has been referred to in the rest of the other goals. She added that there is a need to integrate women into political and economic life, and for governments to activate their role in comprehensive development.

For its part, Al-Saif emphasized that working on women's behaviors guarantees their influential participation in society, because they are the ones who are able to build a future generation that can advance the African continent. She added that women are the backbone if we want the sustainable development agenda to be implemented.

Nambuka also spoke during the seminar on the situation of women and women's groups in Uganda. She shared her experiences in supporting her foundation for street vendors in her country. She also spoke about the need to provide a safe environment for girls in Africa. It commended the recent constitutional amendments; Which grants women 25% seats in parliament, and urged other African countries to take the same approach.

This symposium comes within the framework of the Maat Foundation's interest in the human rights situation in Africa, especially since the Foundation is the North African region coordinator in the group of major NGOs in Africa, a member of the General Assembly of the Economic, Social and Cultural Council of the African Union (ECOSOC), and the head of the Egyptian National Chapter To the African Union.