ICA Africa: Gender Workshop
4 October 2006, Arusha (Tanzania)
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The meeting was chaired by Mrs. Esther Gicheru, member of the ICA Gender Equality Committee, and gathered 19 participants from 10 countries.
The meeting was made possible thanks to the support and contribution of ICA Gender Equality Committee. The Chairperson attended the meeting in person, to learn about the problems and challenges women co-operators are facing in Africa, and share ICA GEC’s Policies, strategies and activities implemented to promote the advancement of gender equality worldwide (See presentation > > > pdf).
The workshop was also addressed by the Chairperson of the Regional Gender Committee of the Asia – Pacific ICA Region, Mrs. Rahaiah Baberan.
OBJECTIVES |
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Main objective: Sharing of experiences, ideas and insights between ICA GEC Chairperson and women cooperative leaders from Africa while looking at the roles co-operatives are playing in bridging the gender gap in the movement and in our communities at large.
Specific objectives :
- Foster the sharing of experiences and knowledge on Gender Integration in Cooperatives through the presentation of :
- the ICA GEC gender integration strategies and activities and the results achieved so far, and future perspectives
- ICA Africa gender integration activities, difficulties and challenges faced
- Gender promotional activities implemented at the grassroots level by co-operatives in Africa
- the Asia Pacific Regional GEC gender integration strategies and activities and the results achieved so far, and future perspectives
- Make recommendations to the ICA Africa Regional Assembly and Regional Office on the way forward
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WORKSHOP AGENDA |
Participants made presentations on the progress of gender activities in their organisations and based on these following issues were identified as the main themes of the report, and proposals were made to address them.
- What should the ICA do to support gender activities in the region ?
- What should be the role of Member Organisations in promoting gender within their organisations?
- Holding a regional gender forum
- Formation of an African Regional Gender Committee
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RECOMMENDATIONS |
1. ICA Support to gender activities in the region:
- Play the lead role, bringing us together
- Help with fund raising
- Establish contact with ICA sectoral bodies – discuss specific gender related issues
- ICA should facilitate international networking
- Advocacy and lobby at the international level
- Collection of disaggregated data and best practices at regional level.
- Sensitisation of government about the role of co-operatives and poverty alleviation.
- Support the creation of an enabling environment for gender promotion within co-operative organisations and at country level
- Promote institutional collaboration at international level
- ICA should have a gender desk (focal point) at the Regional Office
- Promotion of youth activities (boys and girls)
- Monitoring the implementation of policies, strategies and programmes developed by member organisations.
2. Role of Member organisations in promoting gender within their organisations
- Develop and implement policies, strategies and programmes to promote gender equality within the member organisations.
- Increase gender awareness and sensitisation activities devoted to members, staff and leaders.
- Implement the resolution of the Ministerial Conference held in Lesotho in 2005 stating that at least 30% of Board members should be women at all levels.
- Member organisations should create gender desks
- Member organisations should create gender committees within their organisations
- Sharing of information through ICA Africa website.
- Implement exchange programmes between organisations (study visits)
- Collection of disaggregated data and best practices at all levels (primary – secondary and tertiary)
- Organise regular women’s forum to provide opportunities to members to discuss and address gender issues.
- Allocate resources from their budgets to support gender activities
- Formation of gender committees
- Establishment of a gender fund to support regional and global representation of women
- Undertake female and youth membership drives
3. Regional Gender Forum, November 2007, Lesotho
- Following the invitation from Lesotho to host the next forum in November 2007, delegates committed themselves to make it a reality.
- Set up a Forum task force to prepare the forum (first meeting in April, 2007 – Nairobi)
Members (Ms. Elisabeth, ICA Regional Office, Mrs. Esther Gicheru, Mrs. Aba Smith, Ms. Namuhisa Agnes, Mrs. Alice Tibazalika, Chief Dr. Eka Esther – ICA GEC Chairperson, Stefania Marcone)
4. Formation of an African Regional Gender Committee
- Initiate actions toward the formation of an African Women Regional Committee to be finalized at the proposed Lesotho forum of November 2007
- Strengthen the profile of women and the role they play to promote peace through cooperatives.
- Put in place mechanisms to strengthen cooperation among women at the sub regional level
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Participants of the ICA Africa Gender Workshop |
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