Assembly/AU/Dec.181 (X) DECISION ON THE REPORTS ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE AU SOLEMN DECLARATION ON GENDER EQUALITY IN AFRICA (DOC. EX.CL/ 376(XII) The Assembly: 1. TAKES NOTE of the reports and presentation on the implementation of the AU Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa (SDGEA); 2. CONGRATULATES Member States that submitted their baseline reports in 2007 namely: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria and APPEALS to Member States that are yet to submit their baseline reports to urgently submit these reports, for the AU to have a base upon which to build on the progress made; 3. ALSO CONGRATULATES Member states that have signed and ratified the Protocol on the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa and ENCOURAGES member states that have signed and not yet ratified to do so; 4. CALLS ON Member States to implement all the commitments made in the SDGEA; 5. REQUESTS Member States to adopt the content of the SDGEA as the framework for the acceleration of implementation of the existing instruments and platform for gender equality at the rational level, in order to maximize the implementation of the SDGEA and incorporate it in the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) reports; 6. ALSO REQUESTS the Commission to assist Member States in the process of reporting on the Solemn Declaration, and take necessary steps in this direction; 7. FURTHER REQUESTS the AU Commission to continue to expand and promote the Gender Parity Principle so far adopted by the Assembly to all the other organs of the African Union, including its NEPAD program, to the Regional Economic Communities and encourage member states to adopt Affirmative Action at the national and local levels in collaboration with political parties and the National parliaments.