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4.
Initiate, launch and engage within two years sustained public
campaigns against gender based violence as well as the problem of
trafficking in women and girls; Reinforce legal mechanisms that will
protect women at the national level and end impunity of crimes
committed against women in a manner that will change and positively
alter the attitude and behaviour of the African society;
5.
Expand and Promote the gender parity principle that we have
adopted regarding the Commission of the African Union to all the
other organs of the African Union, including its NEPAD programme, to
the Regional Economic Communities, and to the national and local
levels in collaboration with political parties and the National
parliaments in our countries;
6.
Ensure the active promotion and protection of all human rights for
women and girls including the right to development by raising
awareness or by legislation where necessary;
7.
Actively promote the implementation of legislation to guarantee
women’s land, property and inheritance rights including their rights
to housing;
8.
Take specific measures to ensure the education of girls and literacy of
women, especially in the rural areas, to achieve the goal of “Education
for All” (EFA);
9.
Undertake to Sign and ratify the Protocol to the African Charter on
Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa by the
end of 2004 and to support the launching of public campaigns aimed
at ensuring its entry into force by 2005 and usher in an era of
domesticating and implementing the Protocol as well as other
national, regional and international instruments on gender equality by
all States Parties;
10.
Establish AIDS Watch Africa as a unit within the Office of the
Chairperson of the Commission who should render annual report on
HIV/AIDS situation in the continent during annual Summits; and
promote the local production of anti-retroviral drugs in our countries;
11.
Accept to establish an African Trust Fund for Women for the purpose
of building the capacity of African women and further request the
African Union Commission to work out the modalities for the
operationalisation of the Fund with special focus on women in both
urban and rural areas;
12.
Commit ourselves to report annually on progress made in terms of
gender mainstreaming and to support and champion all issues raised
in this Declaration, both at the national and regional levels, and
regularly provide each other with updates on progress made during
our Ordinary Sessions;