In a statement on Thursday, AU Special Envoy on Women, Peace and Security Bineta Diop said the report was launched on the sidelines of the Summit earlier this month, during the Third AU High Level Panel of Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment.

This report, she said, "seeks to form the basis for enhanced dialogue and engagement with AU Member States and Regional Economic Communities, civil society, and other key stakeholders on accelerating implementation, as well as better informing the African Union’s engagement with international interlocutors and partners on the Women, Peace and Security agenda in Africa."

She noted that it was significant that the report was launched in Rwanda where 64 % of the country’s parliamentarians were women.

The repot looked at all "legislative and administrative mechanisms and machineries" that have been put in place to support and advance this agenda and at the progress that has been made in terms of performance where the relevant data and information exists.

The information in the report included case studies of the achievements of the 19 member states who adopted the UNSCR 1325 National Action Plans.

Diop said there was a great need to "bridge the gap between policy and implementation", especially regarding issues covering women, peace and security.

She said that concerning progress, "Sadly, progress for women on the ground has not matched this elaborate architecture."

To ensure these goals were met, Diop said as the AU focuses on supporting member states in implementing their policies in a sustainable way,"the importance of utilizing monitoring and reporting tools to drive accelerated delivery should be recognised."

--ANA--